Although recent decades have seen great advances in the prevention and treatment of childhood disease, from viral and bacterial infection to many forms of cancer, modern medicine still has no effective answer to the vast majority of genetic conditions that affect hundreds of thousands of children in the UK alone, and many more across the world.

This is set to change. Technological leaps in recent years have opened up a whole new frontier in medical discovery, and Cambridge is at the leading edge of this transformation.

Our researchers are harnessing the power of rapid genome sequencing, big data and artificial intelligence, stem cell manipulation, and gene editing to develop new diagnostics and treatments for children suffering from genetic disorders.

The panel discussed the University’s research initiative in this field, which is a major collaboration involving multiple departments and institutes across the University’s School of Clinical Medicine as well as our clinical partners at Cambridge University Hospitals.

The panel also discussed how our research initiative is closely linked to the Cambridge Children’s Hospital – a partnership between the University and the NHS to create a pioneering new hospital that will fully integrate mental and physical healthcare, with genomic medicine at its heart.

Professor David Rowitch was part of the panel invited to speak on ‘Dear World, Yours Cambridge’, please see the full video below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_YXrswA00M