Welcome to the Website for
Manchester Regional Genetics Service Site
and the
Academic Unit of Medical Genetics

This is one of the largest and most comprehensive Clinical Genetics units in the UK and Europe, integrating a multidisciplinary clinical and laboratory genetics service, which serves a population of over 5 million, and academic programmes in molecular genetics and health services research. We have in the order of 200 staff, 160 employed by the NHS and 40 by the University of Manchester.

In Manchester Clinical Genetic services (diagnostic and counselling) are provided from clinics in the Central Manchester and Manchester Children’s University Hospitals NHS Trust and in an outreach network of facilities throughout the North West of England. All the main medical subspecialties of genetics are represented. Genetic service laboratories include a long established Cytogenetics laboratory and a Molecular Diagnostic laboratory recently developed and designated by the Department of Health as one of only two National Genetics Reference Laboratories. The NGRL has an active research programme, particularly in Bioinformatics and is the UK and European coordinating centre for QA in molecular diagnostics. With the major PFI development (completion 2009) the Willink Biochemical Genetics Unit will be incorporated in the genetics service.

The University and Trust established the first MSc course in Genetic Counselling in Europe in 1992 that has been used to model courses in several centres internationally. Many other teaching and training initiatives have been developed in the Centre including courses for specialist registrars and e-learning resources for scientists.

The Centre has several strong programmes of research particularly in the elucidation of molecular pathology of genetic disorders, many associated with birth defect syndromes and with developmental and functional eye disorders. Cancer Genetics is another strength and there are health services research programmes, particularly in psychosocial aspects and in service development and evaluation aspects of genetics. Recently the department led a collaborative bid from the Trust and from the Universities of Manchester, Lancaster and Liverpool and was awarded one of six national Genetic Knowledge Parks. Further funding was obtained from the NWDA and European Regional Development Fund to build a centre for the North West Genetic Knowledge Park (NOWGEN) on the Trust site that is due to open in late 2004. External research funding to the centre is from the Wellcome Trust, the Medical Research Council, NIH and the Department of Health and the Department of Trade and Industry.