The Australian government is launching a world-first DNA screening study with the aim of detecting increased risk of some cancers and heart disease.
Melbourne’s Monash University will lead a national screening program of at least 10,000 people aged 18-40, who will be tested for genes that increase the risk of certain types of cancers and heart disease that often go undetected.
Supported by researchers and clinicians across the country, DNA Screen will identify people with variants in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes that lead to an increased risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer in women.
These genes are also linked to breast and prostate cancer in men, although not as strongly….