On Tuesday 18 June 2024, the ELSI Genomics Network held their second event for 2024, online via Zoom. The event was titled ‘Polygenic scores: are we ready?’. Polygenic scores (PGS) look at thousands of genetic variants across a person's genome to estimate their risk of developing a specific disease. They're not widely used at the moment, but, like many emerging genomic technologies, their application in population health and clinical care may be just around the corner. But are we ready? Speakers Mary-Anne Young and Professor Anne Cust discussed how PGS may inform early screening or prevention strategies, as well as guide treatment decisions for certain diseases. But they also highlighted ongoing uncertainties to do with equitable and effective implementation into clinical and public health. Both talks were then discussed with attendees, with Q&A moderated by ELSI Network coordinator Professor Ainsley Newson.
Resources mentioned during the seminar:
HGSA Position Statement on polygenic scores: www.cambridge.org/core/journa...
Australian Genomics report on polygenic scores: www.australiangenomics.org.au...
The ‘Managing your Risk’ study for melanoma: www.sydney.edu.au/medicine-he...
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