100% of Shetland’s communities have offered their support and endorsement of the Viking Genes Shetland Community Screening Project that would make the islanders Scotland’s first ever population screened for a range of genetic health risks. Press ReleaseIssued: 20th January 2026 Parts of Shetland have seven times higher risk of developing breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer caused by BRCA gene variants than the mainland UK population, other disease-causing variants are over 1000 times more common in Shetland than the rest of the UKThe Viking Genes Shetland Community Screening Project has now received the backing of every Shetland parish and isle through support of all 18 island Community Councils, joining the local MSP and MP in calling for the Shetland population to become the first part of Scotland to be genetically screened as part of a preventative healthcare campaignThe community genetic screen aims to save lives by identifying individuals who have higher risk, enabling early preventative interventions to keep people healthy and stop disease progressing Lerwick, Shetland 100% of Shetland’s communities have offered their support and endorsement of the Viking Genes Shetland Community Screening Project that would make the islanders Scotland’s first ever population screened for a range of genetic health risks. This would be a UK first in screening a high-risk population for multiple disease genes.100% of Shetland’s communities have offered their support and endorsement of the Viking Genes Shetland Community Screening Project that would make the islanders Scotland’s first ever population screened for a range of genetic health risks. This would be a UK first in screening a high-risk population for multiple disease genes.The screen would identify individuals with a heightened genetic risk of diseases including breast, ovarian and prostate cancer, heart diseases including cardiomyopathy and fatal arrythmias, the iron overload disease haemochromatosis and Wilson disease, a build-up of copper which poisons the organs. Many “rare” but life-threatening genetic risk variants are found to occur at much higher rates in Shetland than anywhere else in the UK. The preventative healthcare initiative would be available to all Shetlanders over the age of 16 and is aimed at identifying those at risk sometimes decades before any tumours or symptoms develop, allowing those affected to access preventative treatments that keep people well. Analysis suggests that the screening project would identify 50 to 100 individuals at high risk of genetic illnesses and likely save the lives of up to five individuals who would be found to have undiagnosed tumours or heart problems, enabling life-saving interventions. Professor Jim Flett Wilson of the University of Edinburgh who leads Viking Genes said, “I’m delighted at the unanimous support from across Shetland, which shows the strong commitment to getting the community screening project going. Shetlanders are now aware that they are at higher risk of disease and are pressing for a bespoke approach to reduce this health inequality through preventative genetic screening. This will save lives and save the NHS money in the long term: a great benefit to the community.”Research shows 1 in 40 (2.5%) of Shetlanders carry one of the genetic risk variants - all of which are termed “actionable findings” meaning that they can be “actioned” or treated in the NHS to reduce the chance of disease occurring, or to stop disease progression, helping people stay healthy and in some cases save lives. The support and call for action have been joined by the Shetland parliamentarians: Local MP Alistair Carmichael said, “The people of Shetland have a far greater risk of suffering from inherited genetic health risks than other population groups in the UK, and as such the benefit of genetic screening as a preventative healthcare strategy can deliver so much more here in Shetland than it can do anywhere else. The Viking Genes screen can save lives and improve the future health outcomes of potentially hundreds of families across our islands.“I’m delighted to see that all 18 Community Councils representing the whole 23,000 population of Shetland have unanimously come out in support of this bold initiative and calling for action on the Viking Genes Shetland Community Screening Project, that would put Shetland and Scotland at the forefront of preventative medicine. Improving the health outcomes of all of our people and the future generations of islanders is the most vital of actions our society can take and provides real benefit to our community and the future of Shetland.” Shetland MSP, Beatrice Wishart added, “I am very encouraged by the aim of the project as we already know that there are genetic predispositions within the Shetland community. Screening will have long term value with future generations benefiting from preventative action and medicine.” The project also has the support of NHS Shetland, with Health Board Chair Gary Robinson describing the prospects as “really exciting” with a “phenomenal” potential for early detection and Chief Executive Brian Chittick noting that the project “could really reform what we are doing in the prevention realm.”In contrast to the recent UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) decision to reject widening access to prostate cancer screening across the UK, the Viking Genes screen is based on more conclusive genetic testing to identify people at any age that have an elevated risk of the diseases in question.The Shetland Community Screening Project will provide Shetlanders with the opportunity to take part in a free genetic screen developed specifically for Shetland, which will identify anyone from the island communities who has a higher genetic risk of developing a number of life-threatening conditions. All 18 Community Councils have now called for action to benefit their communities with letters of support provided to evidence the level of public backing for genetic screening to address the health risks and inequalities: Charlotte Anderson, on behalf of Northmaven Community Council in her letter of support wrote: “We are greatly encouraged by the evidence your research team has provided, revealing a significantly higher prevalence of disease-causing genetic variants within Shetland’s population, with conditions such as BRCA2-related cancers and heart rhythm disorders posing real risks to families in every part of our community. Offering free genetic screening to Shetland residents stands to save lives through early intervention and provides reassurance to many who may otherwise remain unaware of their health risks.We believe the project will make a profound difference to local health outcomes and overall wellbeing, particularly in our rural area. We are hopeful that further funding can be secured to realise the full ambition of this initiative.” Joanne Jamieson, representing Sandwick Community Council said “Scotland has a reputation for scientific innovation for the good of many. Your Viking Genes project embodies that spirit.”Dawn Ratter, for Lerwick Community Council emphasised the alignment with the Shetland Partnership Plan, stating that early identification of risk “exemplifies the Plan’s commitment to preventative approaches and early intervention.”This Viking Genes Shetland Screening Project will move Shetland to the forefront of preventative medicine in the UK, and help shape the future of UK health policy in preventative health screening in targeted populations. --- Notes to Editors: About Viking Genes: https://viking.ed.ac.uk/Viking Genes is a research project led by Professor Jim Flett Wilson at the University of Edinburgh. Over the past 20 years, 10,000 people in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles have volunteered for genetic screening that has provided remarkable insight into the history of island communities but also uncovered dramatic genetic health risks in those island populations. Having received NHS ethical approval, in 2023 Professor Wilson started returning actionable genetic findings to the Viking Genes volunteers so that they could take action to assess their current health status and also access preventative healthcare measures through the NHS. The Shetland Community Screening Project will initially enable another 5000 individuals to be screened, potentially touching all families in the Shetland archipelago. For follow-up and personal interviews with Prof Flett Wilson, contact: viking@ed.ac.uk About the Viking Genes Shetland Community Screening ProjectThe Shetland Community Screening Project was developed using the aggregated and anonymised results of screening 3000 Shetland volunteers as part of Viking Genes research at the University of Edinburgh. It will test for up to 20 disease-causing genetic variants, via a simple saliva sample genetic test. It is envisaged that the screening and analysis will run for three years commencing once sufficient funding has been secured. A fully costed Project Plan has been developed requiring circa £1,000,000 to be raised with a 6-figure sum already received from public donations and a further 6-figure contribution from the University towards its costs. For more information: https://viking.ed.ac.uk/screening-shetland Archive of Community Council Letters of Support for the Viking Genes Shetland Community Screening Project: https://viking.ed.ac.uk/news-and-media/press/shetland-community-councils In Shetland, contact the Viking Genes Shetland CommitteeThe constituted committee coordinates community fundraising activities to enable the Shetland Community Screening Project to commence. The committee is chaired by Sandra Laurenson OBE, and also includes Shetland’s Lord Lieutenant Lindsay Tulloch QPM, who are also building support for the Project with charities, community benefit funds and the local and international businesses working in ShetlandContact Sandra Laurenson on 07717 537838. FUNDRAISING INFORMATION:https://viking.ed.ac.uk/support-viking-genesHIGH RESOLUTION IMAGES AVAILABLE https://viking.ed.ac.uk/news-and-media/for-press/image-collectionsPERSONAL STORIES of people identified and treated through the research project are available at https://viking.ed.ac.uk/about-us/volunteer-storiesTO BE KEPT UP TO DATE JOIN OUR MEDIA LIST - contact: viking@ed.ac.uk This article was published on 2026-01-26
