Shetland community aims to become first part of Scotland to be genetically screened as part of preventative healthcare campaign. Parts of Shetland have seven times higher risk of developing breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer caused by BRCA2 gene variants than mainland Scottish population. Press Release Issued: UNDER STRICT EMBARGO UNTIL 10:30 GMT ON WEDNESDAY 21 MAY Shetland community aims to become first part of Scotland to be genetically screened as part of preventative healthcare campaignParts of Shetland have seven times higher risk of developing breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer caused by BRCA2 gene variants than mainland Scottish populationOther genetic risks are many times higher in Shetlanders than the mainlandCommunity genetic screen aims to save lives by identifying individuals across Shetland at higher risk - enabling early preventative health interventions to keep people healthyEarlier stage medical interventions are proven to reduce the overall life-time cost of treatment whilst increasing quality of life for patients by preventing disease progression and early death.Lerwick, Shetland Viking Genes Shetland’s fundraising and awareness-raising campaign for Scotland’s first ever community genetic screening programme was launched today at Mareel in Lerwick. Shetland aspires to be the first community in Scotland to benefit from a genetic screening initiative aimed at keeping people well and preventing disease from occurring or progressing, rather than reactively treating the disease, once it has developed. The Viking Genes Shetland Community Screening Project aims to provide 5,000 Shetlanders with the opportunity to take part in a free genetic screening programme; 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. Volunteers will be notified of their actionable genetic findings and be advised on the appropriate NHS pathway of care.The project will in time identify those individuals who may not be affected themselves, but who carry an elevated risk of passing on certain genetic conditions to their children. The Viking Genes Shetland Community Screening Project is a unique collaboration between the Shetland community and Professor Jim Flett Wilson who leads the Viking Genes programme at the University of Edinburgh’s Usher Institute. Shetland community leaders have formed a voluntary constituted committee and are undertaking to help to raise £1 million to enable Shetlanders to participate in a free screening programme that will test for 50 genetic variants found to be prevalent in the Shetland population. Research shows 1 in 40 (2.5%) of Shetlanders carry one of these variants - all of which are termed “actionable findings” meaning that they can be treated through NHS care pathways to reduce the chance of disease occurring, or to stop disease progression, helping people stay healthy and in some cases save lives. Sandra Laurenson OBE, Chair of Viking Genes Shetland, said: “The voluntary group was formed following a presentation Prof Wilson gave in Lerwick last autumn. It was an eye-opener for many of us learning of the number of conditions that stem from a genetic variant, and interesting how it traced back to specific island communities. “The project builds on the previous Viking Genes work where over 3,000 Shetlanders participated and offers an opportunity for more to benefit from those research findings.“It became evident that there is a growing impetus for more screening and the Volunteer Stories are testament to the life-changing benefits for volunteers and their families. “Already the Viking Genes Fund has been really well supported by a number of fantastic events by people in the community and by private donations. We hope to be able to assist the Project with applying to some of the institutional bodies both within and outside of Shetland to attract funding.“Today, we are encouraging more community fundraising as this is such an important part to make the Shetland Community Screening Project a reality.”Professor Jim Flett Wilson added, “Preventative genetic healthcare like the Viking Genes Shetland Community Screening Project will directly impact the health of Shetlanders, it’s likely to save lives and keep many more people healthy and contributing to the community rather than not realising they were at risk and then suffering from advanced stages of disease later in their lives. Shetlanders have a much higher risk of certain genetic diseases, so there’s a clear need and we are trying to help.“Most people we screen will find they have no elevated health risks and have that peace of mind, but we’ve already demonstrated that for the expected 100 individuals we find with elevated risks, it can be life-changing and life extending. “I’m very grateful to the courageous volunteers who have stepped forward to share their very personal stories of the positive health outcomes they experienced following our earlier return of their screen results – it really brings home the impact.”This Viking Genes Shetland Community Screening Project will move Shetland to the forefront of preventative medicine in the UK.The Scottish Health Minister has asked to be kept informed about the progress of the Viking Genes Shetland Community Screening Project and its findings for shaping future genomic medicine policy across Scotland, where several more high-risk population groups have been identified. 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. Professor Wilson started returning actionable genetic information to the Viking Genes volunteers in 2023 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 enable another 5000 individuals to be screened, potentially touching many more families in the archipelago. For follow-up and personal interviews with Prof Wilson, contact: viking@ed.ac.ukAbout the Viking Genes Shetland CommitteeThe committee was constituted in early 2025 to coordinate and oversee community awareness and fundraising activities aimed at raising £1M to enable the Shetland Community Screening Project to commence. The committee is chaired by Sandra Laurenson OBE, former Chief Executive of Lerwick Port Authority and also includes Peter Malcolmson OBE, former Director of Social Work and Councillor and Shetland’s Lord Lieutenant Lindsay Tulloch QPM.Contact Sandra Laurenson on 07717 537838.About the Viking Genes Shetland Community Screening ProjectThe screening panel is being developed using the aggregated and anonymised results of screening over 3000 Shetland volunteers as part of ongoing Viking Genes research. It will test for 50 genetic variants, and it will be available to a further 5,000 Shetlanders via a simple saliva sample genetic test. It is envisaged that the screening and analysis will run for three years once sufficient funding has been secured and delivery is ready by the project team. A fully costed project plan has been developed, requiring £1M to be raised to supplement the University’s contribution. For more information:https://viking.ed.ac.uk/screening-shetlandFUNDRAISING INFORMATION:https://viking.ed.ac.uk/support-viking-genesHIGH RESOLUTION IMAGES AVAILABLE:https://viking.ed.ac.uk/news-and-media/for-press/image-collectionsVOLUNTEER STORIES 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 2025-05-21
