Shetland Community Screening Project

As featured on ITV News and The Scotsman newspaper. The groundbreaking genetic screening programme for Shetland – and a £1 million fundraising campaign to cover its costs.

ITV website: Viking Genes project uncovers Shetlanders have higher chance of carrying genes that lead to disease

Click to read more and watch Professor Jim Flett Wilson tell ITV's Louise Scott why he is launching Viking Genes Shetland - Shetland Community Screening Project

As featured on ITV Evening News at 7pm on 28 May 2025. 

Professor Jim Flett Wilson at Viking Genes Shetland launch

Download The Scotsman article in PDF using the link below:

 

NHS Shetland annual public meeting: 

There was praise for Viking Genes Shetland - Shetland Community Screening Project at the annual public meeting of NHS Shetland at Mareel Theatre, Lerwick, on Mon 18 Aug 2025. Sandra Laurenson, chair of Viking Genes Shetland, spoke on behalf of Viking Genes and the response was overwhelmingly positive in support of the project.

Junior health minister Maree Todd, chair of the meeting: “That is real, proper, cutting edge medicine for people in Shetland. It’s brilliant to hear about plans to increase genetic testing and to use that genetic testing to improve people’s health.”

Board chairman Gary Robinson: “I think the prospects for this are really exciting. We’ve already heard about people who have been able to detect diseases in early stages, or know they are at risk of diseases before they actually become ill from it. The potential is huge. If we can catch people before they become ill, rather than having to deal with people when they have stage four cancer, I think it is phenomenal.”

NHS Shetland chief executive Brian Chittick: “The project could really reform what we are doing in the prevention realm.”

As reported in the Shetland Times on 22 August 2025.

Praise for Viking Genes at NHS Shetland meeting

 

Watch the launch of Viking Genes Shetland - Shetland Community Screening Project on our YouTube channel:

The Viking Genes Shetland - Shetland Community Screening Project 2025-2029 fundraising and awareness-raising campaign was launched at Mareel in Lerwick on 21 May 2025. 

Shetland Community Screening Project Launch Part 1 - visit our YouTube channel to hear Professor Jim Flett Wilson - Principal Investigator of Viking Genes (University of Edinburgh) - make the case for genetic screening in Shetland.

Shetland Community Screening Project Launch Part 2 - visit our YouTube channel to hear Sandra Laurenson OBE - Viking Genes Shetland fundraising chair - tell the audience how the Shetland community can help the project.

Listen to Professor Flett Wilson and Viking Genes Shetland fundraising chair Sandra Laurenson on BBC Radio Scotland's 'Lunchtime Live' - Wednesday 21 May 2025.

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