Aggregated News

Controversial plans to build a massive database that would be capable of storing every British citizen's DNA records will be unveiled this week by the prime minister.

David Cameron will announce a groundbreaking initiative designed to position the UK at the forefront of the genetic revolution – a potentially multibillion-pound industry that is attracting attention from major technology companies, including Google.

The plan has been drawn up by the Human Genomics Strategy Group, run by Professor Sir John Bell, an adviser to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, with support from the Wellcome Trust, the country's largest charity.

Last week Cameron's senior policy advisor, Rohan Silva, said that the NHS's patient records were a "valuable asset" and predicted that sharing them in a safe, secure and anonymous way with researchers would allow the UK to be at the forefront of the next generation of health technologies.

"The UK has developed a life sciences strategy that is based around using the collection of NHS data … as a catalyst for life sciences innovation and growth," Silva explained in an interview...