On Sun 1 Feb, JGD UK were happy to give a presentation at Manchester Day Limmud. The well-attended session ‘Lost and Found: Essential Screening for Jewish Genetic Disorders in the Manchester Community’ was led by Dr Ian Ellis, Consultant Clinical Geneticist, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and Katrina Sarig, Exec Director, JGD UK.
Dr Ellis started the session by offering a history of Tay-Sachs screening in Manchester – from the time when there was no testing, covering the community screening service established by Dr Sybil Simon and lost when she passed in 2009. Today, there is no community screening in Manchester for Tay-Sachs or any other severe Jewish genetic disorder.
Katrina then introduced JGD UK and their work to facilitate community screeningnot just for Tay-Sachs, but for a panel of 9 severe Jewish genetic disorders including Tay-Sachs.
This screening service, the first of its kind in the UK, was established last year in partnership with Great Ormond Street Hospital and Guy’s Hospital. In 2014, JGD UK piloting 3 successful screening events held in different shuls in London.
JGD UK will be holding one more screening event in London on Sun 1 March 2015 before starting to offer the service in Manchester after Pesach.
Katrina noted some of the challenges of rolling-out the screening service outside of London and interesting discussion followed as to how screening could be established successfully in the Manchester community.
Together the speakers, were proud to announce details of the first JGD UK screening event in Manchester on Sun 17 May 2015 at Yeshurun Hebrew Congregation.
The event was covered by the Jewish Telegraph and was talked about widely.
For more information about Jewish genetic disorders and the JGD UK screening events, please look at our JGD UK website at where it is also possible to register for the upcoming London screening on 1 March.
If you are interested in attending, or volunteering at, our first screening event in Manchester – we love to hear from you so please e-mail us at: .
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