DNA swabs to save lives?
Increasing numbers of funeral directors across the UK are now taking DNA samples from the deceased to prevent crucial information, for the health of families and future generations, being lost forever through cremation or burial.
Many other funeral firms across the country are following suit as scientific advances mean people can now store the DNA of their lost loved ones at home without the need for refrigeration.
Each sample contains mind-boggling amounts of biological data that is becoming more and more important in diagnosing and treating hereditary diseases. Knowing a family’s genetic history can hold the key to a faster diagnosis and more effective treatment of everything from simple skin disorders to cancer, heart disease, dementia and diabetes.
DNA analysis of a person’s close relatives can also identify health risks within families and treat any potential problem before it is too late.
Rather than a ‘one-size fits all’ approach, ‘personalised medicine’ is the new buzzword for tailoring healthcare to individual patients, as Prime Minister David Cameron aims to make the UK the world leader in genetic research. Experts believe that access to a wide range of family DNA will also dramatically assist medical research into numerous genetic diseases.
Britain will be the first country in Europe to launch the DNA Memorial service that is already proving popular in Canada and the USA.
Trained staff at the funeral firms simply take a mouth swab to extract the material that makes each human unique. The sample is then sent to a specialist laboratory where the DNA is extracted, stabilised and then sealed in a sterile vial and returned to the family for safekeeping until such time as it is needed for clinical tests.
Simon Rothwell, Director of Flexmort and GC Labs, explained: “Scientists at CG Labs devised a way of storing DNA at room temperature without the need for refrigeration. It is this breakthrough that has enabled us to provide this DNA home banking service.
“Whenever a loved one is cremated or buried then a huge amount of genetic information, that could be incredibly valuable to surviving relatives, is lost forever. Funeral directors are therefore ideally placed to provide families with the opportunity to save their family member’s genetic record before it is too late.
“We already have hundreds of funeral locations currently rolling out the service and expect many more in the UK to be taking this up in the coming months. Potentially this could save the NHS millions as DNA is increasingly becoming involved in every part of healthcare. Having access to family DNA will enable doctors to zoom in on specific medical issues rather than having to do A-Z medical investigations and will also help identify appropriate treatment. Genetic clues can identify health weaknesses too and prevent conditions from developing.”
Professor Nicholas James, Director of the Cancer Research Unit at the University of Warwick and Professor of Clinical Oncology at the Cancer Centre, based at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, is in no doubt about the value of a family’s genetic history.
He said: “The increasing availability of DNA-based technologies is leading to a revolution in medical care. This is generally referred to as personalised medicine, and in reality means using DNA-based data to try and predict responses to therapy to allow more precise tailoring of therapy options.
“In the future, DNA data will be key to understanding disease in general and individual variations both in disease outcomes and response to treatment. Having access to one’s DNA heritage would greatly aid the understanding of many diseases such as prostate cancer.”
Professor Jeremy Farrar, Director of the Wellcome Trust health foundation, said: “I can see a future where genetics is going to come into every bit of medicine from cardiology to oncology to infectious diseases.”
In addition to its medical potential, DNA can have huge benefits for genealogical research. It can prove or disprove family relationships between people, and help to trace lost relatives.
The Tamworth Co-operative Society in Staffordshire was the first to sign up to it in England with 20% of all families opting for the service.
It is now being joined by a significant number of Independents. Many families at John Weir Funeral Directors have opted for the service and East Anglian-based Rosedale Funeral Home, whose owner Simon Beckett-Allen became personally involved when his 49-year-old sister Sarah died suddenly, was among those who immediately saw the value of keeping her DNA.
He said: “Not only will this help us to protect our family’s health now and in the future, it also gives us a precious keepsake which truly connects us forever with her. I know Sarah would be pleased that this is being done. It’s comforting and I’m sure that many other people will want to take advantage of this new opportunity.”
DNA Memorial provides an exciting new opportunity for keepsakes. DNA is the blueprint of a life, it is the living essence of a loved one and DNA can be infused forever into glass. The chosen piece is carefully handcrafted by glass artists who are based at the historic Red House Glass Cone in Stourbridge, England, home to glassmaking for more than 400 years and where the glassware on the ship Titanic was crafted. There is considerable public interest in these keepsakes, with a glassware memorial option also available for burials as well as cremation. DNA is widely regarded as the essence of life and as absolutely pure, whereas ash is often seen as the remnants of a death and contains many contaminants including the coffin. Furthermore, as cremation destroys DNA, there are no long-term medical benefits for the family in preserving ash.
Every piece of glasswork also includes the vial of DNA as this ensures that not only can the family keep the essence of their loved one close forever within glass, but that every family who has a glass piece also receives the ability to conduct multiple tests on their important genetic heritage.
Simon Rothwell is keen to work with forward-thinking funeral directors: “This is a great opportunity for funeral directors to help surviving families and we want to work with funeral directors who are going to offer this to each of their families. As the importance of DNA is increasing, funeral directors are best placed to inform the family that their loved one’s DNA is about to be destroyed and provide the family with information relating to the importance of storing DNA.”
Visit www.flexmort.com or email info@roftek.com for more information about DNA Memorial.
About Simon
Simon Rothwell is the Director of Flexmort and spoke at the recent SAIF Education Day on the concept of DNA Memorial. Flexmort is behind the European launch of DNA Memorial and Simon is the European Director of CG Labs, the Canadian DNA company whose scientists from Lakehead University have made the break-through in DNA storage.
Did you know?
DNA information can help to:
- Diagnose medical conditions
- Calculate the risk of specific diseases
- Determine preventative measures
- Choose appropriate medical tests and medications
- Identify other family members at risk of certain diseases
- Estimate the risk of passing conditions to children.