The annual day to don your denim is on us again, with Jeans for Genes Day being observed on Friday, August 6.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
This is the day to pull your 'genes' out and wear them to work or just around the house.
Like previous years, the staff at Manning Base Hospital and other Hunter New England Health facilities in our area will be putting on their jeans and buying a badge to show their support for the research towards children with a genetic condition.
Jeans for Genes day is the main fundraiser for the Children's Medical Research Institute, who are researching both treatments and causes of genetic conditions that impact one in 20 children.
Also in the news: Wingham CBD Concept Plan changes due to community feedback
"Technology has moved a lot in the last two to three years," said Bruce Hopper, genetic counsellor with Hunter New England Local Health District.
"We are now able to perform whole exome studies in patients where previous technologies were not able to provide an answer to the underlying reason for the condition the person had.
"We have recently been able to establish the genetic case of a number of patients that we had been following for a number of years. The families have been very grateful to finally know the cause and the name of the condition that their family member has. Because we now know the cause of the condition we are able to explain what the recurrence risks are to other family members.
"From a cancer perspective there are many more requests from surgeons and oncologists for us to perform genetic testing for cancer related genes, as that it now able to influence the types of treatments and surgical procedures that the patient may have." Mr Hopper said.
Badges can be purchased through a number of shops in the region as well as local health facilities.
Donations can be made online and family stories can be seen via www.jeansforgenes.org.au.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Bookmark our website
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News