The National Centre for Medical Genetics, NCMG, is based at Our Lady's Hospital in Crumlin. Since 2002, a cumulative sum of €2.24 million has been allocated to the NCMG, of which €1.84 million was from national cancer strategy funding, including an allocation of €300,000 for the post of consultant clinical geneticist. This investment is supporting the development of breast cancer genetics services nationally.
In 1998, the NCMG was funded by the Health Research Board to carry out a collaborative study on the implementation of testing for hereditary breast cancer in Ireland. As a result of this study, the technology and expertise for screening for mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes is now available as is the expertise to assess and counsel families with hereditary breast cancer.
A subgroup of the national cancer forum on genetics is currently examining the specific areas of inherited familial pre-disposition to cancer, cancer risk profiling of persons without inherited mutations, and molecular diagnostics and molecular therapeutics. The work of this subgroup will inform the development of the new cancer strategy, which is due to be completed shortly.