PRESS RELEASE

31 March 2017

NewVIc and the East London Genes and Health- making a difference together

East London Genes & Health (ELGH) representatives visited NewVIc last week to present their work to Science students, 25 of which participated in East London Genes & Health (ELGH) by donating saliva samples to a study thatcould improve the health of 100,000 local people in East London.

Bangladeshi and Pakistani people are the largest ethnic minority groups in East London. In the UK as a whole, these two ethnicities have five times the rate of diabetes compared to the rest of the population and suffer poorer health. The study will look at the genetic makeup of volunteers in order to help researchers understand more about the nature of the disease within these communities, as well as various health conditions that affect the population.

NewVIc student donors, all from Bangladeshi and Pakistani descent, gave samples during their Genetics and Genetic Engineering lessons. Their genes within the saliva samples will now be linked to health records to study diseases and treatments to improve health in East London and worldwide.

ELGH presented their work to all 2nd year Level 3 Applied Science students and A-level biology students. The impact of the talk resonated with many students and as a result many responded by signing up to become ‘Helix Champions' which means that they will help to spread the work about ELGH in the community.

Jaber Khan, ELGH Programme Manager of Community Research said "The response from the participants was very good and we learnt a lot in the process too. " 

NewVIc college supports ELGH with their work in helping our community and looks forward to working with them in the near future.

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NewVIc (Newham Sixth Form College) is a place to learn, thrive and achieve for students aged 16-18. It combines high quality facilities with excellent teaching, tailored support and a strong sense of community. An investment of £10million in a new building which opens in 2017 provides a new university-style learning resource centre and lecture theatre.

Established in 1992, the College celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2017. It has 2,500 students and is based in Plaistow, Newham.