04/08/2026
Breaking News: A landmark charity-funded project will offer genetic testing to thousands of people with ancestral links to Westray in Orkney and Whalsay in Shetland, helping identify those who have a higher inherited risk of developing certain cancers 🧬
Eight Scottish health charities have joined forces to fund a £365,000 testing programme across Scotland. The project will be led by researchers from the University of Aberdeen and the NHS North of Scotland Genetics Service based in NHS Grampian.
NHS Grampian Charity is proud to be joining forces with Friends of Anchor, NHS Orkney Endowment Fund, Shetland Health Board Endowment Fund NHS Shetland, NHS Highland Charity, NHS Tayside Charitable Foundation, NHS Lothian Charity and Greater Glasgow & Clyde Healthcare Charity NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to make this testing programme possible.
Around 5,000 people are expected to be tested during the two-year programme. Testing is simple and non-invasive. Participants will provide a saliva sample, and those who are found to carry the gene variants will be offered further testing and support.
The project builds on years of pioneering work by Professor Zosia Miedzybrodzka of NHS Grampian and the University of Aberdeen, as well as research by The University of Edinburgh.
"For many years, our team has seen the impact the inherited BRCA variants can have on families from Orkney and Shetland," Zosia said. "We know that these specific variants are more common in people with Westray and Whalsay ancestry and this project gives us an important opportunity to identify people across Scotland who may be at higher risk, before they develop cancer."
Lisa Duthie, Charity Lead at NHS Grampian Charity, says, "This is an extraordinary example of what charitable donations from patients and families can make possible, and is truly collaborative work which has the potential to make a lasting difference for people across Scotland."
Sarah-Jane Hogg, Chief Executive of Friends of ANCHOR, says, "This project reflects our commitment to supporting earlier diagnosis, prevention and improved outcomes for people affected by cancer, and this programme will identify people at increased risk earlier and give them access to support and preventative care that could ultimately save lives."
The new testing programme will begin next year, starting in Orkney and then moving to Whalsay and the rest of Shetland, with an aim to begin to roll out across the Scottish mainland in 2028. Anyone with Westray or Whalsay ancestry who is interested in accessing genetic testing should wait for advice on when this becomes available via their local health board.
You can read the full story, including information on where to get support, on our website 👉 https://buff.ly/X2R2Y5x
NHS Grampian Public Health Aberdeen City Health and Social Care Partnership Aberdeenshire Health & Social Care Partnership - AHSCP Moray Health & Social Care Partnership Clan Cancer Support
