The Open Genome Project was inspired and is motivated by the life of Elna Symington. Her fight against an aggressive form of ovarian cancer ended in 2017 when she experienced severe side effects caused by anti-cancer treatment. Elna’s story opened a gateway for medicine to look deeper into the complexities of disease treatment and the role genetics can play in personalized medicine. 

A Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) was established for the Open Genome Project. We work together to find better solutions for disease prevention and treatment using whole exome or genome sequencing available in South Africa as a research component to genetic testing service delivery