FAQs about medical research

Why does it take so long?

The length of time it takes from the start of a research project to the availability of a new treatment can be many years, sometimes decades.  There are many stages to the research process which can often raise as many questions as they answer.

Once a treatment has been developed in the laboratory, scientists then need to test it on patients.  The treatment has to go through this lengthy trial process to make sure it is safe before it’s made more widely available. 

Research is also very expensive and securing funding can add to the length of the whole process.  But the more we know, the easier it should become to find a treatment for a wide range of genetic disorders.

Are animals used in the medical research that you fund?

The Home Office has strict guidelines about when animals can be used in medical research.  The number of experiments involving live animals has halved in the last 30 years due to:

•    The development of new research techniques.  For example, scientists can now test some drugs on human blood cells instead of rabbits

•    The introduction of rigorous standards which mean that animals can’t be used when there’s a valid alternative

Every laboratory has to be licensed and has to meet high standards of animal care.  You can find out more on the Home Office website.

The vast majority of research funded by Jeans for Genes is done without the use of animals.  In fact, the only way of identifying and understanding human genes is to investigate human genes. But research has to be given ethical approval before it can be trialed with human patients.

The only way to gain that approval is to show that tests on animal 'models' (typically mice) have taken place first.  So you can see that genetic research can’t be advanced without the use of animals.

Are doctors altering the genetic make-up of generations to come?

This is a common misconception. Gene therapy aims to correct a faulty gene or supply a missing one so that the patient has a full set of working genes, like the rest of us.  Gene therapy doesn’t change their reproductive cells so the treatment just affects that individual patient.

I want to help but I don’t want to fund research. Can my donation be used in another way?

Yes.  Proceeds from Jeans for Genes Day also go towards support services for families, specialist nurses, advocacy workers and holidays tailored to the children’s needs.  Our partner charities can invest up to 50% of the money they receive in these services. 

Although none of Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity's share of the proceeds goes to family support services, the funds are also used to buy essential laboratory equipment.

If you’d like your donation to be earmarked for these services only, simply send your donation with your paying-in slip and an explaining letter to: Jeans for Genes, PO Box 5, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8GE.