Jeans for Genes Day is a national fundraiser held in Australia and the United Kingdom.The two fundraisers are not associated with one another and raise money for different organisations.
Jeans for Genes (Australia)
In Australia, Jeans for Genes was founded by the Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI) in 1994.
Jeans for Genes (United Kingdom)
In the United Kingdom, The CGD Research Trust and Support Group was founded as a charity in 1991 by New Zealander, Ocean Numan, (Paul), with the aim of finding a cure for
Chronic Granulomatous Disease
Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), also known as Bridges–Good syndrome, chronic granulomatous disorder, and Quie syndrome, is a diverse group of hereditary diseases in which certain cells of the immune system have difficulty forming the reacti ...
(CGD) for his son and other CGD boys through gene therapy. This relatively new form of treatment still remains the greatest creator of hope that inherited diseases will be finally conquered. One of the Trust's dedicated supporters, Rosemarie Rymer, came up with the original idea of wearing jeans, for the benefit of your genes, one day in the year, and paying a gold coin donation to the national appeal. The first UK Jeans for Genes campaign was run in 1992 when the CGD Trust mailed 20,000 UK schools. The appeal raised close to 50,000 pounds. In the second year of running the appeal (1994) the campaign raised a further 55,000 pounds. As a small charity the Trust considered whether working cooperatively with Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital and two other bigger immunodeficiency charities would help achieve greater revenue. In 1997 the partnership appeal raised 800,000 pounds, and the following year 2.7 million pounds. The UK annual appeal continues today and is run by Genetic Disorders UK. It is unrelated to the Australian appeal, though in the spirit of co-operation both charities have in the past shared their experience of running a successful national appeal. Today the CGD Research Trust is known as The CGD Society.
Genetic disorders affect 1 in 25 people born in the UK and include conditions such as
cystic fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a rare genetic disorder that affects mostly the lungs, but also the pancreas, liver, kidneys, and intestine. Long-term issues include difficulty breathing and coughing up mucus as a result of frequent lung infections. O ...
,
sickle cell anaemia
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of blood disorders typically inherited from a person's parents. The most common type is known as sickle cell anaemia. It results in an abnormality in the oxygen-carrying protein haemoglobin found in red blo ...
and
muscular dystrophy
Muscular dystrophies (MD) are a genetically and clinically heterogeneous group of rare neuromuscular diseases that cause progressive weakness and breakdown of skeletal muscles over time. The disorders differ as to which muscles are primarily affe ...
. Their associated health problems mean that genetic disorders are the biggest cause of death of children aged 14 years.
Jeans for Genes Daytakes place each September when people across the UK make a small donation to wear their jeans to work and to school. Supporters are able to register for a free fund-raising pack through Genetic Disorders UK.
The money raised is distributed through th
Jeans for Genes Grant Programme Funding from Jeans for Genes was key in the development of gene therapy at the
UCL and the Institute of Child Health at
Great Ormond Street Hospital
Great Ormond Street Hospital (informally GOSH or Great Ormond Street, formerly the Hospital for Sick Children) is a children's hospital located in the Bloomsbury area of the London Borough of Camden, and a part of Great Ormond Street Hospital ...
in London. The Appeal has now raised in excess of 40 million pounds.
The charity also aims to raise awareness and understanding of
genetics
Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar wor ...
and what it means to live with a genetic disorder. It provides educational materials for schools through a dedicated website calle
Genes Are Us
See also
*
Genetic epidemiology
Genetic epidemiology is the study of the role of genetic factors in determining health and disease in families and in populations, and the interplay of such genetic factors with environmental factors. Genetic epidemiology seeks to derive a statist ...
*
List of genetic disorders
The following is a list of genetic disorders and if known, type of mutation and for the chromosome involved. Although the parlance "disease-causing gene" is common, it is the occurrence of an abnormality in the parents that causes the impairment t ...
*
Medical genetics
Medical genetics is the branch
tics in that human genetics is a field of scientific research that may or may not apply to medicine, while medical genetics refers to the application of genetics to medical care. For example, research on the caus ...
References
External links
Jeans for Genes Day (UK)Genes Are Us (UK)Jeans for Genes Grant Programme (UK)Genetic Disorders UKJeans for Genes (Australia)the Children's Medical Research Institute CMRI (Australia)*The CGD Society
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Health-related fundraisers
Charity events in the United Kingdom
Philanthropy in Australia