David Bentley has made seminal contributions in the field of human genetics by the application of genetic technologies to medicine. He played a pivotal role in the Human Genome Project and has since pioneered the application of transformative whole genome sequencing technology to benefit patients.
His current research is focussed on fast, accurate sequencing of human genomes for adoption in healthcare. Early applications in rare genetic disease and cancer are exemplified by completion of the 100,000 genomes project in 2018, which led to the commissioning of genome sequencing in the National Health Service. This work also triggered other large-scale human sequencing projects in the UK, Europe, USA and Singapore. Ongoing collaborative work in a range of healthcare settings has led to the generation of medically actionable information from genome sequencing in cancers and non-cancerous diseases.
David's leadership in human medical genomics and precision medicine has been recognised through the award of an OBE and a Precision Medicine World Conference Pioneer award.
Professional position
- Former Vice President and Chief Scientist, Illumina Inc
