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Figure 1. Governance of the Hong Kong Genome Institute. HKGI is overseen by the Board of Directors and six Advisory Committees for
effective implementation of HKGP. HKGI: Hong Kong Genome Institute; HKGP: Hong Kong Genome Project.

Figure 2. Operational workflow of Hong Kong Genome Project. HKGI: Hong Kong Genome Institute; HKGP: Hong Kong Genome
Project; HPO: Human Phenotype Ontology; MDT: multi-disciplinary team; WGS: whole-genome sequencing.

Genome project for the people: public trust and confidence
As mentioned above, public trust and understanding of genomics unquestionably remain a global challenge
to the success of all genomics campaigns. With the aim to facilitate public awareness and understanding, the
HKGP spearheads the development of guidelines and standardised protocols on informed consent and the
collection, storage and sharing of genomic data in a secure, ethical, and responsible manner.

HKGI respects and values the public opinions and perception of the HKGP and carried out three focus
groups (undiagnosed disease patient groups, hereditary cancer patients and family members, and clinicians)
to understand the people’s general opinions on genomic testing and studies. A recurring theme mentioned
in the focus groups was the emphasis on making the process as “transparent” and “fully informed” as