A SCOTTISH centre for excellence in precision medicine is to be established in Glasgow.

The centre is being set up as part of a drive to make the UK the most attractive place in the world in which to develop precision medicine tests and therapies.

Precision medicine uses diagnostic tests and data to understand a patient's disease more precisely and therefore select treatments which are safer, more predictable and more cost-effective.

The centre will be led by the University of Glasgow and the Scottish Government.

It is one of six regional centres of excellence, including Belfast, Cardiff, Leeds, Manchester and Oxford, to be announced by UK Universities and Science Minister Jo Johnson.

Each one will act as a hub for regional precision medicine work within the UK-wide network, co-ordinated from the Precision Medicine Catapult, the UK's new national innovation centre.

Scottish Health Secretary Shona Robison said: "It is great news that Glasgow has been chosen as one of the regional centres of excellence for the Precision Medicine Catapult.

"Glasgow, and indeed Scotland, has a long established international reputation for innovation and world-leading research, with particular strengths and expertise in medicine and healthcare.

"This decision demonstrates how the Scottish Government's investment of £124 million in our Innovation Centres attracts further funding from other sources. It adds to our potential to generate up to £1.5 billion for our economy and support ar