A Unique Genetic Test Developed in Israel

Israeli specialists have developed a new genetic test that identifies the risk of developing more than 400 hereditary diseases by detecting hundreds of gene mutations carried by Israelis. Their research has already been called the most extensive, and the genetic analysis the most comprehensive and informative: until now, similar tests in Israel covered just under 200 hereditary diseases.

The Ministry of Health has already approved the new genetic analysis, but in order for it to be included in the so-called health basket – a list of services covered by state health insurance – some legal formalities will need to be resolved. However, it is already possible to undergo genetic testing using the new method on a paid basis at several medical institutions in the country.

Every year, more than one hundred thousand Israeli couples planning to have a child undergo genetic tests to determine the risk of their future baby developing a hereditary disease. Both partners are specially tested to establish whether one of them (or both) is a carrier of a specific gene mutation that could be passed on to the child and cause congenital anomalies or hereditary pathologies.

In Israel, there are currently two options for such couples. The first involves collecting medical history information considering the ethnic background of both partners and allows for the suspicion of possible risks of certain genetic diseases. Future parents fill out a questionnaire, based on which they are directed to specific tests depending on their ethnic background. A specific set of such tests exists for Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews, Caucasian Jews, Jews from North African countries, Arabs living in certain areas, etc. The second option consists of genetic tests conducted abroad, which are based on global indicators without considering the specifics of hereditary pathologies prevalent in Israel.

The new test, which is a joint development of the Israeli medical company Gamidor Diagnostics and the Genetics Institute at Beilinson Hospital, can detect more than four hundred hereditary diseases and gene mutations characteristic of the residents of Israel and the Middle East region. It takes into account the genetic characteristics of almost all ethnic groups represented in the country and is based on a database of all hereditary diseases found among the population of Israel.

The innovative test can check for mutations simultaneously in thousands of different genes. Its use, as doctors believe, will help at least halve the risks of giving birth to children with severe genetic pathologies in Israel.