A Unique Genetic Test Developed in Israel
Israeli specialists have developed a new genetic test that allows for the identification of 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 is 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 to include it 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 child 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 anamnesis data 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 Eastern region. It takes into account the genetic characteristics of nearly 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 the presence of mutations simultaneously in thousands of different genes. Its use, according to medical professionals, is expected to help at least halve the risks of giving birth to children with severe genetic pathologies in Israel.