Opening of Genetic Laboratory in Tyumen Cardiology Research Center

Vadim A. Stepanov, Acting Director of Tomsk National Research Medical Center (NRMC) of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Professor, Corresponding Member of RAS, during the opening ceremony of the Laboratory, mentioned: “There are no limits in genetics! And a scope of the study in cardiogenetics is huge. Molecular genetic methods are closely involved in many fields of medicine, expanding application areas of genetic studies results. The opening of Laboratory is an important step ahead. Tomsk Research Institute of Medical Genetics, as Tyumen Cardiology Research Center, is affiliated with the Tomsk NRMC of RAS, will contribute to genetic studies development”. The opening of Laboratory was held in our Center within the jubilee X International Congress “Cardiology at a Crossroad of Sciences” (22-24 May 2019).

The Laboratory functioning started from biosamples processing intended for scientific researches, which were kept frozen. Anna Zabytova, physician of Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory explained, that the main intention of Genetic Laboratory was a molecular genetic basis detection of a hereditary predisposition to disease development (for instance: arterial hypertension, coronary artery disease, thrombophlebitis, diabetes and other), in which both genetic and environment factors played the role. The range of researches is more than 380 laboratory tests. Complex genetic researches will be held here to determine the risk of cardiovascular diseases development. They are based on genetic polymorphism identification associated with disorders of blood coagulation system, lipid metabolism using PCR (polymerase chain reaction) in real time. In the future, the Laboratory staff are considering the opportunity of the molecular genetic factors assessment in cardiovascular diseases development on the basis of potential candidate genes and genetic markers research using pyrosequencing, which is established on determination of molecules DNA nucleotide sequence. Genetic analyses are currently being demanded. Small-sized pilot tests are being fulfilled now, but every interested person will be able to undergo required genetic testing soon.

Available up-to-date equipment can detect genetic polymorphisms – exchange of one nucleotide to another (a part of DNA) within one population. If certain polymorphism is detected, physicians say about man`s propensity for pathological processes – mutation, that is an estimation of hereditary predisposition to diseases, an individual genetic risk and development of an early diagnosis strategy and personalized approach to a concrete patient therapy.

Tatiana I. Petelina, Deputy Director for Science informs that genetics in cardiology nowadays is devoted to studying the basis of coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, heart rhythm and conduction disturbances, arterial hypertension, comorbid conditions. Studying gene`s polymorphism in case of these diseases is a strategic aim not only for medicine but for country in a whole. Detection of genetic predisposition to these diseases can raise their primary prevention to a crucially new level. Possessing obtained data, which is based on analytical programs implementation of genetic risk assessment; it is possible to measure the risk of cardiac diseases complications development. Genetic test in general gives an opportunity to reveal rudiments of future diseases in a genome and as a matter of physician up-to-date experience to outline the ways of an early disease prevention.

Perspective direction of scientific Laboratory will be a study devoted to genetic factors of atherosclerosis development in population of indigenous peoples of the Arctic area. Specialists of the Laboratory can fulfill the wide range of tests at the same time: a urogenital profile – test for sexually transmitted infections, viral diseases, fungal and parasitic infections, an allergy panels, systemic disease tests, pharmacogenetic typing test for estimation an individual dose of medication and many others. Moreover, such laboratories are not a novelty for Tyumen. However, only our Center will conduct both collaborative clinical and scientific studies in cardiology and perform examination of patients.