News

Fundraiser for 22 million could yield therapeutic procedure to cure Angelman syndrome

5 years ago, the parents of little Oliver, Lenka and Rado, approached a Czech scientific team within their organization Asgent with one goal - to turn the incurable disease Angelman syndrome into a curable one. And they are succeeding! The research is getting closer and closer to the goal every year. This year, the research team succeeded in creating a proposal for a functional therapeutic procedure. The road to a future cure and the first patients will still be challenging, but the Czech research team is closer than ever. But to reach sick children, they need your help. In order to turn hope into reality, we now need to raise funds to carry out preclinical tests. GHC Genetics has been a proud partner and supporter of Asgent for several years.

Deciphering the chromosome 25 years ago opened the door to treat hereditary diseases

A quarter of a century ago, a team of 100 scientists succeeded in describing the chromosome for the first time. It has helped treat dozens of diseases, but its true potential is still unfolding.

It's like the invention of the wheel. It's like breaking the atom. It's like landing a man on the moon. Twenty-five years ago, that's how the media assessed a scientific discovery made in late 1999. It allowed humanity to enter the twenty-first century with the knowledge of a single human chromosome. It may not seem like much, but this research opened the way for the detection and treatment of hereditary diseases.

Simply put: most of the cases of children for whose treatment money is raised today have gained hope thanks to the description of a chromosome that has made possible genetic treatments for diseases that science had not known how to deal with until then.

Joint preventive action of GHC Genetics with the OZP insurance company

GHC Genetics, in partnership with the Health insurance company for bank, insurance company and civil engineering employees (OZP), is offering a limited-time discounted promotion for its insureds. From 1 December 2024 to 1 January 2025, they can take advantage of a Christmas 50% discount and pay only CZK 1,200 for a TromboGen Plus examination . The test can detect early a genetic predisposition to increased blood clotting, which is associated with an increased risk of thrombosis and subsequent potentially very serious complications. Deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, heart attack or stroke are serious diseases that affect even people who live a healthy lifestyle, exercise, are of normal weight and have normal blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

Updated indication criteria for genetic testing of hereditary cancer syndromes

On 9 October 2024, the Committee of the Society of Medical Genetics and Genomics of the Czech Medical Society J.E.Purkyně approved the updated extended indication criteria for germline genetic testing for the most common adult cancers. The list of criteria can be found in the download section of our website and in the appendix of this report.