New biochip quickly detects genetic diseases

National project "Science" presents: a specialist at the Northeast Federal University has developed a biochip for the rapid diagnosis of hereditary diseases

According to naukatv.ru, the author of the development was Mira Savina, a researcher at the Genomic Medicine laboratory at Northeastern Federal University. The researcher studied in South Korea, and after training she joined a large-scale biochip development project that received grant funding from the Bortnik Foundation. The created biochip allows you to quickly carry out DNA diagnostics and identify genetic diseases in ethnic populations. According to experts, this technique is four times cheaper than conventional DNA diagnostics, while the accuracy of the result is 99.9%.

Researchers report that representatives of the Yakut nation have a high predisposition to epilepsy and dementia. Every 100th Yakut is the carrier of the corresponding mutations in the gene, so the new development is extremely relevant for the region. Tests timely prevent the risks of serious neurodegenerative diseases, including during IVF. A prototype biochip is now “tuned” to the five most common genetic diseases in the Yakut population. The project “A biochip-based test system for detecting the carrier of genetic diseases SAKHA-BIOCHIP” was presented at the “Open Innovations” in Skolkovo.