National Academy of Sciences of Belarus

21.07.2020

Opening Ceremony of Modernized Republican Centre for Genome Biotechnologies Takes Place

On the 21st of July, 2020, the State Scientific Institution Institute of Genetics and Cytology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus held an official ceremony of opening of the Modernized Republican Centre for Genome Biotechnologies.

“The genome technologies are considered to be very promising all over the world and they are actively developing. Research activities of the Belarusian scientists are on a par with the foreign ones, we have a powerful biotechnological science. Opening of the modernized centre will help us move to a new level of human, plant and animal genome studying,” said Vladimir Gusakov, the Chairman of the NASB Presidium.

Alexander Kilchevskiy, the Deputy Chairman of the Presidium of the NASB, noted that modernization would provide more than doubled increase in genetic analysis volume, and would provide help for doctors, environment protection specialists, criminalists, selectionists and sportsmen.

“We have unique and expensive equipment in our modernized centre. To ensure that our specialist can operate it, we sent them for training in Germany, the Great Britain and the USA,” added Ruslan Sheyko, the Director of the Institute of Genetics and Cytology.

The construction activities were carried out for two years and, as a result, there are modernized laboratories equipped with the most advanced scientific equipment. Now, the centre completely corresponds to the international requirements for the PCR laboratories. According to the tasks to be solved in the modernized centre, the room zoning was performed, a special ventilation system, sluices, etc. were provided.

The centre modernization will ensure a significant increase in quality and competitiveness of activities, expansion of volumes and spectrum of services for the genetic analysis, favourable conditions for international cooperation.

Today, the centre provides genetic test for predisposition to more than 20 socially significant diseases (cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, thrombophilia, etc.).

The modernized centre will expand the range of services. It will be possible to determine individual genetic traits of metabolism of vitamins, alcohol, cholesterol, skin ageing, hair condition, interpretation of entire human genome.


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