The Genetic Institute at Herzliya Medical Center specializes in amniocentesis, as well as in genetic counseling and diagnosis, and is managed by one of Israel’s top medical geneticists.
 

The Institute features advanced equipment and a team which is skilled and experienced in all areas of genetics, thus ensuring trustworthy, highly professional and rapid service. Amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling (CVS) exams are available for both private patients and patients eligible for the exams according to national program for prevention of congenital defects. In addition, FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization) testing for early detection of chromosomal aberrations and DNA testing to diagnose carriers of genetic diseases are also carried out. Genetic and onco-genetic counseling for familial cancer is also available.

The Institute is active in the following fields:

Cytogenetics

• Amniocentesis
• Chorionic villus sampling (CVS)
• FISH / QFPCR
• Karyotype (chromosomal analysis)
• Alpha Feto Protein (AFP)

Genetic counseling

• Prenatal screening results
• Familial genetic diseases
• Onco-genetics (counseling in the field of familial cancers)

Genetic screening
The Genetic Institute performs screening tests for 15 genetic diseases as follows:

• Mucolipidosis Type 4
• Familial Dysautonomia
• Ataxia Telangiectasia (A-T)
• Niemann-Pick
• α-1-Antitrypsin Deficiency
• Glycogen Storage Disease
• Connexin Deafness
• Maple Syrup Urine Disease (MSUD)

• Cystic Fibrosis (CF)
• Fragile X Syndrome
• Gaucher's Disease
• Canavan Disease
• Fanconi Anemia
• Bloom Syndrome
• Usher syndrome
• SMA

Except for Fragile-X Syndrome which has a special mode of inheritance, all the other diseases are recessive. If one person is a carrier, then the spouse must also be checked. Only if both parents carry a mutation in the genes for the same disease, then there is a 25% chance for a sick child to be born. However, 50% of the children born will be carriers of the mutation, similarly to their parents.

All the above tests are performed on the patient's DNA using the most advanced molecular biology techniques.