Islamabad to Get Genetic Reference Lab to Prevent Hereditary Diseases

The Health Services Academy (HSA) in Islamabad intends to establish a Genetic Reference Laboratory and Research Centre for Genetic Disorders.

Dr. Shahzad Ali Khan, a well-known public health expert and the Vice-Chancellor of the HSA Islamabad stated that the center will be set up in collaboration with the international tech firm, Dynamic Medical Company (DMC), and the Ministry of National Health Services and Co-ordination for developing the lab and the Centre, in partnership with China’s leading medical equipment manufacturers.

With around 30 million in Pakistan suffering from genetic diseases, health experts have found that the high prevalence of hereditary disorders is strongly linked to consanguinity because of cousin marriages and marriages between blood relatives. spouse selection from near or distant blood relatives.

Dr. Khan explained that “consanguinity in Pakistan is perhaps the highest in the world, but the incidence of genetic diseases at birth can be reduced through the introduction of premarital genetic testing and its counseling, as a part of the healthcare system in Pakistan”.

He also mentioned anemia, color blindness, deafness, hemophilia, and thalassemia as a few examples of monogenic hereditary diseases that are also called genetic disorders.

“Pakistan is among countries which are on high alert for a rapid increase in such genetic disorders. Pakistan is the only one among 22 countries of the EMRO region where thousands of new thalassemia cases are detected as there is no system for premarital genetic testing,” he stated and added that incidences of genetic diseases at birth could be reduced through the introduction of premarital genetic testing.

Dr. Khan said that research and scientific evidence indicates that mandatory genetic testing and counseling in Pakistan can potentially reduce the quickly increasing burden of hereditary diseases.

He explained that certain countries with high rates of consanguinity offer testing to detect carriers of genetic disorders in addition to genetic counseling programs and highlighted how Tunisia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia have eliminated multiple genetic disorders, including hemophilia and thalassemia.

“Unfortunately, genetic testing and prenatal screenings for hereditary disorders are not widely available in Pakistan,” Dr. Khan said.

He further disclosed that several international tech firms have shown interest in bringing the latest equipment and technology with AI to Pakistan to aid the prevention and elimination of genetic diseases, the early detection of which can help to treat children born with hereditary disorders.

He remarked that the establishment of a Genetic Reference Laboratory and Research Centre in Islamabad, followed by nationwide replication, will boost the transnational medical trade via the Pak-China Medical Corridor and will also help authorities develop legislation such as mandatory pre-marriage genetic testing.