Aims

• Establishment of the Iranian Human Gene Bank. Currently, its catalog is available online (www.ihmgb.com),
• Identifying the genetic causes of prevalent genetic disorders in Iran,
• Cooperation in training genetic counselors at a nationwide scale,
• Organizing conferences on mental disability (since 1999),
• Education of modern biology techniques through organizing different workshops and courses and remote training,
• Establishment of research collaborations at national and international levels,
• Publication of scientific articles in peer-reviewed international journals,

Registration of several new mutations, genes, disease loci, and genetic syndromes in international databases.

Teaching

Based on a fully integrated curriculum that combines self-directed learning opportunities with high-quality lectures and tutorials, we teach postgraduate (M.Sc. and Ph.D.) students.

Other activities include:

• Postgraduate courses in human and medical genetics leading to M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees, respectively,
• Offering scientific workshops and short courses,
• Organizing congresses, seminars, and symposia both nationally and internationally,
• Publication of research findings in peer-reviewed international and national journals,
• Increasing public awareness via media and information booklets. 

Research

Cognitive disorders (mental retardation, behavioral and psychiatric disorders),

Deafness and blindness.

Neuromuscular disorders,

Hemoglobinopathies,

Cancer genetics.         

We started our research in the area of Intellectual Disabilities (ID) in 2004. Our project covers both syndromic and non-syndromic forms of ID with all heterogeneities existing. The goal of this project is to establish the genetic causes of ID using cytogenetics, and molecular genetics techniques. Most of the genetic research has been focused on X-linked forms of ID in the last 20 years and these investigations have led to discoveries of many genes on X-chromosomes, however, the X-linked forms account for only 10% of ID. On the other side, not much attempt has been made to identify the autosomal recessive and autosomal dominant forms of ID. Until 2004 only three genes were known for autosomal recessive non-syndromic ID. Our team in USWR, Genetics Research Center in Tehran, and Max Planck Institute in Berlin published our breakthrough in the October issue of Nature in 2011 entitled “Deep sequencing reveals 50 novel genes for recessive cognitive disorders”. In this finding, we are reporting the results of 136 consanguineous families with moderate or severe forms of ID mostly from Iran. We were able to identify a single homozygous mutation for 78 of these families of which 50 genes are novel. Our discovery almost tripled the number of genes involved in non-syndromic ID.

For more information, visit the GRC website at http://www.uswr.ac.ir/GRC

Services We Offer/Clinics

Degrees offered by GRC include M.Sc. in human genetics (since 2003) and Ph.D. in Medical Genetics (since 2008),

Providing information for public awareness,

Genetics counseling and clinical diagnosis of genetic diseases,

Laboratory diagnostic services.

Several academics and administrative staff are the cornerstone of our departmental operations. They provide support for students and the program.

Contact:

genetics@uswr.ac.ir