Drug allergy is an adverse reaction of the immune system caused by taking a certain drug, this reaction can sometimes be severe. Although any drug can cause allergy, some do it more frequently than others. In this post we provide you with more information about drug allergy and tell you which are the most allergenic […]

Prenatal diagnosis is performed during pregnancy to determine if there is any alteration in the development of the foetus. Approximately 3% of live newborns have some type of chromosomal abnormality. In order to detect them prenatally, different techniques have been developed in recent years that have helped to improve diagnosis. QF-PCR, is a technique widely used […]

Congenital heart disease is the most common malformation at birth, but what role do genetics play? Are all cases the same? In this blog we will explain congenital heart disease, its causes and detection methods. What are congenital heart diseases? Congenital heart disease (CHD) is defined as any malformation in the structure of the heart […]

Rare diseases present a unique challenge due to their low prevalence and the complexity of their diagnosis. To improve the quality of life of patients with rare diseases and facilitate the development of targeted therapies, early diagnosis is key. For this reason, genetic tools have become an essential resource for the diagnosis of these pathologies, […]

Rare diseases are more common than we can imagine and a large number of people are affected by this type of diseases globally. In this article, we explain some common characteristics of this type of diseases and the importance of diagnosing them appropriately. What are rare diseases?   Rare diseases can be defined as those […]

When we discuss genetic diseases or hereditary conditions, there is often confusion between these terms. Ultimately, both “genetic” and “hereditary” refer to our DNA and our genetic make-up. However, we need to make the difference between genetic and hereditary, as the two terms are not necessarily interchangeable. While both genetic and hereditary diseases are determined […]

Being a carrier of a genetic disease means that you have a variant related to a disease within your genetic material. This variant does not cause the disease and, generally, does not cause any symptoms, so why is it important to know if you are a carrier of a disease? In this article, we explain […]

Common diseases, such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes, are complex. This means that their onset depends as much on environmental factors as on diverse genetic factors. Establishing the genetic component associated with these diseases has been challenging. However, with a new approach call Polygenic Risk Score (PRS), now it is possible to detect a greater […]

Some of the most common skin diseases are caused by infections, and others are the result of genetic factors combined with environmental factors. In this article, we bring you some examples of skin diseases caused by different factors, describing their symptoms, treatment and how to prevent them.  Skin and dermatology To learn  more about the characteristics […]

Extracting DNA from blood sounds like a forensic practice we would see on TV shows, but what is its utility? While blood is one of the most commonly used samples to extract DNA, there are other sources from which DNA can be extracted. What is DNA? To begin with, let’s cover what DNA is and […]

Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers not only to a single disease but to a wide range of conditions. Autistic people may present challenges with social, communication and behavioural skills. Whilst ASD can be very different for each person, there are some common characteristics that we can identify at different stages in life. In […]

Huntington’s disease (HD) is an inherited condition affecting the brain function in a progressive manner. This means that it can be transmitted from parents to children and that its onset may start quite unobserved, with slow and steady development affecting the patient.  Most commonly, Huntington’s symptoms appear in adults aged 35-44. If it develops before […]

Did you know that all human beings share 99.9% of their genetic information? This means our uniqueness lies in the remaining 0.1%, which varies between individuals and determines our physical characteristics (phenotype), as well as how we respond to environmental factors. Want to find out more? In this article we delve into the different types of […]

Did you know that we can pass on genetic disorders to our children, even if we do not suffer from them ourselves? In fact, we only need to be carriers to pass them down our offspring. In other words, even if we have not developed symptoms, if we are carriers, our children are at risk […]

Thanks to new tests that analyse foetal DNA from a mother’s blood sample, prenatal screening has changed drastically in the last decade. Evidence of circulating free DNA in the blood dates back to the late 1940s, but it wasn’t until the late 1990s that the existence of cell-free DNA from the foetus became clear. Also known […]

Genetic tests for hereditary cancer are designed to confirm or rule out if you have hereditary genetic mutations that are risk factors for a particular type of cancer. But what are the benefits of knowing if you have this predisposition? This article explains it all in detail! What is cancer and where does it come […]

Pregnancy is a period full of excitement and also doctors’ visits. It’s important to ensure there are no health complications for both mother and unborn child. There are different routine tests and check-ups for pregnant women to make sure everything is going well. However, thanks to advances in technology and science, it is possible to […]