Geographic Isolation and Endogamous Practices Provide Higher Risk of Genetic Disorders in Jammu and Kashmir

  1. Ekta Rai1,
  2. Arshia Angural1,
  3. Akshi Sapolia1,
  4. Sushil Razdan2,
  5. Kamal Kishore Pandita3,
  6. Swarkar Sharma1

Authors Affiliation(s)

  • 1Human Genetics Research Group, Department of Biotechnology, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, Katra, J&K;, INDIA
  • 2Neurology Clinic, Bhagwati Nagar, Jammu, J&K;, INDIA
  • 3Health Clinic, H. No. 62, Lane 11, Swam Vihar, Muthi, Jammu, J&K;, INDIA

Can J Biotech, Volume 1, Special Issue-Supplement, Page 250, DOI: https://doi.org/10.24870/cjb.2017-a234

Presenting author: ekta.rai@smvdu.ac.in

Abstract

Rare disorders are poorly understood, most often remain uncharacterized or patients are misdiagnosed due to lack of specific clinical resources. Understanding the basics of inheritance is essential in such cases as it helps to figure out the plausibility of a disorder as an inherited or genetic disease. Though identification and characterization of such disorders is complicated, Next generation Sequencing has come up as a tool in recent times and is of great help. It is quite visible in literature that since the advent of this methodology, a drastic increase in identification and genetic characterization of various rare diseases across the world has occurred. We emphasize on NGS/WES, as an effective method in understanding uncharacterized Mendelian Disorders. It is of great help, especially in developing countries and regions like Jammu and Kashmir where, such familial disorders exist in abundance, due to very high consanguinity, but remain undiagnosed/misdiagnosed due to lack of specialized testing. We have collected huge number of highly extended families representing various rare genetic disorders and trying to elucidate the genetic cause and biology of the diseases in these families.