The Genetics Institute in the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center offers genetics clinics, multidisciplinary clinics, consultation services, and laboratory testing.
The Institute of Genetics and Genomic Medicine at Tel Aviv Medical Center provides a wide range of genetic services, including genetic counseling and testing, for patients of all ages and at every stage of life: before and during pregnancy, throughout childhood and development, for hereditary diseases and genetic syndromes, age-related diseases, and cancer.
These diagnostic services are based on extensive knowledge of the human genome and DNA sequencing. The Institute not only provides genetic diagnosis but also uses genetic information to support medical decision-making and personalize treatment.
The Institute offers comprehensive outpatient genetic services, including evaluation and counseling for children with developmental delays, intellectual disabilities, or congenital malformations; counseling for families affected by hereditary diseases; preconception and prenatal counseling; evaluation of recurrent miscarriages and infertility; hereditary cancer counseling; and consultation regarding genetic screening tests.
The Institute's specialists also provide genetic consultation services to hospital departments, including Neonatology and Neonatal Intensive Care, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Pediatric Surgery, Pediatric Orthopedics, Neurology, and Internal Medicine, as needed.
The Institute's activities include clinical services, research, and dedicated genetic laboratories. Its specialized Genetics Laboratory performs molecular, cytogenetic, and biochemical testing, including screening for hereditary diseases such as fragile X syndrome, Tay-Sachs disease, and cystic fibrosis; testing for muscular dystrophies and atrophies; hereditary cancer testing; chromosomal analysis of prenatal samples; and cytogenetic testing for congenital abnormalities, developmental delays, infertility, recurrent miscarriages, and certain cancers.
Units and Areas of Activity
The Institute of Genetics operates specialized clinics providing diagnosis, follow-up, and treatment for various medical specialties and conditions with a genetic component, including genetic endocrinology, genetic nephrology, genetic neurology, cardiogenetics, ophthalmic genetics, and the Gaucher Disease Clinic.
Specialized Genetics Clinics
Gaucher Disease Clinic: A dedicated genetics clinic for the diagnosis, follow-up, and treatment of patients with Gaucher disease.
Genetic Endocrinology: A national center providing specialized genetic counseling for patients with hereditary endocrine conditions.
Genetic Nephrology: Specializes in the diagnosis of a wide range of kidney diseases and hypertension of genetic or hereditary origin, as well as conditions of unknown cause, in adults and children of all ages.
Genetic Neurology: A specialized neurogenetics clinic providing genetic evaluation for patients and their families across a wide range of neurological diseases, including dementia (Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia), epilepsy, movement disorders (Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and various forms of ataxia), muscular dystrophies, neurological diseases (ALS, CMT), and other rare conditions such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD).
Cardiogenetics Clinic: The Institute of Genetics at Ichilov offers genetic diagnosis for hereditary heart diseases affecting the heart muscle (cardiomyopathies) and hereditary vascular diseases affecting the arterial system (aortopathies), as well as connective tissue disorders and metabolic or infiltrative diseases affecting the heart and blood vessels.
The Institute of Genetics and Genomic Medicine operates a genetics laboratory that performs:
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Molecular genetic testing: Screening for genetic diseases, muscular dystrophies, neurodegenerative diseases, breast, ovarian, pancreatic, and colorectal cancers, and other conditions.
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Cytogenetic testing: Chromosomal analysis of amniotic fluid and chorionic villus samples, chromosomal testing in children, testing related to fertility problems, cancer cytogenetics, FISH testing, and other examinations.
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Biochemical testing.
Identifying the genetic basis of diseases enables personalized medicine, including tailored prevention, treatment, and follow-up, and may also help identify risk factors for common diseases such as diabetes.
The establishment of the Genomic Center is part of a strategic initiative at Ichilov aimed at enabling the hospital's patients, as well as patients whose samples are referred to the Center for testing, to obtain information about their genome.
A specialized clinic for the diagnosis of hereditary cancer syndromes based on a personal or family history of malignant diseases.
The results of genetic evaluation can help guide the type and frequency of ongoing patient surveillance and, in some cases, enable biological treatments tailored to the patient's genetic background. They may also help establish surveillance recommendations to reduce the risk of developing cancer in other organs.
One of the important goals of genetic diagnosis is to identify additional family members at risk and recommend close surveillance for early cancer detection or prevention.
In addition, early identification of carrier status may enable prevention in future generations through preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD).
The Prenatal Genetic Counseling and Diagnosis Unit specializes in the early diagnosis and prevention of congenital malformations and genetic syndromes. The process is supported by specialists in obstetrics, gynecology, and genetics.
Genetic counseling at the Prenatal Diagnosis Unit is provided for a variety of conditions and concerns, including:
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Recurrent miscarriages or infertility.
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Hereditary diseases and genetic syndromes in the family.
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Carrier status identified through genetic screening tests.
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Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD).
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Abnormal findings on ultrasound examinations.
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Counseling before invasive prenatal procedures, such as chorionic villus sampling (CVS) or amniocentesis.
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Advanced genetic testing, including chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) and whole-exome or whole-genome sequencing.
The Institute of Genetics at Ichilov is at the forefront of genetic medicine in Israel and worldwide, combining clinical genetics with leading genomic technologies to provide advanced services for patients.
This clinic serves as the central clinical service of the Institute of Genetics and receives referrals for children and adults from hospital departments and clinics, community healthcare services, various locations throughout Israel, and international patients seeking medical treatment.
The clinic covers all fields of medicine and all conditions in which a genetic disorder is clinically suspected in a child or adult. These include various neurodevelopmental conditions, neurological disorders, eye diseases, hearing impairment, heart diseases, connective tissue disorders, congenital malformations, skeletal diseases, endocrine conditions and growth disorders, gastrointestinal diseases, and complex conditions involving multiple systems.
The clinic's team also provides genetic consultation services throughout the hospital for hospitalized patients, particularly critically ill children and adults admitted to intensive care units.