Interview with the head of the GHC Genetics laboratory in Téma magazine

For years, colonoscopy has been one of the most effective methods for detecting colorectal cancer, but many patients fear the procedure and put off getting tested. Now, however, a new alternative is available: genetic testing using a blood sample. What does the future hold for this approach in conjunction with artificial intelligence? Renáta Michalovská, head of our molecular genetics and microbiology laboratory, discusses this in the latest issue of the weekly magazine Téma. 

The test can detect malignant growths in the colon at a very early stage. And genetic testing can now identify several other conditions as well. “We’re not just talking about genetic tests revealing that you have a predisposition to a certain disease. They can also show that you actually have it,” adds the biologist.

I was intrigued to hear that you offer a painless alternative to colonoscopy using genetic testing. What does this genetic test involve?
It involves genetic testing of a blood sample, in this case for colorectal cancer (cancer of the colon and rectum, ed.). It is a relatively new procedure. Although the first commercially available combined stool DNA test was approved in the U.S. about ten years ago, it has been in clinical use for a much shorter time.

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You can read the full article in PDF format in the attachment to this post.