Thanks to the recent successes of a team of young molecular biologists, Slovakia is now a little more well-known in the world than before. Based on maternal blood sample analysis and designed to detect the risk of three of the most frequent types of chromosomal aberrations, such as Down syndrome, the team’s unique non-invasive screening test has already caught the eye of laboratories around the world. Developed in Slovakia, TRISOMYtest is now available in Russia, India, Croatia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, too.

Although it has only been used in practice for a year or so, the test has already reached beyond the borders of Slovakia. TRISOMYtest has been gradually put into practice by Russian, Indian, Croatian, Hungarian, and Czech providers of laboratory diagnostics. “Although we had always hoped for this course of events, we were actually amazed to see them happen with such speed. Various laboratories around the world have been getting in touch with us with, hoping to provide our TRISOMYtest in their home countries. We have already agreed to cooperate with some of them, but further partnerships are being negotiated as we speak,” says Jozef Gavlas, Head of the MEDIREX GROUP laboratory division.

The focus

Focusing on genetic diagnostics, the Hungarian laboratory Istenhegyi Géndiagnosztikai has already gained several years’ experience with non-invasive prenatal screening. “TRISOMYtest is sold at the lowest price on our market, which is all the more reason for us to think the test really is the best option. Besides, the special procedure used in the course of its laboratory sample analysis ensures the amount of foetal DNA available for analysis is greater than the amount available in the initial phase,” explains biologist Marianna Pecsérke.

“We are more than happy with the high precision and speed of the test, as well as with the customer support that comes with it. The scientific excellence and high-quality management of the laboratories are exactly what we expect form a state-of-the-art European institution operating in the sphere of health care,” says Armen Shahverdyan, Managing Partner at Moscow’s Razvitye-Plus LLC DNK Centre, commenting on their new partnership. Using the latest technology, the facility is able to offer the most state-of-the-art examination methods, including non-invasive prenatal screening. The Centre has made genetic screening tests available all over Russia, including the country’s most remote regions.

More information on TRISOMYtest

An outcome of genuinely Slovak scientific research, TRISOMYtest was developed by young molecular biologists, Tomáš Szemes and Gabriel Minárik. This high-reliability DNA screening test is able to detect the presence of Down syndrome – as well as another two trisomy types – based solely on a sample of maternal blood, from as early as the 11th week of pregnancy. If the parents-to-be are interested to know, it can also reveal the sex of the foetus. The test only requires a 10ml sample of maternal blood, which is typically taken by a female nurse in a doctor’s surgery. Samples are transported to a specialised laboratory, where they are analysed and test results are prepared. Test results are interpreted and explained to the pregnant woman either by her regular gynaecologist, or the geneticist who originally referred her for the test in the first place. TRISOMYtest is not covered by standard health insurance: it is carried out on patients’ request and costs 350 euros. It is available from gynaecology specialists and medical geneticists all over Slovakia. The most up-to-date list of specialist TRISOMYtest partners is available at www.trisomytest.sk. Having carried out more than 3,000 TRISOMYtests in the last 12 months, the MEDIREX GROUP Laboratory is now working on expanding the test’s portfolio of chromosome aberrations.