Laboratory of brain molecular genetics

Yevgeniy Ivanovich Rogayev is the head of the laboratory of brain molecular genetics, doctor of biological sciences, professor, laureate of the State Award. In 1988 he upheld his PhD's thesis “Evaluation and genetic analysis of non-stable elements of human genome” and in 1996 - his doctoral thesis “Identification of hypervariable loci of genome and search for genetic loci of hereditary human diseases”. His scientific interests involve molecular genetic mechanisms of development of neurodegenerative disorders, genetic aspects of human evolution. He has 102 scientific papers and over 200 abstracts in materials of various scientific meetings. Under Ye.I. Rogayev's scientific supervision, 5 PhD's have been upheld. He collaborates with specialists and institutions of many foreign countries.

The laboratory was organized in 1988 on the basis of the laboratory of genetics, headed by Prof. M.E. Vartanyan. Multidisciplinary studies on hereditary predisposition to mental disorders were the subjects of the laboratory's activities. Eventually, they performed trials on molecular genetics of Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia, which resulted to findings world-wide known in genetic science: identification and cloning of the main gene (presenelin I), responsible for the majority of early familial forms of Alzheimer's disease, discovery of a new gene (presenelin 2), responsible for early and late familial forms of Alzheimer's disease; development of molecular markers for direct preclinical diagnostics of Alzheimer's disease; preliminary data on the localization of the two genes on chromosomes 12 and 13, involved in the development of schizophrenia, etc. Daily activities of the laboratory are closely related to collaboration with various foreign specialized teams (University of Toronto, Canada; University of Louisiana, New Orleans, USA; University of Boston, USA; Centre Genset, France).

Based on DNA markers, the laboratory developed test systems that are used for medical forensic expertise and in criminalistics.

The Laboratory is staffed with 8 research fellows.

Scope of research activities of the Laboratory:

1. Search, mapping and structural analysis of hypervariable regions of the human genome.

2. Evaluation of possibilities to use hypervariable regions as markers for human genome mapping.

3. Localization of genes, responsible for hereditary human diseases.

4. Investigation of a common molecular genetic basis neurodegenerative and endogenous mental disorders.