Welcome to the website of the European project TECHGENE; “Technological innovation of high throughput molecular diagnostics of clinically and molecularly heterogeneous genetic disorders”!
TECHGENE was a 7th Framework Program (FP7); a so called “Small or medium-scale focused research project (STREP)”, which involved a collaboration between 12 partners from 9 different countries. It received funding from the European Union. TECHGENE started in February 2009 and has ended in January 2012.
This EU project focused on the use of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) techniques for the development, optimisation and implementation of diagnostic tools for genetic disorders. It aimed to extend the genetic diagnostics from the relatively simple monogenic disorders to the more complex genetically heterogeneous disorders.
During the 3 year project, NGS techniques have been succesfully implemented in the participating diagnostic laboratories and are now used to diagnose complex disorders. Moreover, the NGS tools developed are now implemented in laboratories all over the world!
Even though the TECHGENE project has ended, the coordinator of the project continues to disseminate the knowledge acquired during the project by organising NGS meetings and workshops (open to anybody who is interested!). For more information on upcoming events see the website of Genome Diagnostics Nijmegen (www.genomediagnosticsnijmegen.nl).
At the website of Genome Diagnostics Nijmegen you can also find more information on the currently available NGS tools for the diagnostics of simpel and complex genetic disorders.
Dr. Hans Scheffer (TECHGENE Coordinator and Head of the division Genome Diagnostics Nijmegen, department Human Genetics Nijmegen of the Radboud University Medical Centre)