Education and Science, Estonia, Technology

This is however, an intermediate step in the work of the institution as the next big aim is to implement personalised medicine in Estonia. This means that in addition to ordinary tests, a doctor could use gene data analysis of a specific person.

“By this time such a genetic analysis is equal to other studies done in a hospital that help the doctor forma diagnosis,” said Tartu University Estonian Genome Reserve director Andres Metspalu.

Professor Metspalu said that the Estonian Genome Reserve is unique in the world because the amount of samples it has forms nearly 5% of adult population, only Iceland has a bigger ratio of samples. Also the reserve has been put together on the basis of one method and during relatively short time and is with very good quality, which is why the reserve has already been included in many research projects.

The last donors in the official campaign were yesterday Social Minister Hanno Pevkur, Education Minister Tõnis Lukas and Tartu University Science Pro-Rector Kristjan Haller.

Although the reserve is now officially complete, its offices in Tartu and Tallinn continue take samples from volunteers who want to become gene donors.