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    • HLA Analysis Dpt.
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Cytogenetics Department

Administrative and personal data about the department.

Cytogenetic Department is performing examinations of chromosomes of bone marrow cells of patients with hematologic malignancies. Conventional chromosome banding techniques are used together with molecular cytogenetics (Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization- FISH).

One of the aims of the research studies is molecular-cytogenetic analysis of cryptic deletions in bone marrow cells of patients with preleukemia and leukemias where are localized mainly tumor suppressor genes which are connected with hematopoiesis and their absence is one of the main reasons of origin of malignant tumors.

Complex rearrangement of karyotype of a female with MDS, proved by multicolor FISH (mFISH) - Fig. 1 and multicolor banding (mBAND) - Fig. 2.

Department of Cytogenetics is concerned mainly with deletions of chromosomes 5q and 20q in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemias (AML), deletions of 13q and 17p in lymphocytic leukemias and deletions or rearrangements of 11q23 regions in leukemias. For studies of structural chromosomal changes multicolor FISH and multicolor banding are routinely used. By these procedures the sensitivity and precision of examinations are increased.

Further applications of molecular cytogenetic analyses are in monitoring of bone marrow transplantations as well as following of pathological leukemic clones after chemotherapy in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. The presence of residual leukemic cells is possible to prove by FISH methods with cosmids and centromeric probes.