It's all about DNA. Belarusian scientists turn the impossible into the possible thanks to genomic biotechnologies 

Pavel Morozik Deputy DIRECTOR for Research, State Scientific Institution "Institute of Genetics and Cytology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus" Breakthrough biotechnologies, based on knowledge about the functioning of the genetic apparatus of the cell, have opened up fundamentally new opportunities in a variety of fields: medicine, agriculture, environmental protection, criminology , sports, industrial microbiology. In Belarus, applied research aimed at developing genomic biotechnologies has begun to actively develop in recent decades. A lot has been done: existing scientific schools have been strengthened and new ones have been created, modern equipment has been purchased, and decent human and financial resources have been attracted. How well have domestic scientists , researchers and experts coped with the task assigned to them - to achieve breakthrough scientific developments in the field of genomic biotechnologies that can compete at the global level - Pavel Morozik, Deputy Director for Scientific Work at the Institute of Genetics and Cytology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, told BELTA.

How are the genes of long-lived people and Belarusian MILK connected, and when did athletes manage to acquire DNA passports?

“Today the world lives in an era of development and emergence of personalized medicine, and genomic biotechnologies are coming to the fore and becoming its core. Our institute conducts research aimed at studying the genetic mechanisms of the development of diseases to predict the risk of their occurrence or early DNA diagnosis. We are also researching genetic basis of individual sensitivity to drugs to increase the effectiveness of therapy and reduce negative consequences. We also study other genetically determined individual characteristics of a person,” explains the deputy director for scientific work.

Scientists at the Institute of Genetics and Cytology conduct research on a wide range of diseases: cardiovascular, endocrine, musculoskeletal, autoimmune, and oncological. There have already been some successes. By conducting genome-wide studies, scientists were able to model the gene networks of premature infants involved in the formation of complications and identify genes associated with a high risk of susceptibility to complications. In the field of pharmacogenetics, researchers have developed, tested and implemented molecular genetic techniques for assessing resistance or sensitivity to a wide range of drugs, which has significantly improved their effectiveness. Scientists have also been noted for their achievements in oncogenetics. They were able to identify the most significant mutations associated with the survival of patients with lung cancer.
“Our scientists have established a spectrum of mutations characteristic of Belarusian patients with a number of hereditary pathologies, including rare diseases. Often, the identified mutations have not been encountered before in other populations. Today, in complex clinical cases, doctors turn to scientists to carry out genotyping, which makes it possible to identify the cause of the disease , make a prognosis of its course and perform therapeutic correction,” added Pavel Morozik.
Having studied the genome of Belarusian centenarians, scientists have determined the range of gene variants characteristic of such people. In addition, when developing fermented milk products that help prevent a number of diseases, data on the qualitative composition of the intestinal microbiome of centenarians was used. Genetics did not stop there and developed technologies for DNA certification of athletes based on a set of genes that affect physical fitness, resistance to stress, eating behavior, the risk of occupational pathology, injury, and the ability to recover after physical activity. As has been proven more than once in practice, training athletes taking into account their individual characteristics allows them to achieve high athletic results while maintaining HEALTH .

Modifiedpotatoes and new old native animals - what do geneticists offer to agriculture today?

We cannot do without genomic biotechnologies in agriculture. Research is mainly aimed at obtaining results applicable in breeding practice for creating plant varieties and improving animal breeds. Experts study the genetics of agricultural plants and examine the genes responsible for the productivity and quality of the crop, affecting its resistance to stress factors. The developed sets of DNA markers are successfully used by breeders.  

“Scientists pay great attention to the study of genes that determine the formation of plant resistance to stress, low and high temperatures, drought, and soil salinity. For example, the genetics of frost resistance of wheat, triticale, and rapeseed are being studied. It would be unnecessary to clarify how important these scientific studies are for our economy. The Institute of Genetics and Cytology has also built a full cycle of work on genetic engineering of plants. Our geneticists are conducting research to modify the potato genome, which will increase its resistance to diseases,” the Deputy Director for Scientific Work of the Institute of Genetics and Cytology introduced. .


Domestic geneticists are constantly paying attention to DNA diagnostics of hereditary diseases in cattle and pigs. Scientists are looking for the genetic causes of animal qualities that are valuable for agriculture, such as milk and MEAT productivity, fat and protein content in milk , and prolific pregnancy. Pavel Morozik clarified that research has also begun on the genetics of species native to Belarus - the honey bee and the Polesie horse.

“Thanks to the developed methods of DNA diagnostics of genetic defects associated with the development of hereditary diseases in cattle, since 2015 the number of carriers of dangerous mutations for a number of diseases has decreased by 1.8-6.5 times. Some mutations have disappeared completely,” the representative said Institute of Genetics and Cytology.

Eye and hair color, age and even psycho-emotional state can be determined by DNA.

Genomic biotechnologies are important in the field of biodiversity conservation and environmental protection. An example is the practice of geneticists removing DNA barcodes of rare protected and wild medicinal plants, which are then sent for storage to the Republican DNA Bank of humans, animals, plants and microorganisms.

Technologies for determining the most probable parameters of appearance, such as eye and hair color, age and psycho-emotional status of a person based on his DNA, have long been developed and tested in forensic laboratories. To diagnose artificially created biological threats, scientists continue to develop techniques for reading the genomes of viruses and bacteria.


“Today, the genomic biotechnology market is one of the fastest growing in the world, and the very fact of using the latest advances in genomics is a marker of the country’s technological development. Only a few countries can afford to effectively develop and implement their own genomic technologies, since the complexity and cost of research continue to grow, and their application increasingly requires an interdisciplinary approach,” summed up Pavel Morozik, deputy director for scientific work at the Institute of Genetics and Cytology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.

Vera VASILEVSKAYA,
BELTA