Center of Excellence for Genome Editing and 3rd Generation Sequencing

 
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About

Genetic engineering and genomics are rapidly developing areas of biological sciences, opening up new perspectives in studying the hereditary etiology of complex human diseases and developing effective treatment approaches. These areas combine data obtained from the analysis of the structural features of the human genome with data from functional, population genomics and pharmacogenetics, as well as the results of genomic editing.
Genomics and genome editing are advanced fields in modern biomedicine that have significant practical and fundamental applications in a variety of fields, including biomedicine, biotechnology, the pharmaceutical industry, and agriculture. There is a growing demand for specialists in these areas who are skilled in using the accumulated theoretical knowledge and practical skills to prevent and diagnose diseases, assess drug toxicity, evaluate individual tolerance to medications, and identify the potential for side effects. These fields are poised to play a major role in shaping the future of medicine and improving health outcomes in the 21st century.
The center was created as part of the Improvement of Education program funded by the World Bank, and its goal is to conduct research, implement new educational programs, and offer practical courses on genomics and genome editing using the latest modern approaches. These activities are aimed at advancing knowledge and skills in these fields and improving education and training in genomics and genome editing.

Main research directions

study of genetic predisposition to complex and monogenic human diseases,

molecular analysis of circulating Sars-CoV-2 lineages in Armenia,

development of disease cellular models of based on integrated approaches of genomics and proteomics,

study of transcriptome dynamics in complex diseases,

study of the effectiveness of drugs based on genetic analysis of metabolic enzymes,

study of genetic and molecular factors influencing aging and longevity.

 

Staff

Head  
Zakharyan Roksana, PhD
CV
Research Gate
Google Scholar
Scopus

roksana.zakharyan(at)rau.am
   
Research Staff  
Hayrapetyan Varduhi, PhD
Adtchemyan Sofi, PhD
   
Assistant Researchers  
Hovakimyan Ani
Karapetyan Lana

 

Projects

2021-2024, “Изучение молекулярных механизмов семейной средиземноморской лихорадки методами генной инженерии и функциональной геномики”, грант по созданию новых научных групп/укреплению лабораторий, комитет по науке Министерства образования, науки, культуры и спорта РА

2021, Грант по “Приобретению оборудования и реагентов-2021”, программа поддержки молодых ученых, комитет по науке Министерства образования, науки, культуры и спорта РА

2019-2021, Грантовая программа научно-образовательный “Центр генной инженерии, редактирования генома и секвенирования третьего поколения”, в рамках второго основного этапа кредитной программы “Улучшение образования” Фонда инновационной конкурентоспособности, Всемирный банк

2019-2021, “Исследование ассоциации эффективности терапии и генетических вариантов ферментов, метаболизирующих лекарственные препараты, при шизофрении”, исследовательский грант молодых ученых, грант комитета по науке Министерства образования, науки, культуры и спорта РА

2018, “Instrumental Access 2019” (Seeding Labs, USA)

 

Selected Publications (2018-2020)

Avetyan D, Chavushyan A, Ghazaryan H, Melkonyan A, Stepanyan A, Zakharyan R, Hayrapetyan V, Atshemyan S, Khachatryan G, Sirunyan T, Davitavyan S, Martirosyan G, Melik-Andreasyan G, Sargsyan S, Ghazazyan A, Aleksanyan N, Yin X, Arakelyan A. SARS-CoV-2 detection by extraction-free qRT-PCR for massive and rapid COVID-19 diagnosis during a pandemic in Armenia. Journal of Virological Methods. 2021;295:114199. doi: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2021.114199.

Avetyan D., Chavushyan A., Ghazaryan H., Melkonyan A., Stepanyan A., Zakharyan R., et al. Molecular genetic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 lineages in Armenia. medRxiv 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.06.19.21259172

Avetyan D., Zakharyan R., Petrek M., Arakelyan A. Leucocyte telomere length, genetic variants at the TERT gene region and risk of posttraumatic stress disorder. European Neuropsychopharmacology 2020, 31: S9-S10, doi:10.1016/j.euroneuro.2019.12.012

Zakharyan R., Ghazaryan H., Kocourkova L., Chavushyan A., Mkrtchyan A., Zizkova V., Arakelyan A., Petrek M. Association of genetic variants of dopamine and serotonin receptors with schizophrenia. Archives of Medical Research 2020;51(1):13-20, doi: 10.1016/j.arcmed.2019.12.011.

Ghazaryan H., Zakharyan R., Petrek M., Navratilova Z., Chavushyan A., Novosadova E., Arakelyan A. Expression of micro-RNAs miR-31, miR-146a, miR-181c and miR-155 and their target gene IL-2 are altered in schizophrenia: a case-control study. F1000Research 2019;8(2077):2077. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.19900.1

Atshemyan S., Zakharyan R., Arakelyan A. Revealing the functional role of the genes and proteins associated with schizophrenia. European Neuropsychopharmacology 2019;29:S532-S533, doi.org/10.1016/J.EURONEURO.2019.09.

Butenko EV, Mamedov RF, Ghazaryan HK, Zakharyan RV. CYP2C19 and CYP3A4 gene variants and schizophrenia in Armenian patients. European Journal of Human Genetics 2019;27:269-270.

Avetyan D., Zakharyan R., Petrek M., Arakelyan A. Telomere shortening in blood leukocytes of patients with posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Psychiatric Research 2019;111:83-88,doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2019.01.018.

Zakharyan R., Arakelyan A. NGF in psychiatric disorders: update on current findings. Chapter in the “Advanced in Medicine and Biology” (Edited by L.V. Berhardt), Nova Science Publishers 2018, USA, v. 127, pp.85-104. ISBN: 978-1-53613-204-5.