The Victor Center provides full service genetic counseling and screening for all individuals and couples interested in getting screened for Jewish genetic diseases. For more information, or to schedule an appointment for Jewish genetic disease screening at the Victor Center, please contact us.
If you do not live near one of the Victor Center, which are located in Philadelphia, Boston, Pittsburgh and Miami, contact us and we will help you to identify local resources.
The Victor Center also offers community screenings, which have been held at synagogues, college Hillels, community centers, and other locations. For help coordinating a community screening, please contact us.
Upcoming Screenings
What is genetic counseling?
What is genetic screening?
Reproductive Options available to "at-risk" couples
What diseases are screened for at The Victor Center?
What is the cost of screening?
Importance of a Quality Laboratory
The Victor Center Team is available to come to your local synagogue, community organization or college campus to provide education to your members about Jewish genetic diseases and the need for screening. Information on how to organize and implement a screening program can be provided as well. Contact us for more information or visit our Events page to find out more.
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Genetic counseling is a communication process that helps individuals, couples or families to understand genetic information such as occurrence, or the risk of occurrence, of a genetic disorder in a family. Genetic counselors help individuals make informed decisions about family planning. All individuals/couples screened at The Victor Center receive genetic counseling as part of the screening process.
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Genetic screening is a process in which, through a simple blood test, a person’s genes are examined for changes, called mutations, in specific genes. A person who is found to carry a mutation in one or more Ashkenazi Jewish genetic disease genes is a healthy individual and is not at risk to develop the disease. Genetic screening is used to determine whether an individual or couple is at increased risk to have a baby with a hereditary disorder by passing on a gene mutation to their offspring. It is strongly recommended that genetic screening be performed prior to pregnancy to afford the couple the most reproductive options.
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Couples who are both carriers of a mutation in the same disease-causing gene have several reproductive options to help insure the birth of a healthy child:
Prenatal Diagnosis: As early as 10 weeks of pregnancy, through a procedure called Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS), or at 16 weeks of pregnancy, through a procedure called amniocentesis, a small sample of the fetus’s DNA can be obtained for analysis for a specific disease(s). Parents would then learn if the baby is going to be healthy or if it is going to have the disease.
Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD): With the help of a fertility doctor, a pregnancy is conceived via in vitro fertilization. A few days after the eggs are fertilized, a single cell is removed from each 8 cell embryo for testing. Only healthy, unaffected embryos are then implanted in the mother to further develop.
Gamete donation: Couples may choose to get pregnant using a sperm donor, who closely matches the husband physically, but who does not carry a mutation in the same disease-causing gene as the wife. Therefore, the resulting pregnancy would not be at risk to be affected with the disease.
Adoption: For those who don’t wish to embark on their own pregnancy, due to the high risk of having an affected child, adoption is another option. There are several adoption agencies to choose from, both local and national. Couples may wish to check with their local Jewish Family and Children Services for guidance and support through the adoption process.
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- Bloom syndrome
- Canavan disease
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Dihydrolipoamide Dehydrogenase Deficiency
- Familial Dysautonomia
- Familial Hyperinsulinism
- Fanconi Anemia type C
- Gaucher disease
- Glycogen Storage disease Typ 1A
- Joubert Syndrome
- Maple Syrup Urine disease
- Mucolipidosis type IV
- Nemaline Myopathy
- Niemann-Pick disease Type A
- Spinal Muscular Atrophy
- Tay-Sachs disease
- Usher syndrome Type 1F
- Usher syndrome Type III
- Walker-Warburg
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Two payment options are available when you visit the Victor Center for Jewish genetic diseases:
- If your insurance DOES cover the cost of screening: You can use your health insurance to pay for the screening, in which case we will send your blood out to your insurance company's preferred lab (e.g. Quest, LabCorp). We can provide you with the appropriate diagnosis and procedure codes for the testing, to ensure you will not be billed. However, it your responsibility to discuss specific coverage details with your insurance company before your visit. Contact us for instructions.
- If your insurance DOES NOT cover the cost of screening: The Victor Center does have negotiated rates with laboratories to allow for affordable testing. Please call the Victor Center at 877 401 1093 for information about these rates and applying for subsidies in cases of financial hardship.
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All couples who undergo counseling and screening through The Victor Center can be assured that their blood samples are analyzed by a CLIA approved laboratory. CLIA, which stands for Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments, assures that the laboratory meets the highest standards of quality and accuracy.
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