Screen your genes

Starting a family is a major decision– and one that requires the right information.

But, alongside questions like “Do we have room?” and “Can we afford it?” potential parents should ask themselves: “What genes might I be passing on?”

In the Jewish community, that question can be even more fraught. That’s why, for more than two decades, the Norton & Elaine Sarnoff Center for Jewish Genetics– a supporting foundation of JUF– has offered high-quality, subsidized carrier screening for members of the Illinois Jewish community, and their partners (whether Jewish or not).

Beginning in the early 2000s with a panel of just three conditions, today the Sarnoff Center offers the opportunity to access a multi-ethnic panel to screen for more than 200 conditions-dozens of which are more common among Jewish people.

In addition to the screening program, the Center offers outreach to Chicago and beyond about both recessive disorders and hereditary cancers more common among Jews. For cancer risk, that means a focus on the BRCA mutations that occur in Ashkenazi Jews at a rate of about ten times higher than in the general population.

“There are many genetic conditions more common among people of Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jewish descent than in the general population,” said Scott Weissman, MS,  a Certified Genetic Counselor (CGC). He is the principal of Chicago Genetic Consultants, a trailblazing, standalone genetic counseling practice on Chicago’s North Shore. “Some of the conditions can impact the chance of having a child with a genetic disorder. Other genes can cause a high chance of developing cancer. Genetic testing can help identify these conditions, so individuals can plan when starting their family, or begin cancer screening earlier.”

Weissman-a longtime advocate for the Center who served on its advisory board for many years-recently joined the Center under contract as its clinical partner. In addition to providing the clinical services for the genetic screening program, Weissman will provide subject matter expertise, education, and other forms of community support and engagement. His new role comes as a welcome new chapter for the Center, which had paused its screening program in 2022, after the unexpected closure of its former clinical partner.

Sarnoff Center Executive Director Jason Rothstein expressed his enthusiasm for the new partnership. “While the screening program is only part of the work we do, it serves as the cornerstone of our services as our most visible program. We are thrilled to have Scott work with us to restore this critical service,” he said. ”For more than 20 years, genetic counselors have helped us to provide screening to thousands of community members, but also have served as valued team members to provide education and outreach to our constituents. Scott is the latest to join this amazing legacy of service to the Chicago Jewish community.”

Now, with the screening program’s relaunch, hopefully thousands more will be able to get screened, and make informed decisions about starting, and growing, their families.

The Norton & Elaine Sarnoff Center for Jewish Genetics is a supporting foundation of JUF, and is supported in part by the Michael Reese Health Trust. To learn more, visit jewishgenetics.org.