Medical Genetics Laboratories

Note: If you are a patient looking for lab locations and hours for blood draws and other tests, see Lab Services.

As Southern California's comprehensive genetic services provider, the Medical Genetics Laboratories at UC San Diego provide state-of-the-art genetic testing services to health care professionals and their patients.

Genetic Testing Services

Staffed by highly trained licensed professionals and laboratory personnel, our laboratories work closely with board-certified medical geneticists and genetic counselors to ensure timely interpretation of laboratory results.

Cytogenetics/Cytogenomics Lab

This lab offers chromosomal analysis, microarray analysis, FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization), and other services. For more details, see Cytogenetics/Cytogenomics Lab.

Clinical Genomics Lab

This lab performs DNA- and RNA-based testing for determination of carrier status, prenatal and postnatal diagnosis of disease, identification of acquired mutations, and predictive analysis of future disease. For more information and a list of tests offered, see Clinical Genomics Lab.

Genetic Testing Background

Over the past 15 years, the medical genetics community has witnessed a rapid rise in the identification of disease-related genes and the subsequent availability of genetic tests that detect disease or an individual's carrier risk of disease.

Currently, more than 4,000 genetic diseases are known, and over 900 genetic tests are available through diagnostic laboratories. Some tests identify chromosome abnormalities such as aneuploidy and rearrangements. Other tests detect the presence of inherited gene mutations and can confirm a suspected diagnosis of disease, determine an individual's carrier state, or predict future disease. Genetic tests are also performed to identify acquired gene mutations in cancerous cells.