On July 29, 2011, the Department of Pathology, UWI, opened its new Cytogenetics Laboratory, which will provide facilities for the detection of chromosomal abnormalities, a service which has been unavailable in Jamaica for several years.

The laboratory, the only one in the English-speaking Caribbean, was financed by the CHASE Fund at a cost of approximately $20 million.  The new laboratory will allow the identification of disease-causing chromosomal abnormalities in a wide range of conditions, including but not limited to: children with developmental abnormalities, mental disorders, congenital anomalies (including congenital heart disease), and some seizure disorders, adults with infertility and some women with recurrent miscarriages.

Chromosomal abnormalities are also responsible for many cancers, and characteristic recurrent abnormalities are seen in many leukaemias, lymphomas and soft tissue sarcomas. In these cancers, the identification of chromosomal abnormalities allows for crucial sub-classification of the cancer, and in some cancers, the specific abnormality also gives an indication of prognosis and determines the type of therapy that the patient should receive. Patients who require chromosome analysis will no longer need to access this service outside the region.

Cytogenetic testing is a routine part of health care delivery in many parts of the world, complementing obstetric, paediatric, medical and oncologic services, among others.  Cytogenetics is also at the core of medical research, and much of the information gleaned from such work is eventually translated into clinical practice.

To date, the CHASE Fund has spent $1.4 billion in the health sector. Since its establishment in 2003, the Fund focused on building, upgrading, restoring and equipping health facilities; training health personnel in critical and highly specialized areas such as nephrology, forensic science, oncology; developing programmes to decrease the incidence of drug abuse; and supporting research for cancer prevention, detection, treatment and care.