TEHRAN –Iran is ready to share its expertise and extensive experiences in genetics information bank with Turkey, and cooperate in establishing a genetics bank in the country, the head of the Department of Forensic Medicine has said.

 “The genetic bank is a source of national pride for the country,” IRNA quoted Abbas Masjedi-Arani as saying.

He made the remarks in a meeting in Tehran on Friday with Hizir Asliyuksek, the president of the Turkish Forensic Medicine Institute.

The genetic bank in Iran has been successfully launched and is now operational. The genetic profiles of criminals with repeated crimes are stored in the bank, and the storage of genetic profiles of people with high-risk jobs such as journalists, firefighters, and pilots is also on the agenda, he noted.

In addition to genetics kits, some laboratory devices, equipment, and software are also domestically made by experts, Masjedi-Arani added.

The center mainly focuses on providing scientific and educational services to people.

Department of Forensic Medicine is also involved in tissue processing. Since more than 400,000 patients benefit from processed tissues every year, the department has started taking serious measures in this regard.

He also highlighted that boosting scientific interactions between the two countries will lead to other collaborations.

Asliyuksek, for his part, said Turkish Forensic Medicine has made significant progress in the past two years. The two countries can exchange experts to enhance cooperation in specialized fields.

Observing part of the achievements and productions of Iran’s forensic research center, the Turkish official extended an invitation to the center to feature their products and achievements at the Forensic Science Congress, which will be held in Turkey with the participation of 20 countries.

Intl. Genetics exhibition

The 6th international and 18th national congress on genetics will be held in Tehran from July 7 to 9.

Hosted by Shahid Beheshti University, the three-day event will be conducted under the theme of ‘ genetics for health; food security; conservation of genetic resources, immediate needs and future necessity’, IRNA reported.

Held every two years, the congress's primary objective is to share the latest global scientific achievements among genetic professors, researchers, and experts.

International universities from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Russia cooperate with Shahid Beheshti University to hold the congress this year, IRNA quoted the president of the Iranian Genetics Society as saying.

While there are 13 climates or variable weather conditions across the world, Iran benefits from eleven climate diversity which has resulted in a variety of genetic and plant diversity. It is considered a highly valuable natural resource for the country, Mokhtar Jalali-Jouran said.

The value of the biological, plant, and animal genetic diversity in Iran is far more than the oil and gas, he stressed.

In terms of genetic science production, Iran ranks 2nd in the region and 22nd worldwide, ISNA quoted the scientific secretary of the congress as saying.

Researchers from 15 countries namely Canada, Spain, the Netherlands, Finland, Australia, the U.S., Germany, New Zealand, Sweden, Hungary, Russia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Turkey have submitted articles to the Congress, he said.

Out of 794 submitted articles, 758 have been accepted. 64 articles will be presented in the form of lectures and 694 in the form of posters, he said.

The accepted articles were in the fields of human genetics (475), plant genetics (188), animal genetics (179), ethics and biosafety  (29), stem cells, and micro-organisms (15).

There will be 20 lecturers both online and in person; and a total of 17 educational workshops will be held during this year's congress, he added.

Iran-Turkey tech cooperation

In September 2023, the Turkish ambassador to Iran, Hicabi Kirlangic, and the Iranian deputy science minister, Vahid Haddadi-Asl,  stressed boosting technological cooperation, particularly joint scientific collaboration.

“Iran's scientific and technological relations have not developed in parallel with its political and economic ones. We are ready to expand our relations with Turkey in study opportunities, student exchange, scholarships, technology, and knowledge-based companies,” IRIB quoted Haddadi-Asl as saying.

During a meeting that was held in Tehran on September 12, Haddadi-Asl highlighted the importance of scientific relations between Iran and Turkey as two neighboring Muslim countries.

Highlighting the cultural, historical, and religious commonalities of Iran and Turkey, Kirlangic said scientific cooperation between the two countries should be much more than the current level.

MT/MG