About Us

The largest center for attending people with genetic diseases in Latin America

The Human Genome and Stem Cell Research Center (HUG-CELL) of the Institute of Biosciences of the University of São Paulo is a two-way effort: patients contribute to research and new scientific advances contribute to patient’s diagnosis and prevention of genetic disorders.

What we do

The Human Genome and Stem Cell Research Center (HUG-CELL) conducts research in human and medical genetics, providing genetic counseling service and genetic tests for the population, as well as developing activities related to genetics education and technology transfer. In addition, HUG-CELL develops research on emerging topics that are relevant for society, such as the genetic susceptibility responsible for microcephaly in babies exposed to the zika virus and the current search for germline genetic variants associated with the clinical variability of COVID-19.

About us

The Human Genome and Stem Cell Research Center (HUG-CELL) team at USP is composed of genetics professors and researchers, physicians, health professionals, specialized technicians as well as graduate and post-graduate students, totaling around 120 participants.

History

The Human Genome and Stem Cell Research Center (HUG-CELL) is the largest center for attending people with genetic diseases in Latin America. It represents the continuity of Prof. Oswaldo Frota-Pessoa initiative, a pioneer of genetic medicine in Brazil, who started to ascertain and offer genetic counseling to families with genetic diseases in the 1960s. Since then, with the inauguration of the HUG-CELL building in 2000, around 100 thousand people from families affected by different genetic pathologies have been attended by a multidisciplinary team. 

Coordination

Mayana Zatz – General Coordination
Maria Rita Passos-Bueno – Technology Transfer
Eliana M. Beluzzo Dessen – Education and Dissemination

Institutional video (in English):