ArmGenia is a unique, multifaceted and innovative project. To set the clock on initiation and, afterwards, to guarantee a safety continued long-term operation, it needs nonstop multi-stream funding from different sources - the Government of Armenia, international and Armenian donor and charitable organizations, individual benefactors, international grants, etc. ArmGenia requires a lot of organizational effort, experienced personnel, a sizeable set of state-of-the-art technology and sophisticated equipment, involvement of experts from respective Government and other agencies, universities and scientific institutions, and a lot more, including foreign operations and maintenance costs.

 

Genetic Research Charitable Trust ArmGenia (thereafter, the “Trust”) is a non-for-profit organization that is established in Armenia to do innovational research and scientific studies in genetics, health, and other relevant public disciplines.

 

 

 

Objectives:

 

  To reconstruct the Living Map of Armenia based on the genetic make-up of people who were born in or  can directly trace their heritage to the Armenian villages and towns before the forced displacement

To establish a national database (Gene Bank) consisting of phenotype and genotype data of the Armenian population aiming to conduct fundamental research, genetic and health studies

To define specific traits inherited from the evolutionary past and deepen the understanding of the genetic roots of the Armenians and to evaluate the role and impact of Armenian genome studies in shaping our national identity

To use genomic technology to fuel the “personalized medicine” to identify patients with gene variants that raises their risk of certain diseases

To enforce the development of genomics research in Armenia, participation of Armenian researchers in international genome projects.

 

Mission:

 

   Apply the power of state-of-art genomics research to understand the ancient history, advance scientific progress and improve health of Armenian nation.

 

 

Founders:

FUTURE STEPS

 

* Wrap up the collection of Y chromosome paternal data to ensure the mapping of the whole extent of historical Armenia. A similar approach will be simultaneously applied for maternally inherited genetic traits via mitochondrial DNA as a necessary complement to explore the genetic background of the Armenian people.

 

* Comprehensive reconstruction of the Armenian genetic legacy based on the whole genome data of individuals whose four grandparents originated from the same area of Historic Armenia.

 

* Compare the genetic portrait of modern Armenians to that of preceding generations since the Neolithic (based on ancient DNA from skeletal remains) to test the genetic succession of populations living in the Armenian Highlands during the last 10 millennia.

 

* The genetic information from this study, combined with the mythological, linguistic, historical, and atchaeological evidence will not only improve our understanding of the emergence of the Armenian people, but also provide rigorous support to contestable theories on the origin and migratory history of our ancestors.

 

TO SUCCESSFULLY FINALIZE THIS COMPELLING PROJECT, WE CALL FOR ACTIVE INVOLVEMENT OF OUR COMPATRIOTS ACROSS THE DIASPORA. SINCE THE DESCENDANTS FROM ONLY A FEW REGIONS OF HISTORICAL ARMENIA ARE REPRESENTED IN THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA, WE CAN ONLY COLLECT A LIMITED SCOPE OF INFORMATION ON THE GENETIC DIVERSITY OF ARMENIANS. THUS, WITHOUT THE INPUT OF THE DIASPORA, OUR GENETIC LEGACY WOULD BE INCOMPLETE.

 

WHAT AN EXCEPTIONAL WAY TO COMMEMORATE THE CENTENNIAL OF THE GENOCIDE, TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE GENETIC LEGACY OF ALL OUR ANCESTORS, AND TO REVIVE VOICES FROM THE PAST TO COMPREHEND OUR HISTORICAL NARRATIVE!