Students with at least one Jewish grandparent are being urged to sign up for genetic screening at university, which checks for 47 recessive disorders.

Jnetics, which is running Campus University Screening Week from November 18 to 24, says that all it involves is a simple cheek swab, which can be done in the comfort of the student’s own home.

The results of the free test will enable students to “make informed decisions about the health of their future family”, said the charity’s head.

Jnetics CEO Nicole Gordon said: “Over one in three people of Jewish descent are carriers of at least one of the disorders covered by Jnetics.

“The conditions...can lead to devastating health conditions in children if both parents are carriers and can occur even when there is no known family history. Unless screened, carriers often go undetected until it is too late.”

Gordon added that the best time to screen for the recessive disorders was before people decided to start a family as, that way, it would give the individuals the greatest number of reproductive options to prevent having an affected child in the future. They would be able to “take proactive steps in family planning when the time is right”.

'Knowledge is power' - Jnetics CEO Nicole Gordon (Photo: Sara Epstein)

“Jnetics believes that knowledge is power,” she said. “By empowering our young adults with genetic information, we pave the way for healthier families and communities.”

Students need to register for screening by November 10, by cicking here

For more information about Jnetics and the University Screening Week, please contact the Jnetics team at students@jnetics.org