Clinical trials for genetic diseases in Latin America.

Latin American geneticists have been contributing to the scientific development of Human and Medical Genetics fields since the early 1950s. In the last decades, as Medical Genetics is moving toward a new era of innovative therapies for previously untreatable conditions, the participation of Latin America in clinical trials is also increasing. This review discusses the particularities regarding funding, regulatory, and ethical aspects of conducting clinical trials for genetic diseases in Latin America, with an especial focus on Brazil, the largest country with the highest number of studies. Although there are still several barriers to overcome, the recent development of orphan drug legislation and policies for rare diseases in many Latin American countries indicates a growing opportunity for the participation of the region in international efforts for the development of new therapies for genetic diseases.

Training of community health agents - a strategy for earlier recognition of mucopolysaccharidoses.

Primary Health Care (PHC) is the gateway for patients in the Brazilian unified health system (Sistema Único de Saúde-SUS), playing an extremely important role in the identification of potential patients with genetic diseases, and referral to specialized and tertiary health services. The PHC is composed of a multidisciplinary team, including the Community Health Agent, who is in direct contact with the community. To implement an educational program aimed at community health agents working in several municipalities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil. The training was focused on genetic diseases in general, with a special focus on identifying patients with Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS). Tests were applied before and after the educational intervention, in order to assess the participants' knowledge on the topic at these two moments. The study covered a total of ten training sessions carried out in eight municipalities in the RS state, training 374 community health agents. The number of correct answers in the pre-test (n = 339) was 8,4 (SD 1.2), while in the post-test (n = 361) it was 9,2 (SD 0.8). Statistical analysis showed that the educational intervention effectively provided information about genetic diseases to the participants. Considering that community health agents are of fundamental importance in the identification and prevention of diseases and in the better navigation of the patients on the SUS, these professionals play a key role in the field of rare genetic diseases, and continuous training strategies should be taken.