Swiss–Tunisian Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Familial Syndromic Intellectual Disability

Swiss partners

• Université de Lausanne: Alexandre Reymond

 MENA partners

• Tunis-el Manar University: Ichraf Kraoua, Sarra Hammami

Presentation of the project

Intellectual disability (ID) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, defined by the DSM-V as significant limitations in intellectual, adaptive, and social functioning before adulthood [1]. Affecting 1_3% of the global population and ~1% in Switzerland, ID represents a major burden for families and health systems, particularly in regions with high rates of consanguinity, like
Tunisia, where autosomal recessive ID (ARID) forms are prevalent yet underdiagnosed [2,3].

Switzerland excels in genomic technologies but lacks access to genetically informative, inbred populations critical for identifying novel ARID genes, limiting global diagnostic equity. Tunisia, with 38% consanguineous marriages and a high prevalence of familial ID, offers a unique opportunity to uncover new genetic causes of syndromic ID.