Qatar Biobank and Qatar Genome Programme participate in regional Molecular Biology Conference

Doctors and researchers from Qatar Biobank and the Qatar Genome Programme presented their findings on collecting and profiling genome samples of the Qatari population at the third Middle East Molecular Biology Congress and Exhibition held recently at Qatar University.

The four-day congress, organised by Middle East Molecular Biology Sources (MEMBS), was attended by leading doctors, healthcare policy-makers, researchers and students from Qatar and around the world.

Dr Nahla Afifi, Acting Director of Qatar Biobank, and Dr Said Ismail, Manager of the Qatar Genome Programme, discussed their efforts to collect and profile genome samples of the Qatari population, with the goal of moving towards more personalised and efficient medicine.

Dr Ismail opened the presentations with a look at the Qatar Genome Programme’s ongoing efforts to create a reference map of the Qatari genome using samples provided by the population. By doing so, the Qatar Genome Programme is already offering valuable opportunities for local researchers to study various diseases within the population.

The goal, said Dr Ismail, is to enable healthcare providers to use that genetic information to better serve their patients through preventative and curative measures. “No more will medicine be one-size-fits-all. Instead, each genomic group will have its own approach to medical issues,” he said.

Dr Afifi detailed how Qatar Biobank collects samples from volunteer participants, a three-hour process with a focus on maintaining the visitors’ privacy and dignity. She also shared some findings from the study of the first 3,000 samples collected by Qatar Biobank. This pilot phase found high overweight and obesity levels, as well as a 17 per cent rate of diabetes in the adults surveyed.

“We believe that our current findings will help design guidelines for prevention of diabetes and other noncommunicable diseases, and plan future strategies and educational activities for our local community,” said Dr Afifi. “We are confident that our data will be of great support to health strategies at both national and individual levels to fulfil the delivery of personalised and precision healthcare.”

Qatar Biobank and the Qatar Genome Programme are part of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), working towards developing healthcare in Qatar by advancing personalised medicine through vital research.