QPHI launch explores genetic mutations causing heart diseases in Qatar

Doha, Qatar: The impact of precision health on people s lives is already being seen in Qatar, and is reducing the number of deaths caused by cardiovas...

Doha, Qatar: The impact of precision health on people’s lives is already being seen in Qatar, and is reducing the number of deaths caused by cardiovascular diseases, experts have highlighted at the official launch of Qatar Foundation’s Qatar Precision Health Institute (QPHI).

The institute is building on a decade of groundbreaking work carried out by Qatar Foundation’s (QF) Qatar Biobank (QBB) and Qatar Genome Programme (QGP) in the field of precision healthcare in Qatar, and will spearhead efforts to make the nation a regional and global leader in the implementation of genomic medicine and precision health.

At the formal launch event, a panel discussion explored how genomic data from samples collected by QPHI’s Qatar Biobank has revealed prominent mutations that cause heart diseases in Qatari citizens, and how access to this information is helping healthcare professionals treat patients who are suffering from cardiovascular diseases in an effective and targeted way.

Dr. Wadha Al Muftah, Senior Director of QPHI’s Qatar Genome Programme, chaired the session and spoke about how, over the past decade, Qatar’s efforts in sequencing Arabi genomes have put the country on the global precision health map. “We’ve now surpassed 40,000 whole genomes being sequenced, and we’ve launched dozens of cutting-edge initiatives that allowed us to take our spot within the ‘Champions League’ of major global precision health projects,” she said.

Discussions during the session focused on Qatar’s unique and leading position in the field of precision healthcare, and the key role that QPHI will play in genomics and clinical applications.