Sidra Medicine InGen programme introduces Genomics to high school students

Doha, Qatar: Sidra Medicine, a member of Qatar Foundation, has taught more than 400 high school students in its Introduction to Genomics (InGen) stude...

Doha, Qatar: Sidra Medicine, a member of Qatar Foundation, has taught more than 400 high school students in its Introduction to Genomics (InGen) student programme.

InGen was launched in 2023 by Sidra Medicine’s Genomic Core team, with a focus to providing students access to real-life research environments and helping them in their future career choices in science and research. Done in collaboration with Qatar’s Ministry of Education, the programme has welcomed 11th and 12th grade students from 35 public and private schools across the country.

Lead by Iman Al Azwani, Senior Research Specialist at Sidra Medicine, who said: “Our InGen programme has been a fantastic opportunity for the students to work alongside researchers and scientists. It also gave them a practical insight into what being in a lab and research environment would look like. The most important aspect is that the exposure gives them the necessary information and background to make an informed decision in their studies and eventual career paths in science and research.”

Sidra Medicine has a dedicated Biosafety Level 1 Laboratory for the InGen programme, where students have a chance to learn both theoretical and practical components in genetics including DNA extraction, DNA quality checking and DNA amplification.

It provides a safe and controlled environment where students can conduct real-world experiments and enhance their understanding of complex genetic processes.