• Home

Move to set up unified Arab genetic database in Dubai

DUBAI — Plans are afoot to include the databases of Oman, Kuwait and other countries in the genetics database set up by the Centre for Arab Genomic Studies (CAGS) after a trial run in the UAE and Bahrain, according to Dr Najib Al Khaja, Secretary-General, Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Awards for Medical Science committee and President of the CAGS.

He also said doctors will now be able to use the data to communicate and send their reports about genetic diseases in their own countries for studying similar cases elsewhere.

Speaking during the conclusion of the Fourth Session of the Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Award for Medical Sciences conference recently, Al Khaja said, “The conference was an opportunity for CAGS members to discuss ways of expanding the genetics database which the centre began establishing after the success of a trial run in the UAE and Bahrain.”

Al Khaja also announced that a new budget had been allocated to support CAGS in its research projects.

“A new budget will also be allotted to support the research related to the awards,” he added.

Because of the importance of the centre and the services it provides through field studies and continuous enrichment of the database, CAGS members said one of their basic tasks would be to establish links between the centre and other organisations that work in genetics in the Arab world as well as international centres doing the same work.

“It has been decided that there should be sub-juries who will lay down rules and draw up the framework for organising the work of the centre, including focusing on important topics, especially regarding ethical restrictions in this field,” said Al Khaja.

The original Human Genome Project was also a focus at the conference which included studying various genetic diseases across the world.