Research infrastructures and genomics: How Qatar Precision Medicine Institute/Qatar Genome Program is building the next generation of infrastructures to test the value of predictive genomics

Predictive Genomics (PG) is a powerful capability to help predict disease risk and understand drug responses to improve health outcomes and manage costs. Powerful and complex research infrastructures are needed to fill the knowledge gap on developing and implementing PG, including biobanks, data infrastructures, ELSI & top in class genotyping. Qatar is among the pioneering countries in the region, with PG and precision medicine at the heart of its health strategy. Qatar Genome Program (QGP) is a national program that has contributed so far to sequencing more than 28,000 whole genomes from the Qatar population and over 2,900 whole genomes from 19 other Arab countries collected by Qatar Biobank. The QBB/QGP data is the most important existing genomic data on the Arab and Middle Eastern regions. It contributes to understanding the genetic structure of these populations, elucidating the genetic factors of various diseases, and laying the ground for precision medicine in the region. Dr. Radja Messai-Badji will share her experience within QGP and provide her opinion on the key elements necessary to build a state-of-the-art predictive genomics program. She will discuss the main obstacles at the scientific, technical, ELSI, and organizational levels that have faced the program and how QGP is working on overcoming such barriers.

 

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