Yesterday, a delegation from Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences travelled to Kuwait to attend the 3rd International Medical Genetics Conference which is organized by Kuwait Medical Genetics Centre from 4 to 6 October.

 

The delegation comprises Dr. Mahmoud Taleb Al Ali, Director of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences’ Centre for Arab Genomic Studies and Dr. Ghazi Tadmoury Assistant Director of the Centre. 

 

Dr. Mahmoud Taleb Al-Ali, Director of the Centre for Arab Genomic Studies, said that participating in such important event comes within the framework of cooperation between the UAE and Kuwait in supporting genetic disorders research in the Arab world. 

 

He added that participating in the conference provides fertile ground for the Centre for Arab Genomic Studies to complete some of data necessary to update the section of kuwait in the award’s catalogue for transmission genetics in Arab (CTGA Database), which will be published soon in a book.

 

He added that on the sidelines of the conference a series of meetings is scheduled to be held with Professor Edison Liu, president of Human Genome Organization, preparing for the meeting of the Organization which will be hosted by Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences next March in Dubai. “It is the first HUGO’s meeting in an Arab country” he said. 

 

Dr. Mahmoud Taleb Al-Ali, Director of the Centre for Arab Genomic Studies, expressed his happiness to participate in the 3rd International Medical Genetic Conference of Kuwait which will be held under the patronage of the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health.

 

“The conference discusses many central issues in the field of human genetics such as genetic variability, the parental consanguinity and the risk of primary immunodeficiency disorders and the importance of Genetic Counseling” he said. 

 

He added that the conference discusses many surveys which have been implemented in many Arab countries such as the UAE national newborn screening program, Genetic characterization of common complex disorders in the Kuwait population and genetic disease screening in KSA. 

 

Dr. Mahmoud Taleb Al-Ali said that the Centre for Arab genomic studies will present a study in the conference on education, services, and collaborative networks in human genetics in Arab countries.

 

He said that the study underlines the fact that despite the wide-spread nature of genetic disorders in Arabs, as a result of many environmental and social factors, proper Genetic counseling is not delivered which is reflected in the incompletely understanding of heredity at the levels of the general public and at-risk families as well. 

 

The study indicates that although there is a steady increase in biomedical research outputs during the last decade in the region, research centers activities witnessed scientific peer-reviewed reporting that so far occupies only a small share (nearly 0.5% of the permanent record of global scientific progress). 

 

The study also refers to the important role which has to be played by medical genetic societies in the region in order to establish an interactive process of dialogue and discussion to be directed towards the public and decision makers.