The Centre for Arab Genomic Studies (CAGS), a division of the Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences, has announced the opening of registrations for the 9th Pan Arab Human Genetics Conference (PAHGC). The conference will be held virtually from 8th to 9th December, 2021. 

 

 

Talking about the scientific content of the conference, Dr. Mahmoud Taleb Al-Ali, the Director of CAGS and the Chairperson of the Scientific Committee of the conference, said, “The theme of the conference in its 9th edition is Challenges and Opportunities for Genomics in the Arab World, and the main topics to be discussed in the conference include big data genomics in Arabs, new insights into rare disease, genomics and society, and the genomics of infection and immunity.  We have selected as speakers, a group of leading researchers and scientists from all over the world specializing in each of these areas, such as Dr. Khaled Fakhro and Prof. Dr. Evan Eichler from the University of Washington.

 

 

“For the first time since the inception of the conference series, we are hosting a completely virtual and free-to-register conference. Not only does this allow us to conduct a totally safe event, it will also enable delegates from outside the UAE to take part in the meeting without any hindrance. Networking and communication between delegates has always been our priority, and we have tried our best to ensure that the quality of networking stays the same as in a physical conference”, he added

 

 

HE Abduallah bin Souqat, the Executive Director of the Award, praised the success of the previous versions of the conference, adding “The conference is a platform for specialists in the field of human genetics from all over the world to review and exchange findings and advances in this field, and it enables constructive collaborations between scientists, which helps to advance scientific research in the world in general and the Arab world in particular.”

 

 

His Excellency also extended his sincere thanks to the Dubai Health Authority, the Emirates Medical Association, and the Ministry of Health for their support of the conference.

It is worth mentioning that  the theme of the conference focuses on opportunities and challenges for genomics in the Arab World,  where the conference will showcase the milestones and advances in this field achieved by pioneering countries like the UAE, which has adopted an innovative health strategy highly focused on genomics and artificial intelligence.

The conference will also provide a platform to discuss challenges faced by developing Arab countries, which could greatly benefit from collaborations with and support from countries such as the UAE and  KSA,  which have established their own genome projects.

 

Further details about the conference as well as registration to the event is available at www.pahgc.com.