Qatar Biobank to present research findings at conference

Qatar Biobank is set to present its latest findings about lifestyle behaviours and other health problems of the local community at an upcoming conference.
The findings will be based on an analysis of biological samples and information collected from 6,000 voluntary participants and will be announced at the second Qatar Biobank Conference next week, said Dr Nahla Afifi, Scientific and Education Manager and Acting Director of Qatar Biobank, yesterday.
“At the conference, we will be presenting our most up-to-date results from analysis of more than first 6,000 participants’ samples, including data about diabetes, obesity, lifestyle behaviors, and other health aspects of the local community,” said Afifi during a press conference held after a media tour of the Qatar Biobank.
Dr Asmaa Al Thani, Vice Chair of Qatar Biobank and Chairperson of Qatar Genome Programme and Dr Said Ismail, Manager of Qatar Genome Programme, were also present at the press conference.
The number of samples and tests collected by Qatar Biobank make it a unique biomedical resource which is on its way to facilitating groundbreaking discoveries that will help foster a healthier population aware of the risks associated with prevalent diseases. “Qatar Biobank has to date achieved remarkable milestones in the field of biomedical research, and continues to edge closer to creating a healthcare system that can decrease the number of citizens affected by preventable diseases, ensure a higher recovery rate, and reduce susceptibility,” said Dr Afifi.
“Prior to Qatar Biobank’s launch, the majority of medical treatments received were developed through the study of Western populations, with a lack of large-scale research based on local and regional populations. Hence, Qatar Biobank ushered in a new era for personalized healthcare in Qatar,” she added.
Anybody who is an adult (at least 18 years old) and is either a Qatari national or long-term resident (lived in Qatar for at least 15 years) can contribute to Qatar Biobank by offering approximately three hours of their time.
After registering participants will answer questions about their lifestyle and family, their dietary habits, their medical history and medication. Then their clinical measurements including height and weight, waist and hip ratio, blood pressure, body composition, electrocardiogram, carotid imaging, and lung function tests will be taken. And biological samples including urine, saliva, blood (about 60millilitres) will be collected. The samples will be processed and test in six dedicated labs at the Qatar Biobank. Also the samples will be stored freezers at -80 temperature. Also in April biological samples will be stored in a within a robotic system which will help finding the stored samples easily for future research requirements.
By 2016-end, a total of 6,745 participants have visited and registered with Qatar Biobank.
The upcoming Qatar Biobank Conference, will be under the theme ‘The Impact of Biobanking on Precision Medicine Initiatives’ at the Qatar National Convention Centre on March 14 and 15. It will serve to advance personalized medicine in Qatar by providing leading medical experts with the opportunity to discuss biomedical research and personalized medicine in the context of Qatar and the region.