Qatar Biobank makes significant progress over ten years

Qatar Biobank, a member of Qatar Foundation (QF), has made significant progress over the past 10 years, with an increase in number of participants and studies. 

The flagship Cohort Study, a population-based long-term study, has recruited a large number of participants and introduced several other projects as Qatar Birth Cohort Study, two separate studies on the impact of COVID-19 infection and the effect of the vaccines, said Dr. Nahla Afifi,  Director of Qatar Biobank.

Qatar Biobank is making vital health research possible through its collection of biological samples and data on health and lifestyle from a large number of Qatar’s population. 

“At Qatar Biobank, we have recruited more than 36,000 participants; and we have 2,000 follow-up participants," Dr. Afifi told The Peninsula on the sidelines of an event held to mark 10 years of Qatar Biobank.

The cohort study aims to collect high quality biological samples and annotated data among Qataris and long-term residents who live in Qatar for at least 15 years to promote medical research. A follow-up study on the participants is done after five years of the first visit.

All participants will consent to provide their biological samples and information to benefit research studies supporting translational medicine.

“Any person found with a health condition during the  screening will be referred to the   Hamad Medical Corporation as they have allocated a special clinic for individuals going through us. We are also now linked with the Primary Health Care Corporation and we refer patients automatically.” 

The data collected by Qatar Biobank for the Qatar Genome Programme is giving scientists a unique insight into the causes, thus enabling prevention of these diseases by way of personalised treatments in line with the genetic coding of an individual.

“We have sequenced more than, 20,000 whole genome for the Qatar Genome Program (QGP),” said Dr. Afifi.

Dr. Afifi said researchers have already been able to use Qatar Biobank’s samples to gain important insights into the health of the local population, including the discovery of high levels of diabetes, obesity, and vitamin D deficiency. These findings will enable researchers to make recommendations to healthcare providers and policy-makers to better tailor their actions to address specific conditions.

“Many researchers have used our data and findings for their research,” she said. 

Qatar Biobank continues to serve as a unique resource that will advance Qatar’s journey towards becoming a regional hub for medical research and expertise and will help Qatar contribute to the development of biomedical knowledge globally.