The experts from Sidra Medicine during CUDOS 2019.
The third annual Congress of Current Understanding in Diabetes, Obesity and Related Syndromes (CUDOS) with a main focus on paediatric precision medicine concluded, yesterday.
The three-day Congress hosted by Sidra Medicine and focused on paediatric precision medicine led by a cohort of specialists across a broad spectrum of disciplines, at the Qatar National Convention Centre.
Sessions on the third day of CUDOS emphasised genomic and drug intervention, behavioural medicine and psychology and precision medicine in neurocritical care. The sessions were led by Sidra Medicine specialists in different specialities including pulmonology, neurology, adolescent medicine, oncology and human genetics.
“The congress is an excellent learning experience for specialists and practitioners. Precision Medicine is emerging as an important topic in medicine. It is based on finding the right treatment, for the right patient at the right time,” said Dr. Elias Zerhouni, former president of Global Research and Development at Sanofi and Member of the Board of Governors at Sidra Medicine.
The last day of the congress featured opening keynote speech by Professor Hakon Hakonarson, Director of the Center for Applied Genomics at the Joseph Stokes Jr. Research Institute of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).
Dr. Khalid Fakhro, Acting Chief Research Officer, Director of the Precision Medicine Program and Head of Human Genetics department, Sidra Medicine, speaking to media on the sidelines of the congress said that they were focusing on generating benefits on different fronts including clinical, research and academia.
“In clinical, we are learning from international experts about how they manage and treat diabetes specifically in children and on the research front we learn about the latest research and developments in the field including stem cells and novo therapies to treat patients who are affected by these conditions,” he said. In the reply to a question on where Qatar is going in terms of precision medicine, Dr Fakhro, said, “There is a national drive to go towards precision medicine and Sidra is well-positioned because of our access to patients and presence of high quality clinicians who focus on providing the best care for their patients.”
“By bringing the best technology from around the world and great scientists to the forefront of the clinical service that is available at Sidra, we hope for precision medicine to evolve naturally here,” he added.
Dr. Fakhro said that Sidra Medicine is not doing this alone and are part of a national scientific community that is growing and thriving. “I believe as a nation, we are going to mature towards precision medicine.”
He also highlighted that Sidra Medicine has best physicians and practitioners in the clinics, researchers and scientists in the labs and some of the most advanced technologies to power our hospital as well as our research and clinical programmes.
“This unique combination, which underpins our three pillars of patient care; research and medical education have allowed us to start ground-breaking studies and clinical care services that will positively impact the health of the women and children of Qatar. The impact that we hope to create is far reaching not only for the people of Qatar but across the Middle East region and the world,” said Dr. Fakhro.
