NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – The Qatar Genome Programme has launched a research consortium that will study genetic and phenotypic data produced by the Qatar Biobank.
The consortium involves several local institutions, including the QGP, Qatar Biobank, Sidra Medical and Research Center, Hamad Medical, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, the Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, the Qatar Computing Research Institute, and Qatar University. In addition, several consortium researchers have international collaborators.
"Inaugurating this research consortium is a critical next step on the path towards precision medicine," Asmaa Al Thani, chair of the QGP and vice chair of the Qatar Biobank, said in a statement. "By bringing together so many researchers from a variety of institutions, Qatar Genome Programme is helping coordinate the nationwide effort to map the Qatari genome."
The consortium's work will focus on identifying key features of the Qatari genome in order to develop individualized disease treatments and prevention methods.
QGP said it is consolidating genomic research in Qatar in order to avoid duplication and contradiction and to ensure that different institutions in the country get equal access to data gathered through the Qatar Biobank.