Dubai-21Feb 2021: The Centre for Arab Genomic Studies (CAGS), a division of the Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences, is organizing a series of monthly webinars that will discuss various diverse topics on human genetics and genomics. The series will feature distinguished doctors and researchers in the field of genetics who will share their most recent studies with the participants.

 

The first webinar in this series will be held on Wednesday, 24th February 2021 and will focus on the topic of “Genomics of Infectious Diseases”.  This webinar will feature talks by Dr. Ahmad Abou Tayoun, Director of the Genetics Laboratory at Al Jalila Children's Hospital, and Dr. Youssef Idaghdour, Assistant Professor of Biology at NYU Abu Dhabi.

 

 Highlighting the importance of the webinar topic, His Excellency Abdullah Bin Souqat, Executive Director of the Award said, “Discussing the genomics of infectious diseases is key to better understanding the pathophysiology of such diseases. As we go through the current pandemic, this subject has become more and more relevant.  We are glad to be able to provide a platform for participants to gain from learning from some of the experts in this field, while adhering to safety standards in line with the UAE`s strategy to maintain social distancing to limit the spread of the novel COVID-19 virus”. 

 

Dr. Mahmoud Taleb Al-Ali stated that organizing these webinars is in line with the Centre’s objectives of bringing together expertise and resources in the field of human genetics, and sharing the latest research findings and technical developments.

 

It is worth noting that the webinar series will be held monthly from February to October 2021 and will discuss a number of topics in human genetics, including population genetics, gene therapy, big data in genomics, clinical genetics, genetics counselling, and metabolic disorders.