“Sheikh Hamdan Award for Medical Sciences” starts the "3rd Pan Arab Human Genetic Conference”
Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh "Hamdan Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum" Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and President of Dubai Health Authority, Dr. "Hanif Hassan", UAE Minister of Health, inaugurates today (Saturday) the "3rd Pan Arab Human Genetics Conference", organized by the "Center for Arab Genomic Studies", a division of "Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences", at “Al Bustan Rotana Hotel” in Dubai. The two-day conference will discuss the latest genome research activities in the Arab Region. 150 research papers from 36 Arab and foreign countries are participating in the conference. The conference is hosting a large number of physicians and decision makers, doctors under training, academics and students of medical colleges, nurses, and laboratory technicians.
Professor "Najib Al-Khaja", President of the conference and the Secretary General of “Sheikh Hamdan Award for Medical Sciences” referred to H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s wide vision which considers the importance of supporting research in human genetics and bridging gaps among Arab geneticists in order to coordinate their efforts together to reduce the spread of genetic diseases in the Arab world. This vision was crystallized by establishing the “Center for Arab Genomic Studies” in 2003, the organizer of the conference, which founded the first database of genetic disorders in the Arab world for more than 940 genetic disorders.
He added that the “3rd Pan Arab Human Genetics Conference” is a unique gathering of its kind in all Arab countries. The conference has achieved great success in its previous editions 2005-2006 and 2007-2008, and it is expected to achieve more success in its current edition 2009-2010. World Health Organization (WHO) supports this year’s conference through the participation of the regional adviser for Research Policy and Cooperation in the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean in Cairo. This year, the research papers are of high-quality and reflect the status of scientific development of Arab scientists in this field.
Prof. “Najuib Al-khaja” said that the International Standard organization managed to put the “Pan Arab Human genetic Conference” on the calendar of world genetics conferences. The objective of holding this conference is to support scientific research in the Arab region, and to reduce the spread of genetic disorders that threatens the security and stability of the Arab family. "
Professor "Najib Al Khaja" said that besides the traditional form of lectures there are several significant events. Tomorrow morning (Sunday), an interactive session will be held under the title "open clinic session", during which doctors will present seven research papers of rare genetic disorders or disorders with overlapping symptoms and the methods used for their diagnosis at the clinical or genetic levels.
This session will address many important issues such as Kuwaiti’s experience in developing quick and inexpensive methods to diagnose genetic disorders, short stature in children and how to distinguish between short stature patients and non-patients, a genetic skeletal disorder in a Pakistani consanguineous family, a research from Saudi Arabia about the discovery of gene that causes severe mental retardation and its relationship to facial and skeletal genetic disorders, and a rare genetic disorder from Tunisia of which on y seven cases were discovered worldwide.
Prof. “Al- Khaja” said that an important symposium entitled "The role of media in genetic literacy" will be held on the second day of the conference. This attraction is the result of the social commitment of the “Center for Arab Genomic Studies” to raise awareness of the seriousness of genetic disorders at individual and social levels. The guests of the symposium will be Dr. "Ali Singel" the presenter of "vitamin" on Dubai TV, Mr. "Jamal Al-Bah" chairman of “Arab Family Organization”, and Dr. "Hanan Hamami” professor of Human Genetics Department of Medical Genetics and Development at Geneva University Hospital, Switzerland. The moderator of the event will be Dr. “Tarek Al-Abyad”, the supervisor of the medical bulletin at Al-Jazeera TV. The symposium will be conducted in Arabic and attendance is public.
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