The year 2023 was the 70th anniversary of the discovery of the DNA double helix and the 20th anniversary of the completion of the Human Genome Project. These anniversaries mark the progress towards the ability to deliver personalised, effective healthcare to all. Research teams around the world are making significant progress in translational genomics projects that have the power to transform healthcare globally by enabling a shift from reactive to preventive care.
Understanding precision health
Precision health is a rapidly evolving field that is transforming healthcare globally. Healthcare treatments are tailored to your unique genetic profile and lifestyle choices, maximising their effectiveness and minimising side effects.
Previously, clinical practice relied on a one-size-fits-all approach, treating diseases with broad-spectrum therapies. However, with precision health, there is a more individualised approach. Analysing a patient’s genes, environment and lifestyle, which are relevant to our health and disease history, allows doctors to gain a deeper understanding of a patient’s specific condition and their likely response to treatment.
Doctors can now implement targeted preventive measures for their patients, including pharmacogenomics – customised treatments based on understanding how an individual’s genetic profile affects their responses to drugs. Prescribing precise drugs at precise doses to meet the unique needs of each patient is a significant difference compared to traditional healthcare.
One of the key benefits of precision health is its potential to shift healthcare from a reactive to a proactive model by identifying individuals at high risk for specific diseases based on their genetic makeup. Tailored screening protocols can help physicians initiate early detection and intervention strategies, potentially preventing disease progression.
Precision health in Qatar
The health sector has been a major focus recently, with citizens and residents having access to a world-class healthcare system to improve the quality of life. Under the National Health Strategy 2018–2022, all of the country’s municipalities have been recognised by the World Health Organization as ‘Healthy Cities’, Qatar University as ‘Healthy University’, and Qatar Foundation’s Education City as ‘Healthy Education City’.
The nation has also been pioneering precision health in the region for nearly a decade. The country aims to transform the way clinical screening is done for hereditary conditions such as cancer, diabetes, and autism, including screening for variants specific to the populations of both Qatar and the wider Middle Eastern region.
Arab populations have historically been underrepresented in genomic research due to a lack of datasets, a gap that is prevalent in current studies that focus on gene pools from Western countries. With genetic diagnosis based on actual population data, results are likely to be more relevant and accurate, leading to improved healthcare outcomes for the people of Qatar and the region.
Precision health’s personalised approaches to treatment and prevention have the potential to revolutionise the cost and effectiveness of public healthcare on a global scale. Using the insights gained from genetic and lifestyle data, healthcare providers can empower individuals to make informed decisions about their health, ultimately leading to healthier lives and a healthier society.
With the rapid advancements in technology, our understanding of the human genome will continue to grow, giving endless possibilities for precision health. With Qatar’s commitment to bringing these personalised therapies and preventative strategies into clinical settings, the positive impact will be felt through a better quality of life and wellbeing.
About Qatar Precision Health Institute
HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation (QF), formally launched Qatar Precision Health Institute (QPHI) in May 2024.
QPHI is a national centre for research and implementation and part of Qatar Foundation. Its primary focus is to enhance precision healthcare quality and value through comprehensive study of genomics and multi-omics (a biological analysis approach in which the data sets are multiple ‘omes’, eg the genome, proteome, transcriptome, epigenome, metabolome, and microbiome).
QPHI was conceptualised to leverage more than 10 years of valuable data collection, research, and ecosystem development accomplished by Qatar Biobank and Qatar Genome. The goal is to lead in preventing and curing health issues through personalised approaches, and empower and enable precision health practices leading to healthy and vibrant communities.
Speaking at the launch event, HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser lauded Qatar’s leading’s role in the region: ‘I am proud that Qatar was the first country in the region to establish a population-based genome programme, and has played a pioneering role in ensuring that Arab genomes are included in global genomic databases.
‘Qatar’s efforts have led to faster and more accurate diagnoses of multiple diseases for people from the region. QPHI is building on those successes and taking our knowledge forward to implement clinical solutions that will lead to a healthier future not only for our citizens but for people around the world.’
HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser also spoke about the vital role played by QF in the national efforts for an innovative, integrated, and interconnected system in the healthcare sector, including Sidra Medicine’s modern facilities for genome sequencing, the advanced biobank operated in collaboration with Hamad Medical Corporation and the Ministry of Health, and the contribution of the College of Islamic Studies at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in important dialogue on Islamic ethics in genomics and precision medicine.
Three memoranda of understanding (MoU) were signed at the launch – with Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), the Health Institutes of Türkiye (TÜSEB), and the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH) – to advance the implementation of precision diagnostics and treatments.
The collaborations will see QPHI deliver its objectives of advancing preventive health, developing diagnosis and life-saving treatment interventions, and accelerating its National Health Mapping Programs.
Under its MoU with HMC, QPHI will exchange knowledge and capacity-building initiatives to enhance clinical skills and expertise in precision health practices. QPHI will also refer patients carrying pathogenic genetic mutations to HMC’s Center for Clinical Precision Medicine and Genomics for further diagnosis and medical care using risk reduction strategies based on international and national guidelines.
The collaboration with TÜSEB will create a strong network to facilitate the exchange of knowledge, experience, and infrastructure. This partnership will utilise the strengths of both parties to promote progress in understanding and initiatives within the healthcare ecosystem, to enhance and shape the scientific landscapes of Türkiye and Qatar.
QPHI is also collaborating with GA4GH, an international, nonprofit alliance formed in 2013 to accelerate the potential of research and medicine to advance human health. QPHI will participate as a driver project of GA4GH, contributing to developing and implementing technical products and participating in the foundational work streams, which conceive products that encourage the responsible use of international genomic data.
Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, QPHI will be able cater to the needs of each patient based on their unique genetic fingerprint and lifestyle indicators. Some of the milestones QPHI is hoping to reach in the future include:
- Collecting 100,000 unique genetic maps from the local population.
- Genetic mapping of specific disease cohorts: COVID-19, autism, diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease.
- Establishing diagnostic protocols to identify patients in disease areas.
- Completing pharmacogenetic treatment protocols in selected disease areas.
- Optimising the commercial potential of the Qatar Precision Health Institute.
This will be achieved by asking the Qatari population to contribute biological samples and information about their health and lifestyle, via these means:
- The Qatar Biobank cohort study is a population-based long-term study aiming to collect high-quality biological samples and annotated data for 60,000 participants from Qataris and long-term Qatar residents, who have lived in Qatar for at least 15 years and are aged over 18, to promote medical research in Qatar and worldwide.
- The COVID-19 Biorepository is a national disease-based study collecting adequate health information and biological samples of 6,000 participants to enable evidence-based research towards the discovery and development of novel healthcare interventions and to facilitate research projects related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The Qatari Birth Cohort study, the first mother-child cohort study in the Gulf, assessing the synergetic role of environmental exposure and genetic factors in the development of chronic diseases. The study will follow up 3,000 women during pregnancy and delivery, and then their children and father for five years, under the Mother-Child-Father triad.
For more information about the Qatar Precision Health Institute, visit qphi.org.qa
Author: Sarah Palmer
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