His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and head of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office, chaired the meeting of the UAE Genome Program Council, in his capacity as Chairman of the Council.
During the meeting, which was held at the Expo 2020 Dubai headquarters, His Highness was briefed on the progress made by the Council in preparing a sustainable strategy to support the personal health care sector in the country. His Highness emphasized the important role of universities and health care sector institutions in linking research efforts and medical applications, in addition to the importance and necessity of cooperation with world-leading institutions in the field of genomics.
On this occasion, His Highness said: “Our ambitious plans to develop effective genomics programs are based on providing a world-class infrastructure for research and development that will enable us to accelerate the pace of studies and innovations in genomics at the international level, thus contributing to pioneering efforts and paving the way for personalized and advanced healthcare solutions that will return For the benefit of the people of the UAE and the rest of the world.”
During its meeting, the Council highlighted the most prominent capabilities and competencies currently available in the field of genomics at the state level, whether within government or private medical institutions, the most important of which are the “Genetics and Biosystems Center” at New York University Abu Dhabi, and the “Genome Exploration Center” affiliated to The Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, the Dubai Genetics Center of the Dubai Health Authority, the Genomic Laboratory of the College of Medicine and Health Sciences of the United Arab Emirates University, the Khalifa University Center for Biotechnology of the Khalifa University of Science and Technology, and the OMEX Center of Excellence. of G42 Healthcare, which has established a collaborative partnership with the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi to support advanced biological science projects, including efforts to collect and study genetic sequencing of samples for the UAE Genome Program.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, “may God protect him”, approved the formation of the UAE Genome Program Council, in June 2021, to be responsible for managing and supervising genome programs in the country, as part of government efforts To provide world-class health care in the country, and to adopt curative and preventive personal health programs for current and future generations.
Its membership includes His Excellency Muhammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, His Excellency Abdul Rahman Muhammad Al Owais, Minister of Health and Community Protection, His Excellency Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Technology, and His Excellency Omar Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications. His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah Mohammed Al Hamed, Chairman of the Department of Health in Abu Dhabi, Awad Saghir Al Ketbi, Director General of the Health Authority – Dubai, Dr. Amer Ahmed Al Sharif, Director of the Mohammed bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, and Professor Dr. Eric Zing, President of the Mohammed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, and Professor George Church, Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School.
The UAE Genome Program is an important step in supporting the vision of achieving personal healthcare in the UAE, by supporting initiatives in many areas, most notably advanced screening for genetic diseases before marriage, prenatal examinations, risk reports, drug genomics, and disease diagnosis. Genetics and rare diseases and their treatment, in addition to the genetic sciences of cancer diseases.
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