Doha: Under the title of “Advances in Medical Genetics”, the second Qatar Genetics Symposium participants have discussed prevalence of genetic diseases in the Middle East and strategies for their treatment and prevention. The event, which is sponsored by Hamad Medical Corporation and Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, brought together yesterday a number of experts and scientists from Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Germany.

In a speech on the occasion, Managing Director of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Dr Hanan Al Kuwari said: “We are living in a fascinating era where every month, unique and outstanding achievements are announced, in medicine in general and in medical genetics in particular”.

He added: “The past year has been marked by major achievements in clinical and metabolic genetics services at Hamad Medical Corporation by establishing Qatar Medical Genetic Centre. Dr Kuwari added that HMC has invited the best speakers to provide the latest advances in the area of medical genetics, with focus on the prevalence and prevention strategies of genetic diseases among Middle Eastern populations including the Gulf countries.

For His Part, professor of paediatrics and genetic medicine at WCMC-Q and a co-organiser of the biennial symposium Dr.Ahmed Teebi said that “ In Qatar, we have made tremendous strides in our understanding of genetic disorders and in our ability to diagnose and treat them.” Professor Teebi noted that “With Hamad Hospital’s new Centre for Genetics, our progress in these areas will continue,” adding that besides a staff of highly trained geneticists “the centre has extensive laboratory and testing facilities that are important for the identification and treatment of genetic disorders”.