Interns get to work on Qatar Genome Project

9/5/2015 11:22:39 PM

(MENAFN- The Peninsula)Interns from Qatar University and Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City conduct experiments as part of Qatar Biobank’s internship on the Qatar Genome Project.

DOHA: Qatar Biobank concluded its month-long summer internship on the “Qatar Genome Project” attended by five female interns who are students and graduates of Qatar University and Weill Cornell Medical College in New

York City.

After a competitive selection process that screened 22 applicants five students were handpicked. Mariam Yasser Ali Tala Hussam Ismail and Tanzila Zenith enrolled in the biomedical sciences programme at Qatar University in addition to Tasnim Fadl a Qatar University medical science graduate and Njoud

Al Naama a Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City graduate currently working at Sidra Medical and Research Center.

The Qatar Genome Project seeks to assist in creating a roadmap for the study of genetics and its functions and heralds a deep change in the future approach to treatment through personalised medicine.

Dr Asmaa Al Thani Head and Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences and Vice Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of Qatar University said “The internship represents the start of summer training series in Qatar Biobank which offers a wealth of opportunities for students of different majors. In the future the summer internship will include different fields such as science law and IT.”

The summer internship the first of its kind created an opportunity for the interns to work on the pioneer Qatar Genome Project in which Qatar Biobank contributes as a member of Qatar’s National Genome Committee. A group of professors and researchers oversaw the summer training programme headed by Dr Khalid A Fakhro Principal Investigator at Sidra Medical and Research Center and Assistant Professor at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar along with Dr Nahla Afifi Scientific and Education Director of Qatar Biobank.

During the internship period the interns had the opportunity to participate in research based on the Qatari society’s perception and understanding of the Qatar Genome Project. Participants were also introduced to the ethical and legal aspects of the project. The interns worked on tracking and analysing genome projects around the world to learn about similar experiences and understand how other communities perceive them. Participants also researched better communication tactics that can be adopted to clarify the nature of this project and all its components to the Qatari community in the best way possible.

The results from the research conducted by the interns will be stored in a question bank which will be of vital importance for studies by researchers in the future.

THE PENINSULA

Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.