SHAMS participates at Second International Conference for Genetic Disorders in Kuwait

He was accompanied by Abdulla Bin Souqat, the Executive Manager of SHAMS and Dr Ghazi Omar Tadmouri, Assistant Director of the Centre for Arab Genomic Studies (CAGS).

Prof. Ali Al Shamlan, Managing Director of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science (KFAS), met with Prof. Najib and discussed means and methods of cooperation in fields of common concern.

The Kuwait Foundation, established in 1976, is a non-profit organization that offers grants to researchers in the biological, engineering, technological, medical, natural and social sciences sectors, besides humanities, thus reinforcing scientific research foundations in Kuwait. The foundation receives financial contribution from Kuwaiti shareholding companies to the extent of 1% of their net profits. KFAS is run by a board of directors, chaired by H.H. the Prince of the State of Kuwait.

Prof. Najib, who is also the Director of CAGS, participated in the Second International Conference for Genetic Disorders (SICGD) in Kuwait with a lecture about the past, present, and future of CAGS. Prof. Najib pointed out some of the achievements the centre has accomplished, such as establishing a data base for genetic disorders in the Arab world, initiating advanced genetic research, and sponsoring the Arab Genomic Conference, which became an international platform for displaying the latest developments in the field. SIGCD took place on 13 - 15 April, 2008, and was organized by the Kuwait Medical Genetic Centre, under the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health.

Dr Ghazi Omar Tadmouri presented a lecture where he highlighted the study that lead to the Catalogue for Transmission Genetics in Arabs, especially in the UAE, Oman, and Bahrain. The Catalogue listed more than 430 genetic disorders in the three countries alone, which creates a burden on the health care system. The study also showed the strong co-relation between disorders and marriage to relatives. Dr Ghazi pointed out that comprehensive research is being conducted to list genetic disorders in Kuwait and Qatar, which would help in understanding the nature of disorders in the region and the ways to prevent them.

Dr Tadmouri said that work is underway at the Centre to initiate comprehensive surveys on genetic diseases in each of the States of Qatar and Kuwait, which will enhance the understanding of the patterns of genetic disease in the region, which is important for beginning basic researches that aim to study the genetic basis of these diseases and thus provide decent healthcare and reduce its prevalence, using developed methods adapted to the social and religious conditions of the region.

A large number of Arab and foreign researchers participated in the Second International Conference for Genetic Disorders (SICGD) in Kuwait holding 53 lectures, in addition to discussions on 68 research papers. The conference was attended by many specialists in this area, in addition to a large number of members of the Kuwaiti Society for Down Syndrome (Mongolian imbecility), which consisted of Down Syndrome patients and their parents. The patients showed great enthusiasm and sincerity in participating in the conference as was evident through their questions and participation in many recreational and social activities that accompanied the conference. This was with the aim of paying attention to workers in Kuwaiti society, and inviting Down Syndrome patients to participate in social and medical events to improve their personality and motivate them to play prominent roles in society.

The participants issued a comprehensive recommendation letter that focused on the importance of promoting and developing the Arab institutions working in the field of genetic diagnosis so as to enable these institutions to provide more services, and to reach the largest possible section of the population. The participants pointed out the importance of health services associated with basic genetic researches that will enable citizens to understand more about genetic diseases in the Arab region, which are unknown or neglected globally due to a scarcity of resources on the region in other nations. The recommendation noted that there is no doubt that such studies place Arab researchers in advanced positions in the global scientific community, a status which is not less than what is found in scientifically advanced countries.

Participants also recommended the strengthening of cooperation frameworks between public health institutions and research and higher educational institutions in the region, which would advance healthcare to very high levels, by using all energies of scientific and medical competencies.