Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI) and Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI) to bring together local stakeholders and international experts to discuss ways to build a bioinformatics consortium in Qatar
Doha, Qatar--June 21, 2012--Two scientific research institutes within Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development--Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI) and Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI)--are bringing together leading scientists in the biomedical and computing fields for a one-day symposium about the emerging fields of translational systems biology and bioinformatics. The event will be held June 25, beginning at 8:30 a.m. at the Qatar National Convention Centre.
"The 'Translational Systems Biology and Bioinformatics Symposium' represents the first time in Qatar that international bioinformaticians and scientists who use bioinformatics platforms in Qatar will come together to discuss the latest developments in the field," said Dr. Abdelali Haoudi, Vice President of Research and Acting Executive Director of QBRI. "The goal of the symposium is to create a bioinformatics consortium in Qatar that would be used as a platform for interested scientists to establish future collaborative research projects."
"Computing is playing an increasingly important role in biomedical research," adds Dr. Ahmed Elmagarmid, Executive Director of QCRI. "This symposium will help establish how the State of Qatar can best marshal its technical resources and human capacity to advance biomedical research in Qatar."
The symposium has attracted top international and local experts in the fields of translational systems biology and bioinformatics. For example, one of the keynote speakers will be Eric Lander, a Professor of Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Dr. Lander is co-chair of U.S. President Barack Obama's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Joining Dr. Lander as a keynote speaker is Professor Jeremy K. Nicholson, Chair in Biological Chemistry and Head of Department of Surgery & Cancer at Imperial College London. Dr. David Gifford of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, CSAIL; Dr. Prasanna Kolatkar, Genome Institute of Singapore; and Dr. Amos Bairoch of Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics also will speak. Local scientists from QBRI, QCRI, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Texas A&M - Qatar, Qatar University, Hamad Medical Corporation, and Anti Doping Lab Qatar will also give presentations.
About QBRI
A proud member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI) collaborates with national stakeholders and international partners to create a research network of scientific excellence. QBRI is dedicated to leading the translation of basic biomedical discoveries into new diagnostics and therapies in five high priority areas: diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, neurological diseases and mental health, and infectious diseases.
About QCRI
A member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, Qatar Computing Research Institute conducts world-class multidisciplinary computing research that is relevant to the needs of Qatar, the wider Arab region, and the world, leveraging Qatar's unique historical, linguistic, and cultural heritage. The institute focuses its research on five areas: Arabic language technologies, social computing, scientific computing, cloud computing, and data analytics. QCRI disseminates the results of its research through community outreach and technology transfer activities.
For more information about Qatar Foundation, please contact:
Tariq Al Sada
Press Office Unit Head
Qatar Foundation
Tel: +974 4454 0991
Email: talsada@qf.org.qa
Anwar El-Shamy
Press Office Coordinator
Qatar Foundation
Tel: +974 55904407
Email: aelshamy@qf.org.qa
© Press Release 2012