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Manama, AGU: The Arabian Gulf University (AGU) recently participated in the third edition of the Arab Association of Genetic Research (AAGR) Conference, which was organised by the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology under the theme "Utilising Omics and Computational Analysis in Genetic Research and Personalised Medicine".
The conference was moderated by Professor at the Genetic Research Centre at King Abdulla University of Science and Technology Dr Sami Al Garawi, Director of Al Jawhara bint Ebraheem Centre for Molecular Medicine, Genetics and Inherited Disorders (ACMID) at AGU Dr Moiz Bakhiet and Associate Professor at the College of Medicine and Medical Science (CMMS) in AGU Dr Ghada Al Kafaji.
Among the attendees were AGU President Dr Khalid bin Abdulrahman Al Ohaly, Dean of the CMMS Dr Abdelhalim Deifalla and a group of select academics and specialists in genetics from AGU and various other universities and research centres.
During the conference, Dr Al Ohaly addressed the attendees and underscored the importance of organising such conferences, which come within AGU's priorities and strategies to raise the level of knowledge and explore recent innovations and developments in genomics medicine through concerted efforts and cooperation in conducting scientific research.
The conference discussed many topics including predictive and personalised medicine, immunogenetics and cancer, neurogenetics, genetics of the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) and computational analysis and artificial intelligence in genomic data and imaging.
Dr Al Kafaji delivered a lecture on the genetics of Covid-19 focusing on the association of mutations and genetic changes in the Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2), which contribute to the variation in the severity of the symptoms of the Coronavirus that global research has shown varies from one country to another.
Dr Al Kafaji also reviewed features of the future plan to study these genetic mutations and changes in the Kingdom of Bahrain, affirming that such features may contribute to understanding the genetic nature of those infected with Covid-19, therefore facilitating the identification of the most appropriate treatments.
Additionally, Dr Al Kafaji stressed the need to start studying genetic mutations and highlighting the role of the human genome's interaction with environmental factors as a background for many common diseases, especially those research related to Covid-19.
For his part, Dr Bakhiet recommended the necessity of conducting more research to keep pace with the rapid progress in genomics sciences, which represent the basis for personalised medicine and the advancement of modern medical treatment.
He further explained the importance of encouraging Arab countries to expand the scope of research projects in genetics, stimulating scientific cooperation between Arab researchers in these fields and making genomic information available, considering its significance in achieving progress in the field of health service.
It is worth mentioning that the conference witnessed wide participation from Arab and international genetics specialists, including countries like the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Germany, Turkey, India, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The fourth edition of the conference has been scheduled to take place in Oman next year.
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