Centre for Arab Genomic Studies

Last updated
Centre for Arab Genomic Studies
CAGS Logo.jpg
AbbreviationCAGS
Headquarters Al Rifa, Dubai
Location
Coordinates Coordinates: 25°14′57″N55°17′13″E / 25.24917°N 55.28694°E / 25.24917; 55.28694
Region served
Arab World
President
Najib Al Khaja
Director
Mahmoud Taleb Al Ali
Parent organization
Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences
Website www.cags.org.ae

The Centre for Arab Genomic Studies (CAGS) is a not-for-profit study centre aimed at the characterization and prevention of genetic disorders in the Arab World. The Centre is closely associated with the Sheikh Hamdan Award for Medical Sciences. One of the major projects of CAGS is the Catalogue for Transmission Genetics in Arabs (CTGA), an online, freely accessible database of genetic disorders reported from the Arab World. CAGS has been involved in the Human Variome Project as a representative of the Arab region and has been one of the first organizations to take an active lead in working on the project. CAGS organizes the Pan Arab Human Genetics Conference every alternate year, to provide a platform for discussion and education on genetic issues in the region.

Contents

History

The Arab World is known for the increased incidence of genetic disorders among the population. A large part of this is attributed to the widespread norm of consanguinity in the region. [1] Other factors include a social trend to have more children until menopause, selective factors favoring inherited disease characters like thalassemia and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, and the lack of public awareness towards the early recognition and prevention of inherited disease. CAGS was originally envisaged by Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance and Industry, UAE, to alleviate human suffering from genetic diseases in the Arab World. The Centre was inaugurated on 25 June 2003 by Hamad Abdul Rahman Al Midfaa, the Minister of Health, and Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences, at the Genetic Centre of Al Wasl Hospital. [2] As of 2014 offices of the Centre for Arab Genomic Studies were located within the premises of Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences.

Some of the priority objectives of CAGS are to educate the public and professionals on the important impact of genetic diseases in the Arab World and the methods and benefits of early genetic diagnosis. CAGS also plans to provide comprehensive genetic services by translating research achievements into well-integrated patient treatment programs. It also intends to address the ethical, legal, and social issues that may arise with the implementation of such programs. A small number of local scientists from the UAE constitute the Executive Board of CAGS, which helps in taking policy decisions for the Centre.

In late 2005 the Arab Council of CAGS was formed, which comprises leading geneticists from different Arab countries. As of 2014 the Council had representations from Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Tunisia. The Council was formed with an aim to facilitate the exchange of information on genetic disorders occurring in Arab countries and to be a medium for multidisciplinary collaborative research aiming at the identification and prevention of genetic disorders in the region.

Activities and Projects

CTGA Database

The Catalogue for Transmission Genetics in Arabs (CTGA) database is an enormous project, which aims to create a compendium of information related to the entire range of genetic disorders reported among Arabs. This information is available in a freely accessible form at the CAGS website. [3] As of now, the database has information on about 1160 genetic disorders and related genes reported in Arab subjects. CAGS' strategy with regard to the CTGA database is to cover the spectrum of genetic diseases in each of the Arab countries one after the other, ultimately covering the entire Arab World. By December 2008, the database has finished its project with respect to the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Oman, and hopes to complete its coverage of genetic disorders in Qatar within a few more months.[ when? ]

Pan Arab Human Genetics Conference

The Pan Arab Human Genetics series of Conference is planned to be held every alternate year by the Centre as a means of providing a platform on dialogue and education for geneticists in the region, to share their knowledge and to talk on common issues. The first edition of the conference, held in 2006, was supported by the Human Genome Organization (HUGO), and attracted more than 500 delegates. This conference was preceded by a one-day workshop on "Fundamental Approaches in Molecular Diagnosis of Hemoglobinopathies". [4]

The second Pan Arab Human Genetics Conference, held in November 2007, put more emphasis on the ethics of genetic research. This conference provided a one-day public forum on the Ethical Perspective of Genetic Research; a forum which saw religious leaders as well as genetic researchers discussing this very important issue. The scientific part of the congress lasted two days, and was attended by well over 800 delegates, many of them from outside the Arab region. [5] [6] [7] The conference was supported by the Dubai Health Authority, the Dubai Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department, the Human Variome Project, and HUGO. Other participating organizations included the Division of Ethics of Science and Technology, UNESCO, the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, NIH, and the journal, Nature Genetics. Like the previous conference, a two-day pre-conference workshop on the Applications of FISH technology in Cytogenetyics was also held as part of the program of the conference.

Human Variome Project

CAGS was a participant in the preliminary meeting to discuss the conception of the Human Variome Project (HVP), held in Melbourne, Australia, in 2006. [8] Ever since, CAGS has actively worked towards the Arab Human Variome Project (AHVP), in collaboration with its Arab Council members. Several meeting have been held with the members of the Council, as well as the Director of the HVP in order to understand the nature of work involved, and to initiate the project in the region.

Human Genome Organization

CAGS shares very close ties with the Human Genome Organization (HUGO). HUGO served as a prominent supporter of both concluded editions of the PAHG Conference. In addition, CAGS with the help of the Dubai World Trade Centre and Dubai Convention Bureau, made a successful bid to host the HUGO Annual Human Genome Meet (HGM) 2011 in Dubai. [9]

Publications

The Centre published the first two volumes of its book "Genetic Disorders in the Arab World", which is a consequence of its work on cataloguing the Arab genetic disorders. The first volume of this book gives special emphasis on the data from the United Arab Emirates, whereas the second volume deals especially with the Kingdom of Bahrain. Another book published by CAGS is a User's Guide on the CTGA database. All books are downloadable without charge from the CAGS website (http://cags.org.ae/publications.html)

As part of its campaign to educate the general public about genetic disorders and their consequences, CAGS released a pocket-book collection of bilingual (English and Arabic) pamphlets on six common genetic blood disorders in the region. Each of these leaflets provides a general description of an inherited blood disorder, along with its symptoms and major characteristics, and follows it up with causes and risk factors, diagnosis and management of the disease. Also provided in each leaflet is information on studies undertaken in the Arab world on the disease. [10]

Scientific articles published by the Centre include articles in the Nucleic Acids Research, American Journal of Human Genetics, and American Journal of Medical Genetics.

See also

Related Research Articles

Human genome Complete set of nucleic acid sequences for humans

The human genome is a complete set of nucleic acid sequences for humans, encoded as DNA within the 23 chromosome pairs in cell nuclei and in a small DNA molecule found within individual mitochondria. These are usually treated separately as the nuclear genome and the mitochondrial genome. Human genomes include both protein-coding DNA sequences and various types of DNA that does not encode proteins. The latter is a diverse category that includes DNA coding for non-translated RNA, such as that for ribosomal RNA, transfer RNA, ribozymes, small nuclear RNAs, and several types of regulatory RNAs. It also includes promoters and their associated gene-regulatory elements, DNA playing structural and replicatory roles, such as scaffolding regions, telomeres, centromeres, and origins of replication, plus large numbers of transposable elements, inserted viral DNA, non-functional pseudogenes and simple, highly-repetitive sequences. Introns make up a large percentage of non-coding DNA. Some of this non-coding DNA is non-functional junk DNA, such as pseudogenes, but there is no firm consensus on the total mount of junk DNA.

Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum 2nd Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Sheikh of Dubai (1912–1990)

Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum was the vice president and second prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai. He ruled Dubai for 32 years from 1958 until his death in 1990.

The Human Genome Organisation (HUGO) is a non-profit organization founded in 1988. HUGO represents an international coordinating scientific body in response to initiatives such as the Human Genome Project. HUGO has four active committees, including the HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC), and the HUGO Committee on Ethics, Law and Society (CELS).

Wellcome Sanger Institute British genomics research institute

The Wellcome Sanger Institute, previously known as The Sanger Centre and Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, is a non-profit British genomics and genetics research institute, primarily funded by the Wellcome Trust.

The variome is the whole set of genetic variations found in populations of species that have gone through a relatively short evolution change. For example, among humans, about 1 in every 1,200 nucleotide bases differ. The size of human variome in terms of effective population size is claimed to be about 10,000 individuals. This variation rate is comparatively small compared to other species. For example, the effective population size of tigers which perhaps has the whole population size less than 10,000 in the wild is not much smaller than the human species indicating a much higher level of genetic diversity although they are close to extinction in the wild. In practice, the variome can be the sum of the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), indels, and structural variation (SV) of a population or species. The Human Variome Project seeks to compile this genetic variation data worldwide. Variomics is the study of variome and a branch of bioinformatics.

Human Variome Project

The Human Variome Project (HVP) is the global initiative to collect and curate all human genetic variation affecting human health. Its mission is to improve health outcomes by facilitating the unification of data on human genetic variation and its impact on human health.

Public health genomics is the use of genomics information to benefit public health. This is visualized as more effective preventive care and disease treatments with better specificity, tailored to the genetic makeup of each patient. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.), Public Health genomics is an emerging field of study that assesses the impact of genes and their interaction with behavior, diet and the environment on the population's health.

VPS13B

VPS13B, also known as vacuolar protein sorting-associated protein 13B, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the VPS13B gene. It is a giant protein associated with the Golgi apparatus that is believed to be involved in post-Golgi apparatus sorting and trafficking. Mutations in the human VPS13B gene cause Cohen syndrome.

1000 Genomes Project International research effort on genetic variation

The 1000 Genomes Project, launched in January 2008, was an international research effort to establish by far the most detailed catalogue of human genetic variation. Scientists planned to sequence the genomes of at least one thousand anonymous participants from a number of different ethnic groups within the following three years, using newly developed technologies which were faster and less expensive. In 2010, the project finished its pilot phase, which was described in detail in a publication in the journal Nature. In 2012, the sequencing of 1092 genomes was announced in a Nature publication. In 2015, two papers in Nature reported results and the completion of the project and opportunities for future research.

The Centre for Applied Genomics is a genome centre in the Research Institute of The Hospital for Sick Children, and is affiliated with the University of Toronto. TCAG also operates as a Science and Technology Innovation Centre of Genome Canada, with an emphasis on next-generation sequencing (NGS) and bioinformatics support. Research at TCAG focuses on the genetic and genomic basis of human variability, health and disease, including research on the genetics of autism spectrum disorder and structural variation of the human genome. The centre is located in the Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning in downtown Toronto, Canada.

Maktoum bin Mohammed Al Maktoum Minister of Finance of the United Arab Emirates

Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is the Minister of Finance of the United Arab Emirates, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Media Incorporated. He was named as deputy ruler in February 2008 when his elder brother Hamdan was made crown prince. He served as deputy ruler alongside his uncle Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum until the latter's death in March 2021. Since then, he has been the sole deputy ruler under his father Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's reign. In September 2021, he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister of the UAE.

Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University

Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University is the first smart university in the United Arab Emirates, established in 2002. The President of the university is the Crown Prince of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Being the first e-learning institute in the UAE, its working model has paved the way for the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR), UAE to design standards for accreditation for an e-learning institution. Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU) follows in its delivery of learning a blended learning. These methods may include a mixture of face-to-face classrooms, online classrooms, and self-paced learning.

The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) was founded on May 19, 2007 by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Sheikh Mohammed stated that the money is meant to bridge the knowledge gap between the Arab region and the developed world, improving the standard of education and research in the region, developing leadership programs for youth, and stimulating job creation.

Stephen W. Scherer Canadian scientist (born 1964)

Stephen Wayne "Steve" Scherer is a Canadian scientist who studies genetic variation in human disease. He obtained his PhD at the University of Toronto under Professor Lap-chee Tsui. Together they founded Canada's first human genome centre, the Centre for Applied Genomics (TCAG) at the Hospital for Sick Children. He continues to serve as director of TCAG, and is also director of the McLaughlin Centre at the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine.

Ali Jaber

Ali Jaber is a Lebanese journalist, media consultant, TV personality and the Group TV Director of MBC, the Arab world's largest satellite broadcaster.

Genetic studies on Arabs refers to the analyses of the genetics of ethnic Arab populations within the Middle East and North Africa. The Arab world has one of the highest rates of genetic disorders globally; some 906 pathologies are endemic to the Arab states, including thalassaemia, Tourette's syndrome, Wilson's disease, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, mitochondrial encephalomyopathies, and Niemann-Pick disease.

Mitali Mukerji is a Professor and Head of the Department of Bioscience and Bioengineering, IIT Jodhpur. She was formerly a Chief Scientist at the CSIR Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology with notable achievement in the field of human genomics and personalized medicine. She is best known for initiating the field of "Ayurgenomics" in partnership with her colleague Dr. Bhavana Prasher under the mentorship of Prof. Samir K. Brahmachari. Ayurgenomics is an innovative study, blending the principles of Ayurveda- the traditional Indian system of medicine- with genomics. Mukerji is also a major contributor in the Indian Genome Variation Consortium, a comprehensive database that is producing "the first genetic landscape of the Indian population", and has been an author in many publications that use IGV databases to study population genomics. Mukerji has done extensive research on hereditary ataxias, and is involved in many other projects related to tracking disease origins and mutational histories. She is the recipient of the prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in 2010 for her contribution in the field of Medical Sciences.

In bioinformatics, a Gene Disease Database is a systematized collection of data, typically structured to model aspects of reality, in a way to comprehend the underlying mechanisms of complex diseases, by understanding multiple composite interactions between phenotype-genotype relationships and gene-disease mechanisms. Gene Disease Databases integrate human gene-disease associations from various expert curated databases and text mining derived associations including Mendelian, complex and environmental diseases.

Museum of the Future Exhibition space in the UAE

The  Museum of the Future  is an exhibition space for innovative and futuristic ideologies, services, and products. Located in the Financial District of Dubai, UAE, the Museum of the Future has three main elements: green hill, building, and void. Founded by the Dubai Future Foundation. It was set to open in 2021, but as of December of that year had yet to fully do so. The Government of the United Arab Emirates later opened the museum on 22 February 2022. The choice of the date was officially made because the 22nd of February 2022 is a palindrome date.

Richard Cotton (geneticist)

Richard Cotton AM was an Australian medical researcher and founder of the Murdoch Institute and the Human Variome Project. Cotton focused on the prevention and treatment of genetic disorders and birth defects.

References

  1. Al-Gazali, Lihadh; Hamamy, Hanan; Al-Arrayad, Shaikha (2006). "Genetic disorders in the Arab world". BMJ. 333 (7573): 831–834. doi:10.1136/bmj.38982.704931.AE. PMC   1618440 . PMID   17053236.
  2. Arab genomic studies centre inaugurated UAE – The Official Web Site – News
  3. Centre for Arab Genomic Studies (CAGS) -> CTGA -> Search
  4. Khaleej Times Online – International experts will attend human genetics conference
  5. Gulfnews: Dubai sets stage to find solution to genetic disorder
  6. Gulfnews: 'Get involved in genetic research' Archived November 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  7. Gulfnews: Scientists advise easing restrictions
  8. Cotton, Richard G.H; 2006 Human Variome Project; Appelbe, W; Auerbach, A. D; Becker, K; Bodmer, W; Boone, D. J; Boulyjenkov, V; Brahmachari, S; Brody, L; Brookes, A; Brown, A. F; Byers, P; Cantu, J. M; Cassiman, J. J; Claustres, M; Concannon, P; Cotton, R. G; Den Dunnen, J. T; Flicek, P; Gibbs, R; Hall, J; Hasler, J; Katz, M; Kwok, P. Y; Laradi, S; Lindblom, A; Maglott, D; Marsh, S; et al. (2007). "Recommendations of the 2006 Human Variome Project meeting". Nature Genetics. 39 (4): 433–436. doi:10.1038/ng2024. PMID   17392799.
  9. "Dubai to Host Human Genome Conference". Archived from the original on 2011-06-08. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
  10. Centre for Arab Genomic Studies (CAGS) -> Publications