Setting Up Large-Scale Programs to Empower Precision Health Workshop
Introduction: |
| Qatar Precision Health Institute (QPHI), the International Agency for Research on Cancer / World Health Organization (IARC/WHO), and Thermo Fisher Scientific, see the need to share knowledge and experience in the field of biobanking and predictive genomics to empower countries’ science and policy leaders to establish their own national and international genomics initiatives. A two-day workshop was designed for national leaders in science and policy from MENA, Africa, Asia, and European countries, to provide them with strategic and practical knowledge on-Leveraging genomic data for precision health and predictive genomics |
| -Utilizing population-based cohort studies for patient-centered outcomes -The significance of adequate biobanking practices in precision health. |
| The first day focused on high-level strategic priorities and objectives for national biobanking and predictive genomics programs, including building the strategy and governance, public health aspect, benchmarking business models, building human capacity, education and training, and predictive genomics. The second day dove into the technical aspects, with experts showcasing best practices and sharing their practical and theoretical experience, including infrastructure setup, best practices, validation of assays, and building the necessary collaborations. |
Objectives: |
| Precision medicine is demonstrating its value across multiple disease areas, particularly in the fight against non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the silent epidemic that is already accounting for the majority of deaths across Middle East and Africa (MENA), and burdening healthcare systems and local communities with unsustainable economic and human costs. Genomics remains at the center of personalized medicine, and to reap the benefits of personalized medicine it is necessary to attain better health outcomes. |
| Two factors are key to creating successful precision health programs. -Larger Capacity: To build biobanking and laboratory capacity -Larger Programs: To launch large predictive genomics programs at a regional/national level to boost prevention strategies. |