QNA
Doha
Director of the Qatar Genome Programme (QGP), an affiliate of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, Dr Said Ismail has revealed that QGP conducted a genome sequencing for 30,000 citizens and 3,000 Arab residents, with the objective of creating the first comprehensive Qatari reference genome.
In special remarks to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Ismail said the genome term is used to describe a combination of genes that exist in human body, as a genome can be considered a very detailed code that provides accurate information about individuals, such as human appearance and how his body functions, as well as the genetic mutations he/she carries making him/her susceptible to certain diseases.
He outlined that the genome science is meant for studying all genes that form the organism giving the opportunity to predict diseases and accurately diagnose and treat them individually, adding that when the precision health care is used, the first step in identifying individuals genome sequencing is to figure out the arrangement of over 3 billion base pairs that constitute together the human genome, while differences in those base pairs are considered vital in explaining variation between individuals. page 5