Abu Dhabi Global Health Week, which runs from Tuesday to Thursday, will turn the spotlight on the many innovations in personalised medicine, whre health care is tailored to the patient.
Central to this is ensuring that preventive measures and treatments are adapted to a person's genetic make-up, contrasting with the one-size-fits-all approach typical in medicine. The UAE is well placed to roll out developments in personalised medicine thanks to the Emirati Genome Project, one of several such initiatives in the Gulf region.
What is the Emirati Genome Project and why is it necessary?
The aim of the project is to analyse the genomes – the complete set of genetic material – of as many UAE nationals as possible. Habiba Al Safar, dean of the College of Medical and Health Sciences at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi ‐ a researcher closely involved with the project – said that would “generate a comprehensive reference map of the genetic make-up of the Emirati population”.
Since the initiative was launched in 2020, more than 600,000 Emiratis have provided blood or cheek swabs so that their genomes can be sequenced, making it, Prof Al Safar said, “the largest population-based genetic study in the region”.
“This scale not only highlights the UAE’s commitment to advancing genomic research, but also ensures that the resulting data has exceptional depth and impact,” she added.
Most genomic research has focused on people of European ancestry, said Marc Haber, associate professor in the Department of Cancer and Genomic Studies at the University of Birmingham’s Dubai campus, leaving populations in the Middle East “largely underexplored”.
“A lack of genetic studies in the Middle East has created significant data gaps that hinder progress in healthcare across the region,” he added. The Emirati population has, he said, a unique demographic and genomic history. While some of this is shared with neighbouring communities, Dr Haber said that “a substantial portion” is distinct to Emiratis.
How is the project important for personalised medicine?
Personalised medicine depends on understanding how genetic differences between people govern their susceptibility to disease and responses to treatment. “With the advent of the Emirati Genome Project, health data scientists and bioinformaticians now have the opportunity to investigate disease characteristics and treatment outcomes specific to Emiratis,” Dr Haber said.
Insights from the project are relevant to the emerging field of pharmacogenetics, which concerns how a person’s response to medication is affected by their genes. Prof Al Safar said the initiative enabled the identification of population-specific genetic variants influencing health, disease risk, and response to treatment.
Detailed understanding of these variants leads to more accurate diagnosis of conditions, targeted therapies – treatments that are more effective and have fewer side effects – and improved disease prevention. It should be possible to identify people at higher risk of developing particular conditions.
“Ultimately, this leads to improved patient outcomes, reduced healthcare costs and a more proactive approach to health management,” Prof Al Safar said.
Has the Emirati Genome Project yielded results yet?
In December, a study was released on the Emirati pangenome, which describes both the genetic material shared by members of the population, and the variation that exists between them. Prof Al Safar was the senior author of the research, which was published in bioRxiv.
As well as being useful for personalised medicine, the information should be of value in understanding how human migration contributed to the genetic make-up of the Emirati population. A study published late last year looking at genetic susceptibility among Emiratis to hereditary breast and ovarian cancer highlights the improvements in knowledge that the Emirati Genome Project may bring.
Writing in JCO Global Oncology, researchers said that at present “little is known” about the genetic variants that may contribute to breast cancer among Emirati patients often developing early and being diagnosed at a late stage.
“We predict the rate of variants of uncertain significance in the Emirati population will decrease as more patients are tested, and as one of the benefits of the Emirati Genome Project,” they wrote.
Are other countries mapping the genomes of their citizens?
Many nations have made efforts to better understand the genetic make-up of their populations by sequencing genomes.
“Examples include the UK Biobank, the All of Us Research Programme in the United States, the Qatar Genome Programme, and similar efforts in Japan, China, and Finland. These projects collectively contribute to global understanding of human genetics,” Prof Al Safar said.
The “relatively open access” of the UK Biobank has, Dr Haber said, resulted in more than 10,000 research publications, which he added had significantly advanced “our understanding of diseases and treatments within this population”.
The view from The National
Tamkeen's offering
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Iftar programme at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding
Established in 1998, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding was created with a vision to teach residents about the traditions and customs of the UAE. Its motto is ‘open doors, open minds’. All year-round, visitors can sign up for a traditional Emirati breakfast, lunch or dinner meal, as well as a range of walking tours, including ones to sites such as the Jumeirah Mosque or Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.
Every year during Ramadan, an iftar programme is rolled out. This allows guests to break their fast with the centre’s presenters, visit a nearby mosque and observe their guides while they pray. These events last for about two hours and are open to the public, or can be booked for a private event.
Until the end of Ramadan, the iftar events take place from 7pm until 9pm, from Saturday to Thursday. Advanced booking is required.
For more details, email openminds@cultures.ae or visit www.cultures.ae
High profile Al Shabab attacks
- 2010: A restaurant attack in Kampala Uganda kills 74 people watching a Fifa World Cup final football match.
- 2013: The Westgate shopping mall attack, 62 civilians, five Kenyan soldiers and four gunmen are killed.
- 2014: A series of bombings and shootings across Kenya sees scores of civilians killed.
- 2015: Four gunmen attack Garissa University College in northeastern Kenya and take over 700 students hostage, killing those who identified as Christian; 148 die and 79 more are injured.
- 2016: An attack on a Kenyan military base in El Adde Somalia kills 180 soldiers.
- 2017: A suicide truck bombing outside the Safari Hotel in Mogadishu kills 587 people and destroys several city blocks, making it the deadliest attack by the group and the worst in Somalia’s history.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
The details
Heard It in a Past Life
Maggie Rogers
(Capital Records)
3/5
If you go
- The nearest international airport to the start of the Chuysky Trakt is in Novosibirsk. Emirates (www.emirates.com) offer codeshare flights with S7 Airlines (www.s7.ru) via Moscow for US$5,300 (Dh19,467) return including taxes. Cheaper flights are available on Flydubai and Air Astana or Aeroflot combination, flying via Astana in Kazakhstan or Moscow. Economy class tickets are available for US$650 (Dh2,400).
- The Double Tree by Hilton in Novosibirsk ( 7 383 2230100,) has double rooms from US$60 (Dh220). You can rent cabins at camp grounds or rooms in guesthouses in the towns for around US$25 (Dh90).
- The transport Minibuses run along the Chuysky Trakt but if you want to stop for sightseeing, hire a taxi from Gorno-Altaisk for about US$100 (Dh360) a day. Take a Russian phrasebook or download a translation app. Tour companies such as Altair-Tour ( 7 383 2125115 ) offer hiking and adventure packages.
The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: seven-speed PDK dual clutch automatic
Power: 375bhp
Torque: 520Nm
Price: Dh332,800
On sale: now
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
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