The awards for the second cycle of PPM, the research awards co-funded by Qatar Genome Programme QGP and Qatar National Research Fund QNRF were announced in Doha, during the ninth QNRF Annual Forum.
For the second cycle, the focus was on three specific research priority areas – discovery; clinical and translational research; and community engagement, ethics and policy in precision medicine.
Under the second cycle of the PPM, QGP continues to support its goal is to improve healthcare, encourage cutting-edge genomic research and innovation, and integrate genomics into medical practices, leading the way as one of the region’s major national genome programs.
Various investigators and researchers from all Qatari institutes applied to the PPM2, with 25 submissions, of which 4 projects were awarded:
- Genomics, Islamic Ethics and Public Engagement (GIEPE): Towards Bridging the Knowledge and Communication Gaps. Lead PI Dr. Mohammed Ghaly, from Hamad Bin Khalifa University.
- Saliva diagnostics to pave the way towards personalized medicine. Lead PI Dr. Souhaila AlKhodor from Sidra Medicine.
- Identification of genetic variants associated with polycystic ovary syndrome. Lead PI Dr. Stephen Atkin from Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar.
- Qatar Epigenome: Profiling of Epigenetic modifications and identification of Epigenome Wide predictors of Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity in Qataris from the QGP pilot study. Lead PI Dr. Noha Yousri from Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar.