Collaboration Aimed At Advancing Preventive And Personalised Medicine In Hospitals In Both Countries

Qatar Foundation Research & Development’s (QF R&D) Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), and the Japanese Preventive Medicine & Diagnosis Innovation Program at RIKEN (RIKEN-PMI), have announced plans to establish joint research laboratories and programmes in Qatar and Japan, aimed at advancing preventive and personalised medicine in Qatar.

Research into neuroscience, and the nurturing and development of scientists who will take this work into the future, is being advanced by Qatar Foundation (QF), according to an expert in the field.

Professor Pierre Magistretti, President, International Brain Research Organization (IBRO), highlighted the necessity for foundations, universities, and other institutions to spearhead studies into potential new treatments for brain diseases, while visiting Qatar for a landmark neuroscience symposium.

Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), formalizing an agreement that will see both entities harness their combined medical research capabilities.

The agreement will also further enhance an environment in which clinical discoveries will be translated into practical applications for the benefit of patients more quickly.

Qatar Foundation Research and Development’s (QF R&D) Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI) and the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) have established the IBRO-Middle East/North Africa (MENA) sub-regional headquarters in Qatar and designated QBRI as the host organisation.

The announcement comes out of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in Doha by QBRI and IBRO, one of the world’s leading global scientific, education and advocacy organisations in neuroscience.

Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation (QF), has officially opened the Qatar Biobank building in Hamad bin Khalifa Medical City.

Accompanied by His Excellency Abdullah Bin Khalid Al-Qahtani, Minister of Health and Secretary General of the SCH; Dr. Hanan Al Kuwari, Chairperson of the Qatar Biobank Board of Trustees; and Dr. Asma Al Thani, Vice Chairperson of the Qatar Biobank Board of Trustees; Her Highness Sheikha Moza unveiled Qatar Biobank’s new state-of-the-art facility at Hamad bin Khalifa Medical City at Building 17.

QATAR Biobank, a member of Qatar Foundation (QF), has released the findings of its two-year operational pilot phase, which reveal that 76 percent of male and 70 percent of female participants, from a sample of 1,200 people, are either overweight or obese. It also reveals that 52.7 per cent of male participants and 31.7 per cent of female participants recorded pre-hypertensive (normal-high blood pressure levels) or hypertensive.

The Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI) and Kyoto University, one of the world’s leading scientific innovators and Japan’s largest cutting-edge research institution, jointly organized a symposium on stem cell research gathering participants from different institutes in Doha along with six Kyoto University distinguished scientists. The Japanese delegation was led by Professor Ryosuke Takahashi, Chair of the Department of Neurology. Delegates and attendees discussed the most recent advances and innovative scientific discoveries in the stem cell research field.

The Biomedical Research Department at Supreme Council of Health (SCH) plans to conduct a long term Birth "Cohort" study. The study, which QBRI will be actively involved in, aims to characterize early-life exposure to a wide range of environmental, biological and lifestyle hazards and link these with major mother and child health outcomes.

Professor Hilal A Lashuel, Executive Director, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), a research and development entity under Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), co-chaired the Brain Forum 2015 in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The annual global event highlighted challenges and opportunities in translating scientific advances in neuroscience, computing, drug discovery, and brain research to new technologies, tools and treatments that will improve the quality of life and healthcare.