Latest news with #EmiratiGenomeProject
The National
21-05-2025
- Health
- The National
Abu Dhabi healthcare endowment strengthens a sense of national community
A sudden illness is always a challenge but conditions that last for months or years can put considerable stain on the sufferer, their family and society. As well as the physical and psychological consequences of chronic or drawn-out illnesses, the accompanying financial burden is often punishing. Treatment can require many trips to the doctor or hospital, repeated testing and expensive medicines or therapies. Although the UAE has a solid reputation for cutting-edge health care, as can be seen in its ambitious and long-running Emirati Genome Project or Monday's launch of a major new pharmaceutical manufacturing venture by Abu Dhabi's Mubadala Investment Company, the country is aware that relatively common and chronic ailments often present people with the greatest financial difficulties. According to recent research from insurance company WTW, medical healthcare costs in the Middle East are to increase by 12 per cent this year. In the GCC, the picture is even more stark; a 2023 World Bank report highlighted data that estimated the direct medical costs of seven major noncommunicable diseases to be about $16.7 billion. Indirect costs from lost worker productivity were thought to be about $80 billion in 2019 alone. Given such challenges, it is timely that Abu Dhabi this week unveiled a new endowment initiative aimed at supporting patients with chronic conditions. It is hoped that the campaign, launched under the slogan With You for Life, can raise Dh1 billion ($272 million) to cover treatment costs for people who are unable to pay while also supporting the research and development of pharmaceutical drugs. The seriousness of the scheme's intent can be seen in its financial model. Speaking to The National, Fahad Al Qassim, director general of the Abu Dhabi Endowments and Minors Funds Authority, said the fund – which will have a board of trustees, an investment committee and a spending committee – will spend its returns on treatment 'which means that we have a sustainable financial instrument and product that gives returns every single year'. It is an important addition to the UAE's evolving welfare safety net. On January 1, a basic health insurance scheme for all private sector and domestic workers who did not have coverage went live, thereby establishing a nationwide standard for health insurance. Similarly, a national unemployment insurance scheme was introduced in late 2023, providing a financial safety net to Emiratis and UAE residents in the form of a cash payout for three months if their employment is terminated. One thing these initiatives have in common is their particular importance for expat residents. As Mr Al Qassim noted: 'This endowment caters for the weakest point in the community and a lot of those people are actually non-UAE nationals … UAE nationals today, at the end of the day, they do get the treatment from the government by the leadership.' Although no-one is denied emergency medical treatment in the UAE, the country's progress in building a sense of national community is strengthened when people feel that they are secure, even at their weakest moments. This is a journey in which everyone has their part to play. Private insurance companies can contribute by regarding health coverage as less a process of assessing risk and more along the lines of providing a social service. The private sector and general public also have a key role; the highly positive response to this year's Fathers' Endowment scheme, an initiative to provide treatment and health care to the poor and needy raised more than Dh3.72 billion in donations. There is no sign of the UAE's commitment to advanced biosciences and ground-breaking research waning any time soon. That additional plans are in place to support people with more routine – although no less distressing – conditions is a positive step for the future.
The National
15-04-2025
- Health
- The National
How the Emirati Genome Project could lead to major advances in personalised medicine
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. 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. 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. 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. 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 National
15-04-2025
- Health
- The National
How the Emirati Genome Project should lead to major advances in personalised medicine
Abu Dhabi Global Health Week, which runs from Tuesday to Thursday, will showcase many innovations in personalised medicine, in which health care is precisely tailored to the patient. Central to this is ensuring that preventive measures and treatments are adapted to an individual'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. The aim of the project is to analyse the genomes – a person's complete set of genetic material – of as many UAE nationals as possible. A researcher closely involved with the project, Prof Habiba Al Safar, dean of the College of Medical and Health Sciences at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, 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 Dr 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. Personalised medicine depends on understanding how genetic differences between individuals influence 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 individuals 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. 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 will 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. Many nations have made efforts to better understand the genetic make-up of their populations by sequencing the genomes of individuals. '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'.
Arab News
29-01-2025
- Health
- Arab News
Rethinking global health systems through longevity-centered economies
The global population is aging at an unprecedented rate. According to the UN, the number of individuals aged 60 and above will double to more than two billion by 2050. A demographic shift of this magnitude demands a fundamental transformation in healthcare systems that were designed for acute care rather than chronic disease management or extending health spans. In this context, longevity-centered economies present an opportunity to reimagine global health frameworks, shifting the focus from treating illnesses to optimizing lifelong health. At the heart of this approach lies the integration of preventive, predictive and personalized care. Emerging technologies, such as multi-omics (using multiple types of data to study complex biological systems) and AI, allow healthcare providers to anticipate risks and intervene before conditions escalate. The Gulf region, with its ambitious national genomics projects and investments in AI-driven health tech, offers a blueprint for other nations. Through prioritizing early detection and personalized therapies, the region is demonstrating how longevity-focused innovation can reshape the patient journey. Economic potential of longevity Longevity is more than a healthcare challenge; it is an economic opportunity. A healthier life enables individuals to remain productive for extended periods, reducing the burden on public health systems and boosting economic output. The 'longevity economy,' encompassing industries such as biotechnology, wellness and health tech, is projected to reach trillions in market value globally. Nations that recognize this potential and realign their healthcare systems to support healthy aging stand to gain a significant competitive advantage. The GCC is the perfect example of how targeted investments can catalyze this transformation. National initiatives such as the Emirati Genome Project and Saudi Vision 2030 emphasize preventive healthcare, integrating advanced diagnostics and lifestyle interventions into mainstream medical care. Such efforts are not only improving population health but also positioning the region as a global hub for health innovation. Role of AI and personalized medicine The convergence of AI and personalized medicine is a cornerstone of longevity-centered economies. AI systems are revolutionizing diagnostics, offering unparalleled accuracy and speed in detecting diseases. For instance, AI algorithms can analyze imaging scans or genomic data to identify abnormalities invisible to the human eye. When paired with personalized medicine, this technology enables tailored treatment plans that address the genetic and environmental factors of each patient. Such advances are critical for managing age-related conditions, which are often multifactorial and require nuanced approaches. Beyond treatment, AI can also optimize resource allocation within healthcare systems, ensuring that interventions reach those who need them most while minimizing costs. Building sustainable frameworks Transforming healthcare systems to embrace longevity requires a multidisciplinary approach. Governments must establish policies that incentivize preventive care, such as subsidizing screenings or rewarding healthcare providers for keeping patients healthy. Public-private partnerships can accelerate the deployment of innovative solutions, while educational initiatives ensure that healthcare professionals are equipped to deliver advanced care. The infrastructure must also evolve. Traditional hospitals, often focused on acute interventions, need to transition into centers for lifelong wellness. Facilities designed to support mental, physical and cognitive health throughout the aging process will become essential pillars of modern healthcare. Societal benefits of prioritizing longevity A longevity-centered healthcare system benefits society far beyond the clinical sphere. Healthier populations contribute to economic growth, reduce strain on social welfare systems and foster a culture of proactive health management. The emphasis on early intervention and precision medicine also addresses long-standing health inequities, ensuring that care is accessible and effective for all demographics. The Gulf region's pioneering work demonstrates the feasibility of this vision. With its focus on integrating cutting-edge technologies and creating sustainable healthcare models, the region is setting a global standard. Countries that follow suit will not only enhance the quality of life for their citizens but also secure their place in the emerging longevity economy. A call to action As we stand at the intersection of demographic change and technological innovation, rethinking healthcare systems through the lens of longevity is imperative. Policymakers, healthcare providers and innovators must collaborate to build frameworks that prioritize healthspan over lifespan. In doing so, they will address the challenges of an aging population while unlocking new pathways for economic and societal advancement. The time to act is now. Longevity-centered economies are no longer a distant ideal but a tangible solution to some of the most pressing global challenges. The question is not whether the world can afford to embrace this paradigm, but whether it can afford not to.
