In the Arab World, genetic diseases represent a major public health problem.
Several factors contribute to the wide prevalence of genetic disorders in the region including the high rate of consanguinity, social trend to have more children until menopause, selective factors favoring inherited disease characters like thalassemia and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, and the lack of public awareness towards the early recognition and prevention of inherited disease.
The vision of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum is to alleviate human suffering from genetic diseases in the Arab World crystallized in the establishment of the Centre for Arab Genomic Studies (CAGS) to characterize and prevent genetic disorders and transfigure the future practice of health care in the region.
The Centre was inaugurated on 25th June 2003 by H.E Hamad Abdul Rahman Al Midfaa, Minister of Health, Chairman Board of Trustees of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences, at the Genetic Centre of Al Wasl Hospital.
At present, offices of the Centre for Arab Genomic Studies are located within the premises of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences, Dubai, UAE.
CAGS includes two scientific committees:
The Executive Board of CAGS is composed of a number of local scientists and it represents the governing body and the legal trustee of all activities of the centre.
The Council of CAGS includes a number of regional scientists and it facilitates the exchange of information on genetic disorders occurring in Arab countries.
Countries represented in the Council of CAGS currently include: Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Tunisia. In the future, CAGS aims to extend memberships to a larger group of scientists and include other Arab countries.
Some of the priority objectives of the Centre for Arab Genomic Studies are to educate the public and professionals alike on the important impact of genetic diseases in the Arab World and the methods and benefits of early genetic diagnosis.
The Centre for Arab Genomic Studies also plans to provide comprehensive genetic services by translating research achievements into well-integrated patient treatment programs.
Concurrently, it will also address the ethical, legal, and social issues that may arise with the implementation of such programs. |
