The latest developments in biomedical research were showcased as the scientific community gathered at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) for the college’s sixth annual Research Retreat.
More than 200 leading scientists from WCM-Q and other elite national institutions convened to discuss the pioneering research projects being conducted at the college and in collaboration with local stakeholders, including Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Hamad Bin Khalifa University and Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, which include investigations into type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and DNA analysis of the Qatari genome, among others.
“Perhaps the key theme to emerge from the Research Retreat this year was a commitment to continue WCM-Q’s drive to translate cutting-edge research into commercially valuable intellectual property that will boost Qatar’s transition to a knowledge-based economy founded on a sustainable national research and development (R&D) agenda,” according to a statement.
Dr Khaled Machaca, associate dean for research at WCM-Q, said: “The Research Retreat is critical for the college because it really highlights the cutting-edge science that is ongoing here at all levels of our research enterprise, including faculty, post-doctoral associates, research specialists and students.”
The one-day event featured presentations of cutting-edge research by six leading scientists from WCM-Q, Weill Cornell Medicine in New York and HMC.
Dr Abdul-Badi Abou-Samra, chair of the department of internal medicine at HMC, spoke about the collaboration between WCM-Q and HMC researchers.
The keynote address was given by guest speaker Dr Raymond DuBois, director of the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, who explained the role of inflammation in the progression of colorectal cancer and the opportunities presented by the establishment of a purpose-built research facility supported by the government.
Additionally, presentations of important new discoveries were given by WCM-Q researchers, Dr Steven Hunt, professor of genetic medicine; Dr Hani Najafi, assistant professor of cell and developmental biology; Dr Karsten Suhre, professor of physiology and biophysics; Dr Rayaz Malik, professor of medicine, with Dr Ashfaq Shuaib, head of neuroscience at HMC and Dr Ronald Crystal, chair of genetic medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York.
The Research Retreat also featured 84 poster presentations by research specialists, students and postdoctoral fellows, explaining the findings of projects conducted at the university over the past year. The event closed with the announcement of the winners of the poster presentation in three categories.
The first place in the student category was awarded jointly to second-year medical students, Eman Mosleh, for her poster presentation of a project that investigated epithelial cells in relation to lung cancer, and Abdulaziz al-Thani, for his presentation about gene therapy for peanut-induced anaphylaxis.
In the research specialists category, Iman al-Azwani came first with a poster about genetic profiling of the critically endangered Spix’s macaw, which is native to Brazil. In the postdoctoral fellows category, Vimal Ramachandran was first with a poster about the effect on cholesterol of a specific type of microRNA.
Dr Javaid Sheikh, dean of WCM-Q, said: “I have been very impressed with the quality of the research presented today and hugely encouraged by the appetite for inter-organisational collaboration that is in evidence.”