SELECTED STUDIES

Volume 3, Issue 2
July 2000

 

"Human Genome Project" in the 1st Joint SQU/MOH Genetics Symposium held in Oman

By the Ambassadors Research Foundation (ARF) 

 

 

Molecular geneticists are busy trying to determine the human genome sequence of 3 billion bases. In 1990, the "human genome project" (HGP) was initiated by a public consortium spearheaded by scientists from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan. Promising a complete sequence by the end of 2003, Celera Genomics, a private American company has entered into competition with the consortium claiming they will complete the sequence by the end of next year, 2001. The first two entries of the complete sequence of chromosomes 22 and 21 have recently been published. In Oman, more than 500 medical staff convened to discuss the prospects of the the project as well as the latest research in medical genetics. In this conference, Prof. Riad A. Bayoumi, the chairman of the organizing committee, gave a lecture about the Human Genome Project, where he mentioned that upon the completion of the project, the major paradigms of diagnosis and treatment of all diseases will undergo significant change. Professor John Burn, from the institute for human genetics at Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, UK gave a lecture about gene therapy. He emphasized that the most important fact about gene therapy is that it doesn't work yet. There are several major problems which are being overcome in some cases. Professor Michael A. Patton, from St. George's Hospital Medical School, London, discussed the importance of HGP in genetic counseling and the importance of paying special attention to cultural and ethical issues involved in the project and its prospects. Interestingly, the Director-General of the WHO commissioned Prof. J.F. Mattei (France) and Prof. Abdallah S. Daar (Oman) to prepare a comprehensive report on all the aspects of genetic manipulations, and to consider their Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI) and make specific recommendations. Prof. Daar, head of the surgery department at SQU, outlined in his paper, the importance of ethical issues in genetics according to both WHO and Human Genome Organization (HUGO) principles.  


From "Gene-an-tics" compiled by M.Digweed & K.Sperling 
(Visit the PROFILE section for details about this book).

Prof. Karl Sperling from the Institute of Medical Genetics, Berlin, Germany published a book (reviewed in the Profile Section) that looks at the human genome project from an antic and comic perspective. Along with a smile, Prof. Sperling's message emphasizes the importance of time, effort and wisdom in interpreting and implementing the data that emerges from HGP for the betterment of humankind. This year, scientists will meet in China and Italy to discuss this very topic. The American Society of Human Genetics will hold its 50th meeting in Philadelphia, USA in October of this year placing the Human Genome Project at the forefront of its agenda. 

In Muscat, medical doctors and scientists from Algeria, Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Iraq, Ireland, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Switzerland,  Turkey, UAE, UK, and USA attended and participated in the successful 1st Genetics Symposium held in Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) from January 18-19, 2000.

Held under the auspices of the Oman Medical Speciality Board, the College of Medicine, SQU and the Omani Ministry of Health, the symposium discussed many important topics including the Human Genome Project, cytogenetics, molecular biology, mapping, screening, counseling, cloning and gene therapy. The symposium constituted of 5 sessions with 15 guest speakers presenting 27 lectures and 105 scientists presented 30 posters.  Both the chairman of the organizing committee, Prof. Riad Bayoumi, and the secretariat, Mrs. Yasmine Al-Hatimy, did an excellent job in making the symposium a very successful and commendable event. (For further information about the symposium or abstract book, contact Prof. Bayoumi by email at bayoumi@squ.edu.om).

The welcome address by the SQU medical college and Ministry of Health were given by Prof. Henk Wollenburg, dean of the medical college, and Dr. Saleh Al-Khusaiby, head of child health in the Ministry of Health. H.E. Salim bin Ismail Al-Suwaid, vice chancellor of SQU gave the inaugural address.

First Session - Recent Scientific Advances in Genetics

The moderators of this session were Prof. Michael Patton and Prof. Abdallah Daar. There were 5 lectures given during this session:

Second Session - Genetic Services, Ethics and Education

The moderators for the first half of this session were Prof. Karl Sperling and Prof. Richard Houlston. The second half was moderated by Prof. Mohsen El-Hazmi and Dr. Zakia Al-Lamki. There were 7 lectures in total during this session:

Third Session - Advances in Clinical Genetics

The moderators for the first part of this session were Prof. André Reis and Prof. John Burn. The second half was moderated by Dr. Anna Rajab and Prof. Peter S. Harper. There were 8 lectures during this session:

Fourth Session - Genetic Diseases in Oman

The moderators of this session were Prof. Huxley Knox-Macaulay and Prof. Rajagopal Krishnamoorthy. There were 4 lectures during this session:

Fifth Session - Genetic Diseases in the Middle East

The moderators of this session were Dr. Saleh Al-Khusaiby and Dr. Talaat I. Farag. There were 3 talks in this session:


A young Omani biochemist in a laboratory

There was a special session held, with three important Omani studies.

 


Prof. Grid Djamel

Prof. Grid Gjamel MD, head of the department of neurogenetic disorders at Genethon (France), and Prof. R. Krishnamoorthy, director of researches at INSERM, Hospital Robert Debre (France) mentioned that the conference had been very successful. Prof. Talaat I. Farag (Canada) mentioned that the symposium is an excellent Omani, Gulf, Arab, Middle Eastern, and International avenue for the advancement of medical genetics and an excellent forum to discuss some of the rising issues in the field. He added that the conference's emphasis on community and preventive genetics is a positive sign. 

At the end of the conference, Prof. John Burn thanked the Sultanate of Oman and the organizing committee on behalf of the international guest speakers for their hospitality and the success of the conference. Dr. Saleh El-Khusaiby, head of the child health department announced the recipient of the best poster award, Ms. Al-Barwani, a young Omani molecular geneticist. 

Further Readings:

Harper, PS 1998. Practical Genetic Counseling. Fifth Edition. Oxford. Butterworth Heinemann.

Harper, PS & Clarke, AJ. 1997. Genetics, Society and Clinical Practice. Oxford. Bios.

McKusick, VA. 1998. Mendelian Inheritance in Man. 12th Edition. Balitmore. John Hopkins University Press.

Teebi, AS & Farag, TI. 1997. Genetic Disorders Among Arab Populations. Oxford University Press.


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