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Dr. Amani Al-Hajeri highlighted the progress of the National Genome Project, noting Harvard collaboration and collecting over 6,170 samples.
Dr. Amani Al-Hajeri, Manager of the National Genome Project, said that the launch of the project is one of the achievements that the Kingdom of Bahrain has accomplished in its pursuit of developing healthcare services in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The Manager of the National Genome Project explained that since the center's opening in 2019, significant progress has been made in the project's implementation phases, with work proceeding at full pace. This will contribute to the prevention of hereditary diseases and the development of effective medications to treat them, helping to ensure a healthy life and disease prevention for current and future generations.
She affirmed the implementation of the royal directives emphasized by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to the sectors and programs, aimed at accelerating progress in a manner that reflects on achieving further developmental accomplishments for the Kingdom and its citizens, along with the recommendations regarding the "Bahraini Genome," through which this pioneering project aims to collect 50,000 samples over 5 years and establish a comprehensive national database. This is intended to improve quality and continue adopting modern technologies in healthcare, which will help with diagnosis and the development of innovative solutions for citizens.
She emphasized the commitment to providing government services to citizens with the highest quality, along with continuous development and modernization toward achieving excellence, which enhances citizens' trust in healthcare services.
She revealed that the steps to establish the genome analysis unit began in 2018, in the context of the esteemed government's support for innovative health sciences focused on the radical treatment of hereditary diseases facing Bahraini society. Given its commitment to improving the quality of healthcare services and preventing diseases—particularly hereditary, intractable, and fatal diseases—and adopting the latest innovative scientific methods, the idea of establishing a specialized center for genetic analysis was born.
She pointed out that the Ministry of Health has taken the necessary steps and measures to establish the center, with actual steps beginning in the establishment of the biobank for storing biological samples, such as DNA and tissues, for future study purposes. This is located at the Salmaniya Medical Complex affiliated with the Ministry of Health, making it a pioneering center in the region in providing an interactive platform for supplying the necessary samples for conducting studies and research.
It is worth noting that the genome laboratory building consists of 3 main sections within the laboratory: the Genome Section "Biobank," which receives samples from participants across the Kingdom of Bahrain and then extracts genetic material—more than 6,170 samples have already been obtained and are ready for analysis; the Molecular Genetics Section, which analyzes diseases at the molecular level; and the third section, "Cytogenetics," which is concerned with the various chromosomes to determine their number, shape, and any structural abnormalities.
In addition, the Ministry of Health recently signed a cooperation agreement with Harvard University following the latter's success in winning the tender for the first phase of the National Genome Project. Harvard University is one of the most prestigious global universities and a leader in medical sciences, particularly genomics. The university, in collaboration with the Broad Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, will provide comprehensive services for sequencing 6,000 DNA samples belonging to Bahraini citizens, including approximately 2,000 samples from individuals suffering from undiagnosed hereditary diseases and their families, while 4,000 samples represent a segment of healthy citizens and those with other chronic diseases.
In addition to the service of diagnosing hereditary diseases through genome sequencing, both parties will work on establishing the center's infrastructure and preparing qualified human resources to implement the upcoming phases of the project in Bahrain, rather than sending samples abroad.
This project is expected to establish a database for citizens in the Kingdom of Bahrain, which will serve as a rich reference and a fundamental pillar for researchers and scientists in studying genetic variations and population structures, predicting diseases and pandemics, and even contributing to the development of diagnostic and therapeutic tools for a wide range of diseases that may currently seem intractable, but which will become easier to understand and eliminate as science advances.
Dr. Al-Hajeri noted that to participate in the genome project by donating blood samples for genetic study, or in case of any questions or inquiries, one can call 32223700 or 32223800, or send an email to
