Lab to test cancer carrying gene to open in UAE soon

The U.A.E.'s first genome testing laboratory to test for BRCA gene mutations carrying the risk of cancer will be set up in Abu Dhabi soon, making it possible to do such tests locally. A Memorandum of Understanding to this effect has been signed by BGI Health and Star Metropolis Clinical Laboratories, a part of the Arabian Healthcare Group. Under the agreement, Star Metropolis, as BGI's partner in the U.A.E., will share the genetic resources of population, create joint research projects and promote sequencing-based clinical applications together with BGI. The agreement covers the U.A.E. and other GCC countries, the Middle East and Africa regions, local English daily, Khaleej Times, reported today. The genome testing clinical lab offering the most sophisticated tools will make it possible to develop personalised healthcare and treatments for patients as dictated by the uniqueness of their individual genes. BGI Health provides genetic testing of chromosome diseases, monogenic disorder, hereditary hearing loss, thalassemia, neonatal hereditary metabolic disease, leukaemia, cervical cancer and hepatitis by using the screening and diagnosis technology system throughout the human life cycle. While the technology will be available across Star Metropolis' chain of existing clinical laboratories, a new genome testing laboratory is proposed to be established in Abu Dhabi. "With the goal towards excellence, high efficiency and accuracy, BGI has a large number of accomplishments, including sequencing 1 percent of the human genome for the international Human Genome Project, contributing 10 per cent of International Human HapMap Project, carrying out research to combat SARS and the E.coli outbreak in Germany and most recently sequencing the human gut metagenome project,'' said Wang Jun, CEO of BGI. "Our partnership with BGI means that the people of the region and beyond will have access to a technology that so far remained in the realm of scientific fiction. Genome research breakthroughs have now made personalised medicine a reality and we are pleased to be able to bring such technology to the people of this region in partnership with a world leader," said Raza Siddiqui, CEO of Arabian Healthcare Group, who signed the MoU on behalf the U.A.E. group.