Renowned genomics and diabetes expert Professor Philippe Froguel will talk about the latest achievements in diabetes research at an Academic Health System (AHS) Lecture to be held tomorrow at Hamad Medical Corporation.
The talk will be the fourth lecture in a series bringing the latest medical research to HMC’s clinicians and researchers to improve patient care, highlighting the latest innovations for health professionals, a central focus for Hamad’s transformation into an Academic Health System.
A pioneer in the field of genomic medicine (the study of the genetic composition of living organisms), Prof Froguel is senior Research director of Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI) — one of the eight partner organisations in the AHS — and Scientific director of QBRI’s Genomic Medicine and Systems Biology Research Centre.
He is (co)author of more than 500 publications and has been recognised as the most referred scientist in the diabetes field.
Froguel was the first to identify the type 2 diabetes gene, a discovery that prompted him to commence his ongoing study of obesity and the genetic makeup of individuals who suffer from both extreme obesity as well as extreme leanness.
Professor Froguel led a recent study conducted jointly by QBRI, Imperial College London and CNRS-Lille France which made a breakthrough discovery linking certain type 2 diabetes patients with a higher risk for cancer.
“We found that patients with type-2 diabetes who carry a certain chromosomal abnormality are four times more likely than non-diabetics to develop cancer, especially blood cancers such as lymphoma and leukemia,” he said.
According to the International Diabetes Federation, diabetes affects 23% of Qataris and more than 90% of those have type 2 diabetes.  
About 11% of Qatar’s population is considered to be pre-diabetic while approximately 10% of pregnant women in Qatar have diabetes.
But it is estimated that as many as a third of diabetics are not aware of their disease.
Along with Hamad General Hospital’s world-class treatment centre providing Qatar’s diabetic population with improved patient care and access to specialised services through a multi-disciplinary approach, HMC is also facilitating research programmes for Qatar to explore rising cases of diabetes.
“Additionally, 20% of pregnant women in Qatar are at risk for developing gestational diabetes, which increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Scientific indications show that this may rise to 30% over the next 10 years. The disease has implications for both the mother and her unborn child,” Prof Froguel said.