Saudi launches gene project on diseases

AFP/RiyadhSaudi Arabia has launched a genetic code mapping project aimed at identifying the causes of chronic diseases prevalent in the kingdom. The Saudi Human Genome Programme will be run by Saudi researchers, in co-operation with the US Life Technologies Corporation, at the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST). “The programme aims to identify the causes of prevalent chronic diseases in Saudi Arabia,” Prince Moqrin bin Abdulaziz, the second deputy prime minister, said on Sunday. The programme will work over five years on sequencing 100,000 human genomes to study both normal and disease-associated genes specific to the Saudi population, said a statement by Life Technologies. “This genomic variant data will be fully analysed and used to create a Saudi-specific database that will provide the basis for future development of personalised medicine in the kingdom,” it said. The sequencing will be performed using Life Technologies’ semiconductor-based Ion Proton DNA sequencer, it added. The instruments will be deployed at 15 genome centres across the kingdom, it said.