Innovation in genomic medicine to top Wish summit agenda

Wish officials announcing yesterday details of the forthcoming summit. PICTURE: Jayan Orma

Joseph Varghese/Staff Reporter

Genomic medicine and the innovation and ethical challenges behind this new medicine will be the topics among the other healthcare issues on the agenda at the second World Innovation Summit for Health (Wish), to be held on February 17-18, 2015 at Qatar National Convention Centre.Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Wish officials said the potential genomic medicine holds for future healthcare is immense although “it raises complex ethical and religious issues.”Genomic medicine is currently one of Qatar’s national priorities and HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, chairperson of Qatar Foundation and founder of Wish, announced the Qatar Genome Project at the inaugural Summit in 2013.In addition to the seven new research forums, Wish also announced a special panel on ‘healthcare and ethics’ in partnership with the Research Centre for Islamic Legislation and Ethics, a centre of the Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies in Hamad Bin Khalifa University. The panel, which will take place during the 2015 summit, will focus on the development and implementation of ‘genomic medicine’ and the innovation and ethical challenges behind this revolutionary new medicine.Saad al-Muhannadi, president, QF, said: “The Foundation is proud to have established Wish, which aims to ensure impactful outcomes in healthcare innovation in Qatar, the region and beyond. The second summit in 2015 will be crucial for the progression of collaborative action focused on innovative methods to solve today’s global healthcare issues. Central to this is the scope and influence of the unprecedented forum reports, a testament of the international collaboration at the heart of Wish’s mission.”Prof The Lord Darzi, executive chair, Wish, said that Wish has already got great international attention with many of its topics from the previous summit being followed by international community. “Today’s workshops are just the tip of the iceberg of the potential in each of our research forums. With sustained commitment and global collaboration, we can work together to find global solutions to healthcare issues affecting every country. I am truly excited by the work being done and believe the resulting reports will be a valuable asset for policy makers, thought leaders and governments around the world,” he added.Wish is a vital part of Qatar’s evolution from a carbon-based economy to a knowledge-based one and aims to diffuse healthcare technology through a global community of experts. Through Wish, QF is supporting Qatar’s pioneering role as an emerging centre for healthcare innovation.Others who took part in the media interaction, included Dr Hanan al-Kuwari, managing director, Hamad Medical Corporation; Dr Javaid Sheikh, dean, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar; and L Suzanne Suggs, chair, Communicating Complex Health Messages Forum, Wish.