Genetic testing specialists are working with a leading Dubai children's hospital to use precision medicine to bring about “a healthy outcome for every birth”.
San Diego-based Illumina, which opened a centre in Dubai in November, believes low-cost genome analysis can be made available for every newborn.
Better diagnosis of disease in babies through to cancer screening in adults can help experts to pinpoint treatments and extend lifespans, according to Susan Tousi, chief commercial officer of Illumina.
In November the company opened the Dubai Illumina Solutions Centre, a facility that features high-tech genetic sequencing equipment and offers training in diagnostic tests to medical employees and researchers.
The centre has teamed up with Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital in Dubai on an initiative involving rapid whole genome sequencing (rWGS), which involves sequencing a person’s complete set of genetic material.
Ms Tousi, who visited the UAE this month to speak on a panel on the future of health care at the Forbes 30/50 Summit in Abu Dhabi, said analysing a newborn’s genome with the company’s technology cost about $200, meaning it “should be available for every newborn”.
Equipment at the centre can sequence 20,000 genomes a year, she added.
Early diagnosis key
“We want to partner, we want to bring the technology and would love to see it adopted in a major way that could impact a healthy outcome for every birth,” she said.
The centre is training people from 20 organisations, such as hospitals and universities, across the Middle East in how to use the technology.
Al Jalila has been co-operating with the centre on using genetic testing for patients.
Dr Ahmad Abu Tayoun, a clinical molecular geneticist and director of the Al Jalila Children’s Genomics Centre, highlighted the hospital’s “Little Falcon” study, where genetic data is collected from 200 ill children and their parents to look at how rWGS could be used for intensive care patients.
The research may indicate how the technology could change treatment, and how sequencing may alter mortality and length of stay.
“Besides providing timely diagnostic results and clinical management and treatment plans, families will receive recurrence risks information [indicating the likelihood that a disorder will occur again in relatives] to prevent future pregnancies with similar outcomes,” Dr Tayoun said.
He added that the opening of the Illumina centre had had “a significant impact on operations”, both in terms of technical support and broader scientific collaborations.
In a paper co-authored by Dr Tayoun that was published in January, it was revealed that almost a quarter of patients who tested positive for a genetic disorder had previously experienced delays in their diagnosis, “most likely due to a lack of access to genomic investigations in this region”.
With one patient, a male who had been living with an immune system deficiency since he was five, the Al Jalila Genomics Centre identified what Dr Tayoun described as a rare “pathogenic variant” in a gene that increased the risk of cancer in later life.
“With this genetic information, the patient received an allogeneic [taken from another person] bone marrow transplant, substituting his mutated immune cells with healthy ones from a matching sibling,” Dr Tayoun said.
“The patient is now symptom free and is completely healthy. In this case, genomic testing not only ended a more than 15-year diagnostic odyssey, but also provided a life-saving treatment.”
In the paper, published in the journal Genome Medicine, the researchers said that early access to genomic diagnosis for patients suspected of having rare disorders “is likely to improve clinical outcomes while driving gene discovery in this genetically underrepresented population”.
Populations in other parts of the world, particularly Europe and North America, have typically been more heavily analysed genetically, but Ms Tousi said that widespread genetic testing in the region could redress the balance.
“In general the … Arab population is way underrepresented in the databases that exist today,” she said. “We need to have representation of ethnicities that researchers can work on, that pharmaceutical companies can develop therapies on.
“The Arab population is an incredibly important one, with 400 million people [who are] very underrepresented in the world’s knowledge base of genetic information.”
Longer and healthier lives
Ms Tousi believes medical advances can make living beyond reality the norm.
“We should be dreaming of a healthy lifespan beyond 100 years,” Ms Tousi said. “Cancer is a disease of the genome, a highly mutated genome that replicates out of control. We have the technology to be doing early cancer screening. Many of our customers are developing technology for early cancer screening.
“Once a cancer is detected, hopefully at a much earlier stage — it’s finding it at stage one instead of stage four — you can have much more effective, targeted treatment. That can be in the form of immunotherapy, targeted chemotherapy or even cancer vaccines.
“Then once treatment is effective, you can monitor minimal residual disease … we think this is going to be game-changing across the spectrum of diseases that plague mankind.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
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Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
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- 2018: Formal work begins
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- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
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Suggested picnic spots
Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
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Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Florence and the Machine – High as Hope
Three stars
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 3.9 seconds
Price: Dh230,000
On sale: now
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Goals: 127
Assists: 31
Wins: 117
Losses: 33
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Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
The Sand Castle
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Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Squid Game season two
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
UAE Rugby finals day
Games being played at The Sevens, Dubai
2pm, UAE Conference final
Dubai Tigers v Al Ain Amblers
4pm, UAE Premiership final
Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons
Palestine and Israel - live updates
