oa WCMC-Qatar stem cell research program

Due to the vision and foresight of HH Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned, Qatar is seeing rapid advances in the field of education and research due to the establishment of Education City by Qatar Foundation. Stem cell research is one of the major research areas worldwide and shows significant promise in helping healthcare and medicine reach frontiers never known to mankind before. The setting-up of a stem cell laboratory at WCMC-Qatar places Qatar on the world map in stem cell research. Not only does it ensure Qatar's significant contribution to research, but also lays the foundation for an advanced system where people will have access to world class regenerative medical care.

To be able to move forward with cell therapies, and in particular stem cell therapies, in areas as diverse as diabetes, cardio-vascular disease, and neurodegenerative disease, several components need to be established, including routine derivation and maintenance of different types of pluripotent stem cells; banking of these stem cells; differentiation of the different stem cells in different cell types.

Stem cell research was one of the first research areas of focus at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar. Since the establishment of the stem cell biology program we have achieved several milestones, including the establishment of a stem cell biology expertise in Qatar, creating a network of stem cell researchers including clinicians from Hamad Medical Corporation, and establishing international cooperation to answer all forthcoming challenges of regenerative medicine. This talk will focus on the logistics of setting up the stem cell laboratory and the promises in the future that such technology promises.