“How can you distinguish between you?” Do you think and feel the same way? ”These questions were born with the twins, Dr. Kholoud and Dr. Mashael Al -Shafi’i, the question about the fact that the twins similar to thinking and appearance. With the passage of years, these questions strengthened the desire of the two sisters to deepen their understanding of the genetic and environmental factors that determine the characteristics of twins and constitute their unique characteristics.
In this regard, Dr. Kholoud Al -Shafi’i, a researcher in genetic genetics in Sidra Medicine -said in a report issued by Qatar Foundation today, Sunday, Al -Jazeera Net arrived -: “This question has turned into an incentive for us to specialize in the field of human genetics, which did not exist At that time, a clear vision about the professional opportunities it provides. “
The journey of the two academic sisters was launched in the study of human genes in 2006, at the University of Leeds, UK, explains Dr. Mashael Al -Shafi’i, associate professor in genetic genes, at the Faculty of Health Sciences at Qatar University: “In that period, this field was still in its early stages in Qatar The year of our graduation has witnessed, 2009, the start of the implementation of mandatory genetic tests before marriage, which is a turning point in Qatar’s early trend towards attention to genetic health.
After that, Mashael and Kholoud joined the Qatar Foundation, and received support from the research department in it to continue their higher studies. Dr. Mashael says: “After I got a PhD from the University of Imperial College in London in 2016, I joined the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Qatar University and many studies were conducted on the genes of many genetic cases, such as mono -gene obesity, retinal disorder, and hearing loss. These studies have shed light on new variables that contribute to such diseases in Qatar.
Dr. Kholoud adds: “My passion is to reveal the genetic causes of various diseases and deformities, with great interest in heart disease, and I conduct research related to congenital heart diseases and various types of hereditary heart diseases such as heart muscle disorders and heart electricity.”
Precise medicine
In recent years, Qatar has witnessed a noticeable shift in the trend towards careful medicine, which led to the launch of the Qatar Record Record project in 2022, the first of its kind in the region, as a first step towards studying genetic diseases and human qualities in twins.
Funded by Qatar University and under the leadership of Dr. Mashael, the project includes cooperation with the Sidra Medical Center and the Qatar Institute for Define Health Care, affiliated to the Qatar Foundation, and aims to create the first recurrent record in the country, by collecting and analyzing data from twins (identical and identical) to study genetic and environmental factors That affects health, behavior and diseases.
“More than 100 pairs have been registered so far,” said Dr. Kholoud, who is cooperating within the framework of the project with Dr. Mashael and Dr. Hamdi Mubarak, Director of Research and Partnerships at the Qatar Institute for Micro Pain.
The record welcomes all the twins of different nationalities and age groups, with a special focus on the residents of the Middle East, so that the participants are registered through the Qatar Yawam Clinic in Qatar Boubank, in addition to home visits that facilitate the participation process.
Dr. Kholoud adds: “The Qatar Twins Project aims to study common diseases in Qatar, such as heart disease, diabetes and obesity, to be expanded in the following stages to include other diseases.”
Dr. Mashael added, twins is an ideal research tool for understanding the relationship between genes and the environment. Confused twins share 100% of their genes, while non -corresponding twins share a 50%. This diversity helps researchers differentiate between genetic and environmental factors and the effect of each of them on diseases and qualities. For example, studies indicate that the compatibility in autism between matching twins reaches 90%, compared to 5% among non -corresponding twins.
Dr. Mashael added: “With the progress of technology, twinning studies will remain an important tool in highlighting the behavioral genetics.”
International research
The success of the project is highly dependent on the participation of the twins, and Dr. Kholoud comments: “The higher the number of twins participating, the more comprehensive and accurate the results. Through this record, Qatar can contribute significantly to international research related to twins, especially since the region does not have yet Micro -statistics related to the number of twins or the attributes associated with them. The participation of twins can be considered an opportunity for them to discover new information about themselves.
The registration visits do not take more than two hours, and researchers guarantee the confidentiality of data by encrypting it during the analysis, with the use of results for search purposes only. Dr. Mashael, a mother of a girl and a boy, confirms that the records of twins around the world receive a remarkable attention, as more than a million twins participated in similar studies globally. In this regard, she explained: “There is a big gap in the studies related to twins in the Middle East region, compared to Europe and America, but we are optimistic about achieving progress in this field in our region … The Qatari twins record seeks to be a platform that represents Qatar and the Arab region on the international scene, and aims to fill this The gap and achieve a better regional representation. “
Dr. Kholoud stressed the importance of national and international cooperation in such ambitious research projects, and added: “The Qatar Twins Register project is cooperating with the twins record in the Netherlands, which is one of the most ancient records in the world, to benefit from their experiences in this field.”
By revealing the genetic properties associated with some common diseases, the Qatar Illuminating Record will present new visions towards the exercise of careful medicine in Qatar and improve the health and well -being of individuals and families throughout the country.