Live, in person

24 - 27 January 2022

Dubai World Trade Centre

Online

5 January - 28 February 2022

Whole-genome sequencing of diverse human populations: Insights into demographic history and implications for genomic medicine

 

Illumina
 

Monday, 24th January, 13:00 - 14:00
Johannesburg room, Za'abeel hall 2, Z2.A40

Overview

Whole-genome sequencing projects have provided unprecedented insights into human diversity, dispersals, and past admixture events. They also provide a framework for the design and interpretation of medical genetics studies. However despite these advances many populations remain understudied, restricting our understanding of genetic variation and exacerbating health inequalities. In this talk I will discuss our recent efforts to extend our understanding of global genetic variation and their implication for uncovering population history and genomic medicine. I will also present our recently published paper on the genomic history of Middle Eastern populations.   

Dr. Mohamed Al Marri recently completed his PhD at the University of Cambridge specializing in population genomics. As a researcher at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, he co-led the analysis of the Human Genome Diversity Project, which analysed complete genome sequences in more than 50 populations from around the world, creating the most comprehensive reference of human genetic variation. He previously completed a Master’s degree at Imperial College London, where he identified genetic variants associated with autoimmune disorders.

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Learning objectives

  • How whole-genome sequencing allows to identify and catalogue genetic variation at a global scale
  • Understand how single nucleotide variants and structural variants are identified and their relevance to human biology and disease
  • The importance of investigating population structure and demographic history when designing medical association studies
  • The relevance of variants under natural selection in understanding human biology

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    Speaker

    Mohamed Al Marri, PhD.
    Forensic Scientist & Crime Scene Investigator, Dubai Police, United Arab Emirates.

     

    Dr. Mohamed Al Marri has earned his PhD in Genetics from the University of Cambridge. He headed a project to study Arab genome diversity and completed his studies under the Dubai Police Scholarship Program. He is a research oriented police officer who worked to extend our understanding of global genomic diversity and its functional and medical implications by analyzing whole genome sequencing data from two projects: the Human Genome Diversity Project, which is a collection of 54 global populations and through a project focusing specifically on Middle Eastern populations.

    Important note: All workshops will be on a first come, first served basis.

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