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Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI) hosted clinicians and researchers from across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region at the HBKU Student Center in Education Citylast week for an annual Neuroscience School.
Heldin collaboration with the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO), the event enabled participants to share insights and discuss developments within the field of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. The event followed the IBRO-MENA-QBRI Neuroscience Conference, held this year as part of 3rd Middle East Molecular Biology Sources (MEMBS) Annual Congress & Exhibition on November 16th and 17th.
The IBRO-MENA-QBRI Neuroscience School seeks toignite the curiosity of students in unpacking scientific concepts and encourage these budding scientists to pursuecareers in research and academia. This year, the event provided participants with a comprehensive understanding of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders through a series of lectures, workshops, and discussion sessions.The event shed light on the brain as an intricate physical organ and explored how its various components work together to help humans achieve cognition.
By continuing to host IBRO-MENA schools, QBRI seeks to help build human capacity in the field of neuroscience, educating and inspiring a generation of young scientists to take on careers within the sciences. The school equips students with tools, industry knowledge, and a collaborative, regional network to help pave the way for their success.
Dr. Omar El-Agnaf, Acting Executive Director of QBRI, noted that: “The Neuroscience School helps raise awareness of the latest scientific research being conducted in Qatar, while generating interest within the upcoming generation, regionally and locally, about the sciences. This year we welcomed participants from Algeria to Sudan to Qatar,and covered topics such asautism and neurodegenerative diseases.”
Buthaina Saleh, a student participant in the Neuroscience School from Sultan Quboos University in Oman where she works in the biochemistry labs, said: “I wish to start my Ph.D. soon and I’m hoping that it will be in neuroscience, so I came here to get ideas about new techniques and updates in the field. Participating in the school has been a great experience for me.
QBRI was also one of the sponsors of The 3rd MEMBS Annual Congress & Exhibition from the 14th – 17th of November. The national research institute that specializes in innovation forthe prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases affecting the people of Qatar and the region sponsored a two day IBRO Neuroscience Conference specifically dedicated to focus on fourNeuroscience topics, stem cells specifically dedicated for diabetes and structure biology session focused on newly developed technologies for understanding the mechanisms of human diseases.
The Neuroscience Conference’s session on the first day focused on neurodevelopmental disease and synaptic function in health and disease. It featured a keynote address by Dr. Theo Lasser, Professor and Director of the Laboratory of Biomedical Optics at ÉcolePolytechniqueFédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland. On the second day, Dr. Hans Hilger Ropers delivered a keynote address to the session on neurodegenerative disease. Dr. Roper is a Professor at The Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Germany. The second day also featured a keynote lecture byDr. Magid Abu Gharbia, Associate Dean for Research at Temple University’s School of Pharmacy in America, for the session on therapeutics.
Dr. El-Agnafadded: “At QBRI, we are committed to helpingdevelop Qatar into a regional hub for healthcare innovation and research in line with Qatar National Vision 2030. By partnering with the International Brain Research Organization and hosting these regional events in Doha, the institute brings students, scientists, and industry veterans from around the Middle East together for knowledge-exchange and networking, while helping boost the profile of Qatar and encouraging further regional collaboration and research.”
For more at information on QBRI please visit their website www.qbri.org.qa.