This is a guest blog post from Bibi-Aisha Wadvalla, one of Nature Middle East‘s freelancers currently covering the Qatar International Conference on Stem Cell Science and Policy in Doha.

Qatar opened its International Conference on Stem Cell Science and Policy on 27 February at the Qatar National Conference Centre. The conference has attracted over 400 delegates, and boasts an impressive line-up of speakers, including physiology and medicine Nobel LaureateDavid Baltimore.

In his keynote address, Abdelali Haoudi, vice president of research and development at Qatar Foundation (QF) stressed that stem cell research is a top priority for biomedical science in Qatar. He expressed his hope that the conference will set the stage for future developments and achievements.

Edward P Djerejian, founding director of the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Texas, praised the partnership his institute formed with QF as one that bridges the gap between policy and practice. He noted the significance of the religious freedom and funding for science in the region, at a time when the USA is seeing potential further funding cutbacks, and the use of embryonic stem cells is more restricted.

Baltimore opened with a discussion on the use of hematopoietic cells as a treatment for cancer and HIV/AIDS. The thoroughly researched presentation was well received by the audience, with one delegate calling it “groundbreaking.”

Gerald Schatten spoke of the scientific legacy of Islam which set the foundation for medical research, quoting verses from the Quran, the Muslim holy book, that explained human embryonic formation and birth.

The closing session of the first day had four scientists from the Middle East present their stem cell research, which highlighted the disparities across the region on stem cell research restrictions. The two scientists from Iran and Saudi Arabia faced no restrictions on embryonic cell research. However, Jeremie Ibrizie of Weill Cornell College in Qatar (WCMC-Q), said his department is struggling with restrictive US laws which prevent them from carrying out certain research in Doha. Turkan Elden from Turkey said they’re expecting a restrictive law passed by the Turkish ministry of health in 2005 to soon be lifted, allowing more opportunities to engage in stem cell research.

The New York University Abu Dhabi Institute (NYUAD) hosted its 2nd genomics and systems biology meeting, bringing scientists from different parts of the world to gather in Abu Dhabi to discuss the latest research in the exciting and evolving field of genomic information.

Most of the speakers at the conference, taking place 14 – 16 February, are professors who have flown in from the United States, mainly from NYU in New York. Topics ranged from the evolving role of bioinformatics to biodiversity and biofuels development. Much of the research, such as work on hereditary brain traits or analysis of monkey malaria parasites, is actually being presented for the first time and is often ongoing.

The main conference talks tend to be rather technical, aimed at an audience of professors and researchers. However, the first day of the meeting ended with a public lecture open to anyone interested in science from Michael Rosbash, professor of biology at Brandeis University and investigator at Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Rosbash discussed the role of genetics in traits, behaviour and education, bringing up the “nature vs nurture” discussion. He gave an example of two identical twins separated at birth who met in their 40’s to realize they have made very similar choices in life. “Both had become firemen and married blonde women…. so it may be they are not just identical in their looks with the mustaches they have but also in their behaviours,” says Rosbash.

He went on to discuss his research in RNA and the 24-hour biological clock of the fruit fly, which defines its activity and rest behaviour which follows a circadian rhythm. He went on to discuss the same pattern which is conserved in mammals. “The trick is knowing which genes are responsible for these.”

He finally concluded with some advice to budding scientists, mainly about the importance of good luck for research and the important role that students and post docs play in exciting discoveries everyday. “The trick to stay out of their ways and let them do their work.”

Left to right: Ravinder Mamtani, Lotfi Chouchan, Dietrich Büsselberg

Researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q) and Qatar Foundation have teamed up with colleagues from around the world to launch a new, international, peer-reviewed journal aimed at students and professors of public health.

The Journal of Local and Global Health Perspectives will be an open-access resource publishing research on the effect and relationship between global health and local health issues and how they can affect each other.

It is the brainchild of WCMC-Q faculty members Dietrich Büsselberg and Ravinder Mamtani, who partnered with David Carpenter, University at Albany, New York, and Albert Lowenfels of the New York Medical College, to form the journal’s chief editorial panel. Besides Qatari and American practitioners, the rest of the editorial team includes members from Germany, Uganda and India.

“This is a first for the Middle East, as there exists no other journal in this region sharing research and perspectives on public health issues with medical practitioners around the world,” said Mamtani, professor of public Health and associate Dean for global and public health at WCMC-Q. He added that the journal will offer substantial input from research in the Middle East, offering new practical experience in public health not usually covered extensively.

“What practitioners and researchers learn about the treatment of diabetes here in the [Gulf Cooperation Council] has implications for treatment in the United States and vice versa.  We all have valuable knowledge to share,” said Büsselberg, Professor of Physiology and Biophysics at WCMC-Q.

The journal, which will offer original research, reviews, editorials and commentaries, will also offer Arabic translations of all abstracts.

Authors submitting manuscripts from low or lower-middle income countries will receive an automatic full waiver of the article processing charge (APC) of US$195.

The journal will focus mainly on clinical health, communicable and non-communicable diseases, environmental health, toxicology, nutrition, health care delivery, public health policy, women’s health, and public health education. It will also accept research on social, cultural and political aspects of health and disease.

It is currently accepting papers for review and interested authors can submit their manuscripts online here.