A research revolution: science, genes, and sport in Qatar

In this edition of Qatar 365, we lift the lid on three programmes making huge advances in scientific research: Biobank’s DNA sampling which is transforming patient care, the Qatar Genome Programme which is changing precision medicine, and a facility revolutionizing the treatment of sports injuries.

Since opening its doors in the heart of Doha's Sports City in 2007, Aspetar has treated some of the biggest names in sport. Internationally recognised as a leading sports medicine facility, it combines the latest technologies with new research.

A range of resources is available at the hospital, including movement assessment labs, hydrotherapy, physiotherapy, and rehabilitation, as well as sports surgery and operating rooms, dentistry, and fitness facilities.

Dr Jamal al Khanji, Aspetar's Chief Patient Experience Officer, explains that the facility was created with elite athletes in mind.

‘You want the athletes to feel at home, and home for them is a training centre or a gym. If you go to Aspetar, you'll see that it's actually looks more like a gym than a hospital.’

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Aspetar physiotherapist, Dr Rod Whitely, has seen a lot of technological changes in the world of sports since he first started treating athletes.

‘Thirty-plus years ago when I started doing this, all we really had available to assess how athletes were moving, and to try and guess where the different loads were going through their joints, muscles, and ligaments, was basically our eyes,’ he says.

With scientific data, a good guess is now backed up with evidence.

Qatar Biobank uses patient data to provide medical professionals with all the information they need to offer them personalised care.

It was launched in 2012, to enable local