Dr. Min S Park

Dr. Min, Chairman of the PrecisionMed Scientific Committee is the Chief Science Officer and Director of Genomic Medicine, Sanimed International Labs and Management in the UAE; & Senior S&T Advisor, Healthcare, International Holding Company (IHC) in the UAE.

During over thirty years of a professional career in the National Laboratory, Academia, and private companies, Dr. Min developed, managed, and executed more than $400 million R&D projects in cancer, genomics, and renewable energy in the US, Korea, China, and the UAE. Dr. Min worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China State Development and Investment Co, Grandomics Biosciences, China, and G42-Healthcare, UAE as the founding director of the Emirati Genome Program. He served on international scientific committees including NIH-USA, DOE-USA, NSF-USA, NSERC-NSF-Canada, WHO, Welcome Trust-UK, NSFChina, and National S&T Panel-Korea.

Prof. Bassam Ali

Prof. Bassam Ali is professor of Genomic Medicine at the College of Medicine, UAE University. Prof. Ali received his PhD from Cambridge University and worked for ten years at Imperial College London before joining UAEU in 2006.

Prof. Ali published over 150 original articles and reviews on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of human disease and pharmacogenomics. He has been awarded the 2018 Khalifa Education Award as the Distinguished University professor in research and the 2019 Shoman Award for Arab Scientists in Health Sciences. Prof. Ali is on the editorial boards of several leading international scientific journals including being an associate editor for “Human Genomics”, “Frontiers in Genetics” and Frontiers in Pediatrics.

Prof. Fatma Al Jasmi

Prof. Al Jasmi is Chair of Genetic & Genomic department, at College of Medicine & Health science, UAE University, Al Ain. Metabolic consultant at Tawam Hospital. She did her undergraduate studies at UAE University, UAE and graduated in 2000 with bachelor’s in medicine and health science. She pursued her postgraduate studies at University of Toronto, and Hospital for Sick Children, Canada. In 2006, Prof. Al Jasmi received Canadian Board of Pediatrics after completing the Pediatric residency program. Subsequently, she did her fellowship in biochemical genetics and in 2008 and certified with Canadian College of Medical Genetics Board (Biochemical Genetics).

She participated in the expanding of national newborn screening and the premarital screening pilot study using Whole Exome sequencing. She organized and participated in numerous national and international conferences aiming to advance rare diseases community awareness, education and clinical sciences.

Dr. Shaikha AlMazrouei

Dr. Shaikha Almazrouei is an accomplished researcher and speaker in the field of biotechnology. Dr. Almazrouei received her PhD from King’s College London, where she studied liver transplant using hepatocyte microbes. She also holds an MSC from UAEU, where she researched the genetic basis of familial hypercholesterolemia, and a Bachelor’s degree in cellular and molecular biology from the same institution.

As an active member of the International Stem Cells Research Association (ISCCR) and the International Cryobiology Society, Dr. Almazrouei is committed to advancing research in the field of biotechnology. She also serves as the Head of the UAE Stem Cell Group and as a Lead Researcher with the Biotechnology Research Centre at the Abu Dhabi Technology Innovation Institute.

Dr. Almazrouei has contributed to several high-profile projects, including the establishment of the Emirate Genome with G42, the establishment of DNA fingerprinting for the UAE Armed Forces and AD police fingerprint unit, and as a research assistant at Khalifa University.

Dr. Almazrouei is dedicated to empowering biotechnology researchers and fostering innovation in the UAE. Her research interests include genomics and regenerative medicine.

Dr. Ahmad Abou Tayoun

Ahmad is currently the director of the Al Jalila Genomics Center and Associate Professor of Genetics at Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates. He received his PhD in genetics from Dartmouth Medical School, followed by a clinical molecular genetics fellowship at Harvard Medical School.

Prior to moving to Dubai, he was a director of genomic diagnostics and Assistant Professor at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, USA. Ahmad has coauthored over 100 peer-reviewed publications and his main interests include characterizing the genomic landscape of rare diseases in the Middle East, developing/translating new diagnostic tools and assays for clinical use, and establishing guidelines for variant interpretation in collaboration with various expert groups, mainly ClinGen, ACMG, AMP, and CAP.

Dr. Julie Decock

Dr. Decock is a group leader at the Translational Cancer and Immunity Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI) and holds a joint assistant professor position at the College of Health & Life Sciences, Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU). Her current research addresses two pivotal and emerging key areas in breast cancer research; tumor antigen discovery and tumor-immune ecosystem dynamics.

Her research efforts focus on exploring the potential of cancer testis antigens as prime therapeutic targets and modulators of anti-tumor immunity. A second line of her research aims to gain further insight into the molecular complexity and immune contexture of tumors that can dictate clinical outcome and treatment responses. Dr. Decock is the recipient of several research grants and her track records includes more than 40 papers in high-tier scientific journals with over 2100 citations and an h-index of 26. Dr. Julie speaks also at Technology sessions.

Mohamed Nagy

Mohamed is a clinical pharmacist with an experience more than 15 years in oncology. He is the founder and head of the Personalized Medication Management Unit at the Children’s Cancer Hospital 57357. Mohamed earned his master’s degree in Biotechnology from the American University in Cairo. Mohamed is considered one of the experts in clinical pharmacogenetics implementation and lifestyle genetics in the Middle East and Africa. He dedicated his genetic knowledge to patients and allowed healthy individuals to find the best medication, nutrition, and sports routine tailored to their unique individual genetic makeup to achieve the best health outcomes.

Mohamed is a founder of Pharmacogenomics Access & Reimbursement Coalition (PARC), and he is also a founder of the Standardizing Laboratory Practices in Pharmacogenomics (STRIPE). Currently, Mohamed is leading the Pharmacogenomics Research Network Developing Countries Committee for the Middle east and Africa area. Finally, he is the Leader of IVPN Personalized Medicine Listserv.

Recently, Mohamed coauthored the CPIC pharmacogenetics guideline for opioid use, and he is currently one of the team coauthoring the pharmacogenetics guideline for beta-blockers.

Dr. Thomas Launey

Dr. Thomas P.G. Launey is Vice President for Molecular Biotech and Genomics at the Biotechnology Research Center (BRC), at the Technology Innovation Institute (TII), a cutting-edge UAE-based scientific research center. He oversees a team of talented scientists committed to addressing key issues in the UAE pharma economy and healthcare, focusing on Synthetic Biology, Immunology, and Human Genomics.

Dr. Thomas P. G. Launey obtained his PhD in Brain Science and Biophysics before moving to Japan to work with M. Ito, one of the founders of modern neuroscience and the former Director of the Human Frontier Program, at the RIKEN Center for Brain Science in Tokyo.

Prior to joining TII, he led research projects ranging from live imaging and single-neuron biophysics to cell development and transcriptomics. He has contributed significantly to understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of long-term memory retention and to studying transcription in neurons, as well as translation regulation in sub-cellular neuronal compartments, all published in prestigious journals. Previously, he held professorships at Waseda University and Tsukuba University in Japan and is an active member of several Japanese, US and European Science Societies.

Prof. George P. Patrinos

George P. Patrinos is Professor of Pharmacogenomics and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology in the University of Patras (Greece), Department of Pharmacy and holds adjunct Professorships at Erasmus MC, Faculty of Medicine, Rotterdam (the Netherlands) and the United Arab Emirates University, College of Medicine, Department of Pathology, Al-Ain (UAE). Also, he served for 12 years (2010-2022) as Full Member and Greece’s National representative in the CHMP Pharmacogenomics Working Party of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), since 2018 Co-Chair of the Global Genomic Medicine Collaborative (G2MC) and since 2020 Editor-In-Chief of the prestigious Pharmacogenomics Journal, published by Nature Pubmishing Group.

George has more than 300 publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals, some of them in leading scientific journals, such as Nature Genetics, Nature Rev Genet, Nucleic Acids Res, Genes Dev and has co-edited the textbook “Molecular Diagnostics”, published by Academic Press, now in its 3rd edition, and several other international textbooks, while he is the editor of “Translational and Applied Genomics” book series.

Apart from that, George is the main co-organizer of the Golden Helix Conferences, an international meeting series on Pharmacogenomics and Genomic Medicine.

Her Excellency Sarah Al Almiri

In her role as Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology, her Excellency spearheads the UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology’s efforts to empower the adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies and promote research and development in the advanced science and technology sector, in order to create new industries that drive the shift towards a knowledge economy. This, in turn, contributes to the overall mandate of the Ministry to strengthen the UAE’s industrial base, ensure in-country value, and raise the competitiveness of local industries.

Her Excellency is also the Chairwoman of the Emirates Scientists Council, Chairwoman of the Fourth Industrial Revolution Council, Chairwoman of the Dubai Future Academy Board of Trustees, and she previously served as the Deputy Project Manager and Science Lead of the Emirates Mars Mission (Hope) at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) before going on to be appointed Chairwoman of the UAE Space Agency.

His Excellency Dr Amin Hussain Al Ameeri

As the Assistant Undersecretary for Health Regulation, H.E. Dr. Al Ameeri is responsible for regulating the medical and pharmaceutical industry in the United Arab Emirates. He plays a substantial role in strategy setting, policy development and risk management to advance the quality of healthcare and to protect and promote the public health in the country.

Dr. Al Ameeri leads a strong and divers team committed to patients and to the health of the community. He oversees the following functions: setting standards and guidelines, licensing, monitoring and enforcement, managing the drug administration and the national Organ Donation and Transplantation Office.

Prior to His Excellency’s current role, Dr. Amin took different senior positions throughout his long career at the Ministry of Health and Prevention. Under his leadership, the UAE healthcare system achieved a quantum leap in various fields, namely blood donation and transfusion, organ donation and transplantation and access to medical innovations.

Dr. Amin is a medical doctor, with a PhD. in Blood Transfusion Medicine from Aberdeen University in Scotland. He has written several books and publications in the field of blood medicine and has received many prestigious awards from local and international organizations.

Dr. Asma Al Mannaei

Dr. Asma Al Mannaei is the Executive Director of the Research and Innovation Centre at the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi where she also served as a Director of Health Quality. She has more than 15 years of experience working in the Department. Throughout this period, Dr. Al Mannaei has successfully led the transformation in patient care quality and safety and contributed to building an advanced patient-centred healthcare system, while continuing to positioning Abu Dhabi as a global leader in healthcare quality.

Dr. Al Mannaei leads the Research and Innovation Centre at the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Her role is focused on accelerating the healthcare research through assessing the adoption of new innovations, novel medications and technologies in the Emirates. In addition, Dr. Al Mannaei works towards the development of the healthcare ecosystem through deploying innovative solutions, revolutionary treatments and latest health technologies in Abu Dhabi and the UAE.

She served as chairperson of Abu Dhabi Health Research and Technology Committee, and is a member of the Global Commission on Evidence which is independent panel of that develops powerfully complementary perspectives for all types of decision-makers.

Dr. Masayo Takahashi

After Masayo Takahashi received her M.D. and Ph.D. from Kyoto University, served as an assistant professor in the Kyoto University Hospital. Discovered the potential of stem cells as a tool for retina therapy when she moved to the Salk Institute, U.S.

She joined RIKEN in 2006, her team launched a pilot clinical study using iPS cells first in human in 2013. She started a new carrier, a president of startup company; Vision Care Inc., to proceed implementation of clinical therapy.

Dr. Jun Takahashi

Jun Takahashi is a director and professor of the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan. After returning to Kyoto University Hospital, he conducted functional neurosurgery including deep brain stimulation and also research work on stem cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease.

In 2012, he became a full professor at CiRA, pursuing stem cell therapies for Parkinson’s disease patients. As a physician-scientist, he has laid the groundwork for the clinical application of iPS cells by developing effective differentiation protocols to dopaminergic neurons, selective sorting of the differentiated dopaminergic progenitor cells, and optimization of the host brain environment to maximize the survival and function of the transplanted cells in rodent and monkey brains. Based on these achievements, he started the world’s first clinical trial for Parkinson’s disease using iPS cells in 2018.

Dr. Khalid Fakhro

Dr. Fakhro is the Chief Research Officer at Sidra Medicine and the Director of the healthcare facility’s Precision Medicine program.

Dr. Fakhro joined Sidra Medicine as a Principal Investigator in July 2014, and became Director of the Human Genetics department, where he built a robust genomic medicine research pipeline for the hospital. In 2018, he became the inaugural Director of Precision Medicine at Sidra, heading an ambitious program where research in genomics and personalized medicine are embedded in the heart of Sidra Medicine’s academic medical enterprise. He holds adjunct faculty appointments at both Weill-Cornell Medicine and at Hamad bin Khalifa University, where he teaches classes and mentors the next generation of Masters and PhD students in human genetics and genomic medicine.

Dr. Salem Chouaib

Dr. Salem completed his undergraduate studies at the university of Pierre and Marie Curie (Paris VI) at Pasteur Institute. He received his Doctorate es-sciences (Ph.D.) in immunology, (laboratory of Jean Dausset,) in 1983 from the same university. He then joined the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York where he undertook a post-doctoral training in Human Immunogenetics Laboratory. In 1986, he was appointed as research associate at the French National Institute of Health and Biomedical Research (INSERM) and joined the tumor biology department at the Institut Gustave Roussy. In 1994 he became Research Director at INSERM and head of tumor immunology laboratory (INSERM U487) at Gustave Roussy.

Dr. Chouaib’s research focuses on the investigation of the reactivity of killer cells in the context of tumor microenvironment complexity and plasticity. Dr. Chouaib current research is focusing on the impact of tumor hypoxia on anti-tumor immune response regulation and acquisition of tumor resistant phenotype. His research was constantly directed at impulsing the transfer of fundamental concepts in clinical application in particular in the field of cancer immunotherapy. Recently, he created the Thumbay Research Institute for Precision Medicine at the Gulf Medical University where he is vice chancellor for research.

Dr. Nicole Sirotin

Dr. Nicole Sirotin, MD, is Chair of Preventive Medicine in the Medical Subspecialties Institute and leads the Executive Health Program at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

Dr. Sirotin is among the first medical professionals globally to be certified as Diplomates of the ABLM/American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) and the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine. Lifestyle Medicine is the use of evidence-based lifestyle therapeutic approaches, such as, a predominantly whole food, plant-based diet, physical activity, adequate sleep, stress management, tobacco cessation and other non-drug modalities to prevent, treat and reverse chronic disease.

Dr. Yendry Ventura

Dr. Yendry Ventura is the Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Center (ADSCC), the first fully integrated medical and research center focused on attaining the most leading and ambitious scopes in the fields of cell therapy in the UAE. A skilled leader and scientific researcher in preforming, conducting, and analyzing in vivo and in vitro assays, his clinical experience revolves around clinical research and preclinical studies related to cell biology, immunology, cancer, and autoimmune diseases.

Dr. Ventura has developed UAECell-19©, a new innovative methodology for harvesting stem cells through peripheral blood which was used in a clinical trial for COVID-19 patients, with Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Center as its sole owner. He also established the first bone marrow transplantation program in the UAE, known as AD-BMT©. Dr. Ventura is the Chairman of the Pharmacogenomics Flagship Program of Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Center and the Principal Investigator of the randomized controlled clinical trials for Multiple Sclerosis, Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus and others.

Dr. Essam Abdelalim

Dr. Abdelalim is a group leader at QBRI & Assistant Professor at HBKU, Qatar. He received his PhD in Medical Science from Shiga University of Medical Science (Japan) and was later appointed as Assistant Professor in the same university. He had the privilege to set up the first pluripotent stem cell program focusing on diabetes research in Qatar at QBRI.

Dr. Sirin Adham

Dr. Sirin Adham is an Associate Professor at Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman. Dr. Adham is a biomedical scientist interested in analyzing breast cancer tumors hunting for biomarkers related to tumor progression and response to chemotherapies.

In addition, Dr. Adham supervises graduate students and publishes several interesting research articles.

Dr. Abeer Alsaegh

Dr. Abeer is Head of Genetics Department at Sultan Qaboos University and Senior Consultant of Medical Genetics and Cancer Genetics at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital.

She is also current president of Oman Society for Genetic Medicine. Her clinical and academic interests include familial cancer syndromes, developmental disorders and autosomal recessive syndromes associated with intellectual disability. She established the cancer genetics clinic in Oman, she is also an active Oman Medical Specialty Board trainer.

Dr. Amal Al Tenaiji

Dr. Amal did undergraduate studies at UAE University, UAE and graduated in 2006 with Bachelor in Medicine and Health Science. Then she completed her pediatrics residency at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City and obtained the Arab Board Specialization in Pediatrics as well as the MRCPCH.

She pursued postgraduate studies at The University of Toronto, and Hospital for Sick Children, Canada. In 2014, she completed fellowship in biochemical genetics and is certified with Canadian College of Medical Genetics Board in Biochemical Genetics. Amal established the metabolic genetics service Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Abu Dhabi. Amal is also founding board member of the UAE Rare Disease Society.

Dr. Fatma Alhashimi

Dr. Fatma Alhahsimi is the Director of Hortman Stem Cell laboratory which is the First stem cell facility in Dubai with more than 7 GMP and ISO clean rooms for stem cell isolation, process, and expansion. An accomplished and well-qualified Project Manager & Stem Cell Consultant with a PhD in Project Management and Cord Blood donor recruitment. Impressive track record of success managing complex healthcare projects from concept to successful execution as well as the ongoing management of operations, staffing, and budgets.

Dr. Fatma also established the  first cord blood donor recruitment unit in Dubai Cord Blood & Research centre-DHA and operated as certified First Emirati to lead cord blood collection training for healthcare providers in government & private hospitals. She created the first value co-creation model for recruiting cord blood donors in DHA Hospitals to increase the number of cord blood donations in UAE–a model now used in public healthcare hospitals and clinics. She is also Certified trainer in area related to Project Management, Change Management and Culture Transformation.

Dr. Zuhair AlHassnan

Dr. Zuhair Al-Hasnan is a Consultant of Medical Genetics at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Riyadh, where he also leads the research team. He has extensive experience in advanced laboratory research techniques and has been conducting research on genetic diseases that affect Saudi society, including cardiomyopathy.

Dr. Al-Hasnan recently conducted a groundbreaking study on a Saudi family with nine children, four of whom were suffering from cardiomyopathy. Using blood samples collected from all family members, the research team discovered a defect in the gene (FBXO32) among the children with the disease, which was linked to cardiomyopathy for the first time. Dr. Al-Hasnan emphasized that the emergence of the disease was caused by the marriage of relatives who are carriers of the disease, which is a recessive genetic disease with a 25% probability of transmission to offspring with each pregnancy. Al-Hasnan’s research on genetic diseases has significant implications for the prevention and management of these diseases in Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Kadhem AlKhenaizi

Dr. Kadhem Alkhenaizi is a highly passionate laboratory technologist with extensive experience in laboratory technologies. He is the Managing Director of ExpressMed Laboratories and has been in this role since July 2015. Kadhem has worked as a Histotechnologist/Technologist in Molecular Biology at Vitro Molecular Laboratories in Miami, and as Head of Histology, Cytology, and Mortuary Section at Salmaniya Medical Complex in Bahrain.

He has a Doctorate in Health Sciences from Nova Southeastern University, a Master’s of Science in Anatomy from Barry University, and a Bachelor of Biology with a specialization in Histotechnology from Barry University. Kadhem is an expert in molecular biology technology, electron microscopy, and histotechnology. He is certified as a Histotechologist in Molecular Biology, Technologist in Qualification in Immunohistochemistry, and Histotechnologist and Histology Lab Supervisor.

Dr. Nada Al Tassan

Dr. Nada Al Tassan is a scientific researcher with a passion for collaborative work and information sharing. She believes that research is not just about winning competitions but about being useful and learning along the way while prioritizing one’s well-being.

With a focus on creating a balanced working and learning environment that promotes growth, mentorship, cross-functional collaboration, and inclusion, she has made significant contributions to their field. She is inspired by the concept-to-creation process, from the genesis of ideas to practical applications.

In addition to her research work, Nada has also worked in education, journalism, consulting, and strategy development, broadening their perspectives in a variety of fields and directions. Her breadth of experience has allowed her to bring a unique perspective to her work in scientific research.

Dr. Mutasem Al Titi

Dr. Mutasem Al Titi is a lifetime learner, single-minded chief enabling officer and influencer with a passion for better health outcome. Compliance deliberate, honest and laser-focused on value adding toall stakeholders, able to handle vagueness & uncertainty Strategic creative patients’ centric who enjoys building and enabling distinctive team. A leader with a track record in building, developing business & delivering aggressive P&L targets across different market models around the MENA.

Went through a long affluent learning experience in Building & Scaling-up business in the pharmaceutical, consumer health and Medical devices industry along the region, Mutasem has a footprint in SaudiArabia, Algeria, Ethiopia and UAE besides other MENA Markets.

Dr. Shoaib Al Zadjali

Dr. Shoaib Al Zadjali is a highly accomplished Senior Molecular Specialist at the Sultan Qaboos Comprehensive Cancer care & Research Centre in Muscat, Oman, with over two decades of experience in biomedical research and clinical laboratory management. He has made significant contributions to the field of molecular genetics and diagnostics in Oman and beyond, introducing comprehensive genomic profiling of solid tumors and standardizing several new tests.

He has received several awards for his contribution to the field, and his expertise, leadership, and dedication to improving patient care have made him a respected figure in the scientific community. Dr Shoaib is currently the head of research laboratories at SQCCCRC, Muscat Oman. His main research interests are in molecular aspects of solid tumors, using the liquid biopsy in genomic profiling and single cell analysis.

Dr. Susanna Akiki

Dr. Akiki is a consultant clinical scientist who has worked in the field of molecular diagnostics since completing her PhD in Medicine at University College London in 1995. Her diagnostic expertise is currently focused on haemato oncology where the importance of standardised genomic testing to support informed patient management is well established.

Before joining the Diagnostic Genomic Division at Hamad Medical corporation Dr Akiki was Deputy Head of the Cancer program at the West Midlands Genetics Laboratory, Birmingham, UK. Dr Akiki has published consistently throughout her career with over 33 publications in respected peer-reviewed journals and is an active member of the Science & Publications committee & Genomics Working Group of the British Society of Haematology.

Dr. Samih AlQawlag

Dr. Samih AlQawlag is a molecular geneticist with more than 14 years of experience in the field of molecular biology, reproductive genetics, prenatal testing, oncogenetics and precision medicine. As ardent believer of personalized medicine, have been creating many awareness and preventive strategies, promote an idea of performing highly advanced specialized testing locally to improve an outcome, optimize and generate a cost savings in the healthcare system.

Previously worked at prestigious governmental institutions such as Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Germany, Human Genetic Department at Charite University Hospital in Germany, National Genetic Centre at Ministry of Health in Oman, where conducted data analysis and interpretation for genetic cases, using Array CGH, Whole Exome Sequencing and Clinical Genomes technologies.

Megan Blair

Megan is a Pharma Collaborations Manager at Randox Biosciences. With a background in Biology and Laboratory Management. Megan’s focus now is collaborating with Pharma and Biotech’s seeking to implement biomarker testing into their drug development process, with a specific interest in Omics and CDx development opportunities.

Dr. Imane Boudellioua

Dr. Imane is an Assistant Professor in the Information and Computer Science Department at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, and one of the founding female faculty members at KFUPM. She is the recipient of 2020 KACST-AlMarai Prize for Scientific Creativity for her PhD thesis on machine learning methods for the prioritization of candidate causative genomic variants of Mendelian and oligogenic diseases. She is also one of the winners of KAUST TAQADAM Accelerator Program for her startup, GenomeFit, providing an AI-powered genetic diagnostics services. Her research interests are in computational genomics and the application of machine learning in the biomedical field.

Prof. Sherif Edris

Prof. Sherif is Professor of molecular genetics and Genomics, King Abdulaziz University and also the R&D consultant at Al Borg Diagnostics. He has published more than 80 articles in very prestigious journals like Nature biotechnology. His research interests are genome editing, and whole genome/Exome sequencing. Microbiome/metagenomics, metabolomics, Gene expression analysis and epigenetics.

Dr. Eleni Fthenou

Dr. Eleni Fthenou received her PhD from the Medical School of the University of Crete, Greece in 2007 and her BSc in Genetics (Immunology) from the University of Aberdeen in UK in 2003. She has worked as a researcher at the Ministry of Public Health in Qatar, at the Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), Barcelona, Spain; she was a Manager of the Clinical Nutrition and Epidemiology of Diseases Laboratory, at the Department of Social Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Greece.

Currently she holds the position of Scientist at Qatar Biobank for Medical Research, Qatar. She has participated in grants from Qatar National Research Priorities as well as European and US projects such as, NewGeneris, EnvironGenomarkers, HiWate, FAMRI and others. She is the Lead PI of the Qatari Birth Cohort (QBiC) study in Qatar and her main research interest is in gene-environment interactions and molecular epidemiology.

Prof. Mingguang He

Professor Mingguang He is the principal investigator at Centre for Eye Research Australia. He is a global expert in clinical adoption of artificial intelligence in medicine, on this, he has received > $10 million major research grants in Australia, including the prestigious NHMRC investigator Grant and Medical Research Future Fund.

Dr. Joanne M. Hackett

Dr. Joanne M. Hackett is the Vice President of Genomic and Precision Medicine at IQVIA and previously was the Chief Commercial Officer at Genomics England.

Dr. Hackett is a clinical academic, entrepreneur, investor, and a strategic, creative visionair with global experience spanning successful start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. Aside from her curious passion for life and positivity, Joanne is known for building innovation, driving personalized medicine and leading through fast paced, complex changing ecosystems and integrations. Joanne’s goal is to contribute to bringing the world novel, cost effective and simple health care solutions, and she is particularly keen on building the case for prevention, open science and citizen genomics. She has extensive global experience across academic, business and clinical institutions, and enjoys sharing her experiences with the Boards she sits on as well as companies she provides strategic advice to.

Dr. Wouter Hendrickx

Dr. Wouter Hendrickx is an investigator in the immunology, Inflammation and metabolism department and member of the Cancer Precision Medicine Working Group at Sidra Medicine. He is the PI of the Pediatric Cancer Omics Laboratory and has experience in stem cell and cancer research at the universities of Brussels (VUB), Leuven (KUL) and Norwich (UEA). Where he gained an MSc in biomedical Science (2004) and an MSc Bio-informatics (2005) and a PhD in Medical Science respectively (2012).

He has worked on several different projects relating to the tumor micro environment including extensive work on the role of MMP’s and the degradome. He has experience with classic molecular biology techniques as well as advanced 3D cell culture and proteomics technology. At Sidra he has focused since 2014 on the tumor immune micro environment deploying bio-informatic tools to analyze gene-expression data form bulk tumor for immune related signatures and other determinants of the immune phenotype and translating the findings to the wet lab environment. He was a participant of the EU FP6 and PF7 grant framework and is a 2015 QNRF JSREP awardee. Since 2019 he leads Sidra Medicine’s efforts in establishing a Biorepository for Pediatric cancer Patients.

Toby Huang

Toby Huang received his Bsc from Cornell University with a major in Biological Science, where he conducted 4 years of laboratory research in neurobiology and biological engineering. Toby received his Msc Degree in Molecular Biology from National Taiwan University, during which he focused on genomics related research at Academia Sinica, the national research institute of Taiwan.

Before joining MGI Toby was with Genewiz, a global NGS service provider, mainly involved with international sales in the APAC region, and later with Genewiz’s Taiwan distributor AllBio focusing on personalized genomics and precision medicine. Currently at MGI, the division of BGI Group responsible for technology development and manufacturing, he is leading the marketing and business development for the APAC and Middle East regions.

Dr. Philip Jermann

Dr. Philip Jermann is a highly accomplished molecular biologist with an advanced degree in precision oncology. With extensive clinical experience in oncology-related routine molecular testing and translational research, Philip has focused on biomarker discovery to improve patient outcomes.

As an expert in next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies and applications, Dr. Jermann has over 10 years of experience in research, clinical routine diagnostics, and the commercial life science industry. His expertise in NGS has allowed them to make significant contributions to the field of molecular biology and precision medicine.

Dr. Puthen Veettil Jithesh

Dr. Puthen Veettil Jithesh, FRSB is an associate professor at the College of Health and Life Sciences (CHLS) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU). He is currently the program coordinator of the Genomics & Precision Medicine (GPM) MS/PhD programs and chair of the GPM graduate admissions committee, as well as the Chair of faculty recruitment & appointments committee.

Dr. Jithesh holds a Masters degree in microbiology, an Advanced Diploma in bioinformatics, and received his PhD in bioinformatics from Queen’s University Belfast, UK. He has over 20 years of research and development experience in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at several prestigious institutes in India, Qatar, and Russell Group research universities in the United Kingdom. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology in 2022, which is the highest rank of membership in this society.

Dr. Pankaj Khanna

Dr. Pankaj Khanna graduated in Biotechnology in the year 2001 where three research projects at premium research Indian institutes NIN , Bhabha Atomic Research Centre ( BARC ), Department of Atomic Energy and Pasteur institute gave him firsthand exposure in Biochemistry and cell culture, Microbiology, vaccine production and advanced molecular biology.

In 2002, he joined CCMB as junior research fellow where his aim was to dissect genetics of Asthma in Indian Population wherein using clinically defined asthmatic patients were recruited and studied by genomic and molecular biology techniques to understand mechanism and genetic basis of asthma. The asthmatic subjects were studied at DNA, RNA and cytokine repertoire level at different sample types. Pankaj Khanna is currently leading the Research and Development division at Genes2me who has developed 25+ CE marked Oncology, Cardio, Neuro , precision medicines etc. Targeted NGS clinical panels compatible with major NGS platforms along with automated Bioinformatics support.

Dr. Karolina Kobus

Dr. Karolina Kobus is molecular geneticist with more than 14 years of experience in the field of molecular biology, reproductive genetics, prenatal testing, oncogenetics and precision medicine. As ardent believer of personalized medicine, have been creating many awareness and preventive strategies, promote an idea of performing highly advanced specialized testing locally to improve an outcome, optimize and generate a cost savings in the healthcare system.

She previously worked at prestigious governmental institutions such as Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Germany, Human Genetic Department at Charite University Hospital in Germany, National Genetic Centre at Ministry of Health in Oman, where conducted data analysis and interpretation for genetic cases, using Array CGH, Whole Exome Sequencing and Clinical Genomes technologies.

Dr. Nirmal Kumar

Dr. Nirmal Kumar is a highly experienced professional with over 8 years of hands-on experience in Sequencing, Data Analysis, and performing QA/QC activities for Genetic Diagnostics and Next Generation Sequencing. As a Consultant, Dr. Kumar has been instrumental in implementing Advanced Technologies in DNA Sequencing, offering valuable insights and guidance to optimize processes and outcomes.

With a strong background in product management and business development, Dr. Kumar has supported clients worldwide, establishing successful collaborations and partnerships. Dr. Kumar’s domain expertise spans across Genomics, DNA Sequencing, Molecular Biotechnology, Immuno Technology, and Biomedical Instrumentation, enabling a comprehensive understanding of the field and its applications.

Lauren C. Leiman

Lauren C. Leiman is currently the Executive Director of the Blood Profiling Atlas in Cancer (BloodPAC), a consortium focused on creating an open database for liquid biopsies to accelerate the development of safe and effective blood profiling diagnostic technologies for patient benefit. Prior to running BloodPAC, she was the Senior Director of External Partnerships at White House Cancer Moonshot Task Force during the Obama Administration.

Previously, Lauren was a Senior Advisor for the Melanoma Research Alliance and Director of Philanthropy at Elysium Management LLC in New York City. From 2008-2010, Lauren worked for the Millennium Promise Alliance, where she led the major gifts fundraising effort and spent significant time in sub-Saharan Africa. Lauren was also the head of marketing and investor relations at Steel Partners, LP, an activist hedge fund investing globally.

Prof. Milos R. Ljubisavljevic

Prof. Milos R. Ljubisavljevic is a Professor Physiology at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, UAE. Prof. Ljubisavljevic graduated and subsequently received MS and PhD from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Serbia. He also received Clinical Neurophysiology training at the Neurology Clinic, Clinical Center of Serbia. He teaches neuroscience and medical physiology and pathophysiology. He served as a Deputy Director of the Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade, Serbia until 2000.

Among his positions, Prof. Ljubisavljevic was the Head of Laboratory for Experimental Clinical Neurophysiology at the Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade, Serbia. He also served as the Head of Laboratory for Neurophysiology at the Center for Musculoskeletal Diseases, University of Umea and University of Gevle. His research involves physiologic and pathophysiologic mechanisms of cortical plasticity and motor control with special interests in movement disorders. His broader interests include normal and abnormal pain mechanisms. He is a member of the editorial board of Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology. He also serves on various national and international grant review committees and as an ad-hoc reviewer for several international journals.

Dr. Parham Mardi

Dr. Parham Mardi is a Researcher and a dedicated medical doctor working in Sarem Women’s Hospital with a background in research on infertility, its consequences, and management strategies at Alborz University of Medical Sciences and the National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (NIGEB).

Working alongside other scientists to expand the horizons of medical sciences on how infertility is being managed by methods such as IVF and how the outcome can be influenced by approaches such as personalized medicine.

Dr. Darragh McArt

Dr. Darragh McArt, CEO and Founder of Sonrai Analytics, is a thought leader in AI and translationalbioinformatics. His unwavering passion and determination have driven Sonrai’s rise to prominence asa sought-after AI algorithm partner for internationalclients. With a proven track record of success, Darragh’s expertise and dedication have paved the way for innovative advancements in precision medicine.

Prior to founding Sonrai Analytics, Darragh led a team of 12 in brain tumor research and collaborated on cutting-edge clinical trials as a former Reader in Bioinformatics at Queen’s University Belfast.Darragh’s team worked in a range of bioinformatic areas that integrated information to commonplatform spanning concepts from evolutionary algorithms and natural language processing tophylogenetics and evolution. With a PhD in Bioinformatics and numerous publications on the use of AI in healthcare, Darragh is dedicated to making a real impact in advancing the field and improving patient outcomes andcontinuously pushes the boundaries of what’s possible in AI and translational bioinformatics.

Ms. Rachel McArthur

Rachel McArthur is a Dubai-based healthcare journalist, editor, and MC/moderator, with 15+ years of experience in digital, print and broadcast media. She is the founder and managing editor of Digital Ink Media, a publisher that curates exclusive and custom content – including editorial copy, photography, and video – for some of the region’s best-known media outlets and brands.

Rachel has edited/been published in titles such as The Washington Post, HIMSS Media, Thomson Reuters, Wamda, Arab News, and Zawya. A qualified medical journalist, Rachel has a keen interest in all areas of healthcare, particularly advances in pharma and biotech, digital health, and healthtech. Fluent in English and Arabic, she is a member of the Medical Journalists’ Association (UK), and the Association of Health Care Journalists (USA).

Tonya McSherry

Tonya McSherry is director of New Markets at Oxford Nanopore Technologies with a focus on enabling the technology across the clinical and applied markets.

Tonya started her genomic career supporting the development of a newborn screening test for SCID followed by use of whole genome sequencing to understand complex diseases such as diabetes before supporting the advancement of many large-scale genome studies across Europe. With a passion to see a change in standard of care with genomics, Tonya is dedicated to improving health outcomes and sustainability which will transform today’s society.

Dr. Michel Mesquita

Dr. Michel, CEO and co-founder of L&M Data Science, holds a dual degree in medicine and engineering. Drawing on 20+ years of functional neuroimaging and electrophysiology expertise, he is now leveraging neuroimaging and AI to generate groundbreaking solutions for analysing the impact of drugs on the brain.

Dr. M. Walid Qoronfleh

Dr. M. Walid Qoronfleh is currently the Executive Director of the US-based non-profit Q3CG Research Institute (QRI) and a Senior Director at 21HealthStreet, London, UK. Prior, he was the Director of Healthcare Research and Policy at Qatar Foundation. Dr. Qoronfleh is engaged in research areas that are of immediate global and provincial healthcare relevance including the MENA region.

His research is undertaken with a view to positively impacting healthcare research outcomes, health care innovation and health policies at the national level. These areas include Precision Medicine, Non-Communicable Diseases, Mental Health, Patient Safety, and Bioethics. He has over 30 years of scientific, technology, business, and commercial experience. He has held in the USA several senior management and executive positions with increasing responsibilities at a number of companies including GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Sanofi, NIH-NCI, ThermoFisher, NextGen Sciences, SDIX and University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, with a particular focus on precision medicine and information management.

Dr. Mohammad Saberi

Dr. Mohammad Saberi is a Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Health Data Science. He is now the Director of the Health Data Science Lab in the Department of Genetics and Genomics, College of Medicine and Health Science, UAE University.

His research area includes Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology. He applies his research area in fields such as Genomics, Rare Diseases, Cancer, Metabolic Engineering, and Drug Repurposing.

Dr. Ofer Sharon

Dr. Ofer Sharon, MD, is the CEO of OncoHost, a life science technology company that has developed PROphet®, a plasma-based proteomic pattern recognition tool that combines system biology, bioinformatics, and machine learning (ML) to support clinical decision making.

Sharon is a physician and entrepreneur with over two decades of experience in clinical research, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology, and has made vital contributions to the acceleration of personalized medicine and oncology drug development. Prior to joining OncoHost, Sharon served multiple roles in global pharmaceuticals, including AstraZeneca and MSD (Merck), and co-founded several healthcare companies centered on bioinformatic and machine learning platforms for clinical deterioration detection and early intervention.

Dr. Steven Quistad 

Dr. Steven Quistad performed his doctoral work at San Diego State University in the laboratory of Forest Rohwer focusing on viruses, corals, and the origins of the animal immune system. He then moved to ESPCI Paris for his postdoctoral work as a Marie Sklodowska-Curie fellow in the lab of Paul Rainey where he investigated the impact of horizontal gene transfer on the evolution of microbial communities. Finally, he joined DNA Script in 2019 where he is currently a Senior Applications Scientist.

Dr. Ali Tinazli

Dr. Ali Tinazli is the CEO of Lifespin, a Deep Data Company Mapping Human Health with Next-Generation Metabolomics.

Dr. Ali has a deep background in the science and business of biomedicine and healthcare as well as technology convergence between digital/consumer technologies and healthcare. 15+ years in Fortune 100 corporate strategy and entrepreneurship (SONY, HP) and a board member at start-ups ranging from cybersecurity to oncology.

Technology Sessions Speakers bios are listed in the alphabetical order.

• Dr. Houari Abdesselem
• Dr. Ibrahim Abu-Gheida
• Dr. Dzihan Abazovic
• Dr. Fouad Alshaban
• Dr. Yasser AlSarraj
• Dr. Traif Awad
• Dr. Karmen Bolaeva
• Dr. Raffaela Campana
• Dr. Anupam J Das

• Dr. Vishal Dixit
• Dr. Dwight Garvin
• Dr. Hitesh Goswami
• Dr. Gregory Guirimand
• Dr. Niall Hickey
• Dr. Nikhat Khan
• Dr. Zenah Chaban Kabakibo
• Dr. Jamie Li
• Dr. Lova Satyanarayana Matsa

• Dr. Mehdi Mobarek
  
• Dr. Khaid Ouararhni
  
• Dr. Marco Pirotta
• Dr. Christian Roghi
• Dr. Rifaat Rawashdeh
• Dr. Seung-Yong Seong
• Dr. Fadi Younis
• Dr. Benjamin Usai

Dr. Houari B. Abdesselem

Dr. Houari Abdesselem obtained his PhD degree in Biology from the University of Konstanz, Germany in 2009. His doctoral training in Prof. Stürmer’s laboratory focused on the role and function of myelin-associated proteins in vertebrate nervous system regeneration. He then moved to the US to conduct postdoctoral training at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, and at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, where he investigated the role of microRNAs and semaphorin neuronal guidance molecules in the developing nervous system and neuronal cell death.

In 2012, he moved to Qatar to join Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar as a postdoctoral research fellow to study the function of SIRT1 protein in obesity, and preadipocyte senescence. In 2016, Dr. Abdesselem was offered the position of Laboratory Manager at Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI) to manage the Neurological Disorders Research Center (NDRC) laboratories, and Prof. El-Agnaf’s research team working on Parkinson’s disease. He made very significant contributions to the success of his research group in developing novel tools to understand the molecular pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease. Dr. Abdesselem has also managed and established from scratch new NDRC laboratories at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU).

Dr. Ibrahim Abu-Gheida 

Dr. Abu-Gheida is a Radiation Oncology Staff Physician at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.  He also serves as a regional Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) committee representative for the Middle East and Africa.  Dr. Abu-Gheida completed his undergraduate training where he earned a Bachelor of Science with honors degree from the American University of Beirut. Following which Dr. Abu-Gheida completed his Medical School training at the American University of Beirut Medical Center.

He continued and joined the Department of Internal Medicine at the American University of Beirut. Then did his training in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the American University of Beirut Medical Center, where he served also as the chief resident. During his Training, Dr. Abu-Gheida completed a Harvard-affiliated NIH-funded research program as well. After his residency, Dr. Ibrahim went to Cleveland Clinic / Ohio, where he was appointed as an Advanced Clinical Radiation Oncology Fellow. Dr. Ibrahim has more than 35 peer-reviewed papers in the prestigious medical journal including the American Society of Radiation Oncology official journal – International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology and Physics, Nature, Journal of Clinical Oncology, and several others.

Dr. Dzihan Abazovic

Dr. Fouad Alshaban

Dr. Alshaban works on applying epidemiological methods to investigate and evaluate the burden of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) on Qatari families and other families residing in Qatar. He began studying prevalence rates of ASD and all contributing risk factors associated with the disorder. From this, he established the first ASD registry in Qatar. His current focus is on the development of innovative screening and diagnostic tools using eye-tracking technology in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic.

Moreover, Dr. Alshaban’s work includes translating and validating the Arabic version of the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ), which is a gold standard tool for ASD diagnosis. Additionally, he recently established a commercial partnership with the American company Argus Cognitive Inc. to co-develop the first Arabic digital phenotyping for social communication behaviors as a diagnostic tool for ASD, using machine learning and artificial intelligence to be used in conjunction with ADOS-2 diagnostic tool.

Dr. Yasser AlSarraj

Dr. Yasser Al-Sarraj earned his Ph.D. Degree in Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) from the College of Science & Engineering, Hamid Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar (2021). He joined King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSH&RC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and worked as Research Technical Assistant between 2005 and 2006. In 2007, he was appointed as a Research Assistant at Shafallah Medical Genetics Center (SMGC), Doha, Qatar, where he participated in diagnostic testing and scientific medical genetics research.

In 2014 he moved to QBRI as a Senior Research Associate. Dr. Al-Sarraj works as Research Specialist and sequencing head at Qatar Genome Program (QGP). Yasser’s research investigates the genetics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Besides, He is involved in several national and international research projects in genetics and population genetics, such as the Qatar Genome Research Consortium and the COVID-19 host genetics initiative. His essential contribution to this is in the molecular genetic identification approaches and the bioinformatics data analysis applications.

Dr. Tarif Awad

Dr. Tarif Awad is Vice President for Scientific Affairs at Olink Proteomics. He leads a team of scientists responsible for collaborations and strategic partnerships, aimed at advancing the use of proteomics studies in basic research and pharmaceutical development. Dr. Awad spent much of his career helping expand the utility and global availability of various genomics platforms and applications, from basic and translational research into clinical diagnostics.

Before joining Olink, He served scientific and strategic roles for biotech tool providers including Affymetrix, Sequenom, and Thermo Fisher Scientific. Dr. Awad is a cell and molecular biologist, holds a PhD from the University of Washington in Seattle, and postdoctoral training from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center also in Seattle. He lives in San Francisco, California.

Dr. Kermen Bolaeva

Dr. Kermen Bolaeva is representing New England Biolabs, in the region of Middle East and CIS, since 2022. She obtained her Master Degree at Moscow State University, and her Doctor degree in Molecular Biology in 2013, thanks to Marie Curie Research Training Network. Since that Kermen was reading lectures, and for 9 years was working as technical support specialist, product & application specialist in life-science and diagnostical projects.

Kermen is interested to spread knowledge and techniques supported by New England Biolabs. She will gladly talk about NEB’s products online and in person, according to any lab request. Most actual are topics of novel approaches for NGS library preparation (including Methyl-Seq) seamless cloning technologies and streamlining of molecular biology protocols.

Dr. Raffaela Campana

Dr. Raffaela Campana has a sound background in the field of allergology. She has completed her PhD thesis in molecular and cellular allergology at the Medical University of Vienna. Her research work has a strong focus on molecular and immunological characterization of allergens and allergen derivatives, protein and peptide chemistry, cellular, cytokine and antibody-based assays, developing and using tests for the diagnosis of allergic diseases.

In addition, she is very experience in planning and conducting clinical and animal studies. Currently, she works as Product Manager at Macro Array Diagnostics (Vienna, Austria) and also a University Lecturer teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students at the Medical Medical University of Vienna.

Dr. Vishal Dixit

 Dr. Vishal is an Application Scientist  from Twist Bioscience focussing on NGS Library Prep solutions for epigenetics, targets for personalised medicine in the field of Oncology such as Liquid Biopsy (MRD) and Complex Diseases such as neuro and metabolic disorders. With a proven scientific record in epigenomics and benchmarking NGS methods from bench to bedside. Vishal loves to utilize his scientific knowledge to solve complex genomic questions and assist customers for their new clinical and R&D genomic projects.

Dr. Dwight Garvin

Dr. Dwight Garvin is Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer for medSR, a business division of CareCloud. He is responsible for leading the strategic business initiatives and divisional operations to achieve profitability goals, drive revenues and maximize the performance of medSR and CareCloud. Prior to his role at CareCloud, he managed strategic operations at AthenaHealth, Cerner, Deloitte Consulting, and Baptist Health System. Mr. Garvin joined CareCloud, formerly MTBC, in 2018 as Vice President of Professional Services and later served as the Senior Vice President, Professional Services in 2021, Chief Operating Officer of medSR in October 2021, and Executive Vice President of medSR in June 2022.

He brings 30 years of extensive experience in sales innovation, business contract negotiations, analyzing financial reports, and minimizing company expenses without compromising customer satisfaction to deliver high-quality operations. Mr. Garvin received his Bachelor of Science degrees in Medical Technology and in Clinical Laboratory Science from Auburn University and his Master of Business Administration in business administration, management, and operations from the University of Alabama, Manderson Graduate School of Business.

Dr. Hitesh Goswami

Hitesh is a co-founder and CEO of 4basecare. He oversees operations across complete business cycle – Clinical oncology, Research and Development, Collaborations, Genomics, Technology, Business development, Sales operations and other Corporate functions. Hitesh is also co-founder of leading Genome “IT” company, Bionivid Technology (founded in 2011) which provides niche IT solutions to handle Genomics BIG DATA challenges which includes analytics, data processing, storage and training / education and awareness in the domain of Genomics and Genome Informatics.

Hitesh has 12+ years of experience in pharma drug discovery and Genomics. Prior to his entrepreneur journey, Hitesh was part of High throughput screening and drug discovery team at Piramal Lifesciences (then called Nicholas Piramal Research Centre) working on identifying novel small molecules and formulations for their efficacy in therapeutic areas like Cancer, Inflammation and Diabetes.

Dr. Gregory Guirimand

Dr. Gregory Guirimand is a Lead Researcher at the Biotechnology Research Center of the Technology Innovation Institute (TII) and an expert in molecular biology for the development of yeast cell factories for the bio-production of anticancer natural products. With over a decade of experience in the field, Dr. Guirimand has made significant contributions to bio-production, including the development of recombinant yeast cell factories for the bio-production of vindoline and catharanthine.

Dr. Gregory has also contributed to the optimization of xylitol production in yeast through various metabolic engineering approaches. He has held several academic positions, including Research Fellow at the LE STUDIUM Loire Valley Institute for Advanced Studies, Guest Researcher at the University of Tours, and Assistant Professor at Kobe University. Gregory’s research on the cellular and subcellular mechanisms involved in the germination of parasitic weed Orobanche minor and the biosynthetic pathway of anticancer alkaloids from Madagascar periwinkle is groundbreaking. 

Dr. Niall Hickey

Dr. Niall holds a PhD in Microbiology from Manchester Metropolitan University and has a strong background in diagnostic laboratory work and Contract Research Organization (CRO) settings. At Bionano, he collaborate with Optical Genome Mapping users to provide scientific support in elucidating structural and chromosomal aberrations in a wide range of applications.

Dr. Niall’s expertise in microbiology and experience working in diagnostic laboratories and CROs has positioned him as a valuable asset to the Bionano team. He works closely with Optical Genome Mapping users, providing scientific support to help these users achieve greater resolution than conventional cytogenetics in his research.

Dr. Nikhat Khan

Dr. Nikhat Khan is a highly accomplished and experienced professional in the field of genomics. Her expertise spans across a diverse range of genetics and genomics, including Cancer Genetics and Genomics, Consumer Genomics, and Pharmacogenomics. With a proven track record in her field, Dr. Khan is recognized as a seasoned expert, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to every project she undertakes. She has established herself as a leader in the field and has made significant contributions to the advancement of genomics research and practice.

Dr. Khan’s work in Cancer Genetics and Genomics has been particularly noteworthy. Her research in this area has led to groundbreaking discoveries, paving the way for new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to cancer treatment. Her expertise in Consumer Genomics and Pharmacogenomics has also been highly valued, as she has helped to develop new products and services that enable individuals to better understand their genetic makeup and tailor their healthcare accordingly.

Dr. Zenah Chaban Kabakibo

Dr. Zenah Chaban Kabakibo is a highly motivated and accomplished professional with a diverse background in clinical lab work and biology research projects, providing her with valuable experiences that translate across multiple fields.

With a passion for learning and excellent communication skills, she is a self-motivated learner who can work well as part of a team or independently. Her problem-solving abilities are evident through her strong technical capabilities, which enable her to easily comprehend new technologies while effectively communicating them to others.

Dr. Jamie Li

Dr. Jamie Li is a seasoned professional with over 5 years of experience in the life science industry. She possesses extensive expertise in product roadmap planning and marketing promotion for NGS genetic testing. Her unwavering commitment lies in cancer early screening, with a particular focus on cervical cancer, breast cancer, and colorectal cancer.

Jamie has actively participated in numerous early cancer screening projects in China, involving tens of thousands of individuals. Her dedication to advancing early detection and screening methods underscores her passion for improving healthcare outcomes in cancer prevention.

Dr. Lova Satyanarayana Matsa

Dr. Lova is a highly skilled geneticist with extensive experience in clinical samples referred for NGS based assays. With explicit knowledge of ACMG and AMP guidelines, Dr. Lova excels at NGS data analysis and interpretation, performing clinical correlation of gene/variant with patient phenotype, and variant classification. Dr. Lova provides technical consultation on the right Genetic tests and interacts with clinicians to address their queries related to genetic tests.

With a passion for concept-based teaching, Dr. Lova enjoys teaching basic principles of genetics and biology to students of life sciences and medicine. Dr. Lova has published research in high-impact peer-reviewed journals, identifying novel disease-causing mutations in the MYH7, MYBPC3, and ANKRD1 genes and disease-associated polymorphisms in the NOS3 and ET1 genes.

Dr. Mehdi Mobarek

Dr. Khaid Ouararhni

Dr. Khalid Ouararhni received his master’s degree in molecular and cellular biology from Pierre et Marie Curie University, Paris in 2002, and his Ph.D. from the Faculty of Medicine of Paris XI University in 2007. His Ph.D. dissertation was on the role of epigenetics in cancer. He then completed a post-doctoral fellowship at IGBMC in Strasbourg, where he focused on elucidating the role of nuclear receptors in oncogenesis.   

In 2011, Dr. Ouararhni joined the epigenetic research group at IGBMC. He started leading an important project on the role of histone variants and methylation in gene regulation and genome integrity. He made several significant breakthroughs in the field of epigenetics. In 2017, Dr. Ouararhni joined the Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), research institute under Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), as the Manager of the Cancer Research Center. In 2020, Dr. Ouararhni was appointed as as genomics core manager. He has extensive experience in NGS technologies.

Dr. Marco Pirotta

Dr. Marco Pirotta has started as a Field Application Specialist for Sequencing and real-time qPCR, before moving into various Business Development positions in the field of Genetic Analysis covering various countries in Europe and Emerging regions. In these positions he covered the product portfolios for Sanger and Next-Generation Sequencing, MicroArray, as well as real-time qPCR and digital PCR technologies. He is currently the Sales Leader for the Genetic Sciences Business in distributor managed regions.

Dr. Christian Roghi

Dr. Christian is a sought-after thought leader in the field of strategic development and transformation management. With a background in both microbiome and cancer research, as well as business development and sales, Christian brings a unique perspective to the world of strategy design and execution. He is an analytical strategist with a talent for collaborative innovation and has a proven track record of transforming ideas into successful realities.

Dr. Roghi has a talent for forging strategic partnerships and developing customer relationships that drive growth and create new opportunities. With a background in management consultancy and a deep understanding of system thinking, he is a go-to resource for businesses seeking to optimize their operations and maximize their potential. Whether working on new product development, project implementation, or sales strategy, Dr. Roghi is always on the cutting edge of the latest trends and technologies, offering sharp insights and actionable recommendations that drive success.

Dr. Rifaat Rawashdeh

Dr. Rifaat Rawashdeh works as a licensed/American board certified clinical genetic counselor at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Through his work, he offers genetic counseling services to various genetic/genomic indications, including but not restricted to: cancer genetics, genetic eye disorders, cardiovascular genetics, endocrine genetics, and many more.

Mr. Rawashdeh has fifteen years of international clinical, academic and administrative experience in genetic counseling and molecular laboratory diagnostics. Mr. Rawashdeh has authored a number of peer reviewed publications in the field of genetics and genetic counseling. He contributes regularly at scientific workshops and conferences in MENA and the USA, and is an active member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors (USA).

Dr. Seung-Yong Seong

Dr. Seung-Yong Seong is a South Korean immunologist and microbiologist known for his study of innate immune system response and his development of the damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) model of immune response initiation in collaboration with Polly Matzinger.

Seong is also known for his research on the bacterium Orientia tsutsugamushi and his research on immunological adjuvant when he was a student. Since 2013 he has served as Director of the Wide River Institute of Immunology – Seoul National University in conjunction with his Professor position in the Microbiology and Immunology department of Seoul National University College of Medicine. In 2012, he became Editor in Chief of the World Journal of Immunology.

Dr. Fadi Younis

Dr. Younis exemplifies an individual with exceptional organizational skills and a strong inclination to control and analyze the world with structure and discipline. Fadi has an unwavering belief in doing everything the right way and possess a remarkable sensitivity to errors or unfairness. With a highly observant nature and a single-minded focus, Dr. Younis approaches their role with precision. Dr. Younis is self-motivated, open-minded, and display exemplary social etiquette, patience, and ambition. Dr. Younis readily embraces new concepts, handles them adeptly, and consistently strives for excellence.