The Center for Control and Control of Corona Virus in Dubai reported that studying the first complete genomic sequence of the virus in the country from a patient with Covid-19 in Dubai revealed that the virus was from the same subfamily that was reported for the first time in China, and the sequence was Closest to a strain that was reported in a patient in Illinois, USA, on February 12, the study will in the future be able to know the effectiveness of drugs or vaccines and the extent of response to them based on the DNA of the virus.
The center assured to «Emirates Today» that the Dubai Health Authority is currently carrying out a number of research aimed at supporting a strategy and efforts to respond to the (Covid-19) pandemic, through specialized work teams that include doctors, and research staff from the authority and the private sector.
For his part, Deputy Director of the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, for Academic Affairs, member of the Emirates Scholars Council and Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Control and Control Center, Dr. Alwi Sheikh Ali, said that registering the first sequence of the genome (Covid-19) for a patient in Dubai is an important step towards studying Collaborative research between the Mohammed bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, the Health Authority in Dubai, and the genome center at the Jalila Children's Hospital, which will include 240 patients of different age groups and different stages of disease severity.
He stated that the study has three main goals: determining the full genetic footprint of the virus that causes (Covid-19) in infected patients in Dubai, and thus determining the pattern of the epidemic in the country, knowing the relationship between specific strains of the virus and the symptoms, or the age and sex of the patient, as well as the study will enable In the future, I know the effectiveness of drugs or vaccines and how they respond to them based on the DNA.
For his part, the consultant for medical education and research at the Dubai Health Authority, Dr. Abdul Majeed Saif Al Khaja, confirmed that the authority worked to support cooperation efforts with all academic research institutions, as it took charge of the departments concerned to provide positive samples for the injured, and medical data for patients (after completing the procedures And scientific standards used in this regard) to support all research provided by the Mohammed bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, the United Arab Emirates University and the Khalifa University of Science and Technology.
He continued that the authority was keen on expediting the evaluation of the submitted researches, granting them ethical approval to conduct research, and unifying efforts between research teams to provide human and financial efforts to carry out various researches in the country to support the state and emirate's strategy to combat (Covid-19).
Al-Khaja added that the medical and technical staff in the authority are stationed in the front row, and provide diagnostic and medical services required of them and at the same time undertake research work on (Covid-19) and participate with academic research institutions, explaining that there are eight doctors from the authority within the research team to study the sequence The genome of the Corona virus in the UAE with the research team from the Mohammed bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences and the genome center of the Jalila Children's Hospital.
He stated that the study "studying the genome sequencing of the Corona virus in the UAE" is one of the most important researches in the country, and it includes three different stages that start with taking samples from the infected and diagnosing the disease in the authority's laboratories, and then therapeutic follow-up for patients with (Covid-19) in the care departments Critical, medical departments in the hospitals of the authority, and then the stage of studying genome sequencing and analysis, and is carried out in the research laboratory at the Mohammed bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, and the genome center in the Jalila Children's Hospital.
Specialized teams
Medical Education and Research Adviser for the Health Authority in Dubai, Dr. Abdul Majeed Saif Al Khaja, stated that the Authority is currently carrying out a number of research that aims to support the strategy and efforts to respond to the pandemic (Covid-19), and this research will be undertaken by specialized teams of doctors and research staff from the Authority And the private sector.