RareBoost Seminar – Prof. Younes Mokrab, Sidra Medicine
On November 3rd at 11:00, Prof. Younes Mokrab will give a seminar titled “Translational Genomics and Multiomics Empower Disease and Population Diversity Studies in Arab Populations” at the IBG Meeting Room 3004. The seminar can also be viewed online, please scan the QR code on the flyer or click here to register.
Prof. Mokrab is the Head of the Medical and Population Genomics Lab, and Director of the Neuroscience Research Program at Sidra Medicine, where his research integrates genomics, electronic health records, and medical imaging to uncover the genetic architecture of diseases, particularly within Middle Eastern populations.
In this seminar, Prof. Mokrab will discuss Sidra Medicine’s work with the Qatar Precision Health Institute to advance translational genomics in Arab and Middle Eastern populations, building a deeply characterized cohort on rare and neurodevelopmental disorders to uncover novel genomic features and disease mechanisms.
We look forward to your participation!
Seminar Abstract
At Sidra Medicine, in partnership with the Qatar Precision Health Institute, we are advancing translational genomics and multiomics to map the genetic diversity of Arab and Middle Eastern populations. Leveraging the latest technologies of genomic, phenotypic profiling and data science, and working closely with regional collaborators, we are building a deeply characterized cohort of diverse ancestries on rare and neurodevelopmental disorders. We are leveraging long-read sequencing to build high-quality assemblies to reveal novel sequences, founder mutations, and structural variants missed by conventional short-read approaches, while highlighting extensive homozygosity and unique genomic features shaped by regional demographic history. Building on these genomic foundations, we integrate large-scale transcriptomic and clinical data to connect genetic variation with gene expression, splicing, and disease phenotypes. This unified framework enables the discovery of novel genes and pathways underlying rare and common diseases, while capturing allele frequency patterns distinctive to Arab subpopulations. Together, these efforts establish population-specific genomic references and integrative multiomic resources that deepen our understanding of disease architecture, enrich global genomic diversity, and advance translational genome medicine in the Middle East and worldwide.
About Prof. Mokrab
Prof. Younes Mokrab is Principal Investigator, Head of the Medical and Population Genomics Lab, and Director of the Neuroscience Research Program at Sidra Medicine. He also holds academic appointments at Weill Cornell Medicine–Qatar and Qatar University. His research integrates genomics, electronic health records, and medical imaging to investigate population structure, disease risk, and the genetic architecture of disorders, with a strong focus on Middle Eastern populations.
Prof. Mokrab earned his BSc in Genetics from the University of Sheffield (2003) and a PhD in Bioinformatics from the University of Cambridge (2007) under Prof. Tom Blundell, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Oxford with Prof. Mark Sansom (2010). He later worked in the pharmaceutical industry at Lonza Biologics and Eli Lilly, leading early-stage neuropsychiatry drug discovery. Since joining Sidra Medicine in 2015, he has co-founded the Qatar Genome Program Research Consortium and spearheaded national and international collaborations in population and medical genetics. He has authored 60+ publications in leading journals, including Nature and Cell, and is a recipient of multiple grants and awards.