Qatar wants to become a leader in genomics

Qatar Genome Programme, a project paid for by the former emir’s wife, say they want their Gulf state to become, in terms of genetics, “the Iceland of the Middle East”. For a thousand years, Icelanders have kept detailed records of how everyone is related to everyone else. These leafy family trees and the country’s genetic homogeneity helped Iceland become a pioneer in genomics. Qatar, a country with roughly the same population (excluding foreign residents), hopes to become a genetics powerhouse, too. Its neighbours are following suit. The Qatar Genome Programme has already sequenced the genomes of nearly one in ten Qataris. It aims to sequence one in three by 2026. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates () are expanding their schemes as well.