QBRI holds workshop to raise awareness on Alzheimer’s disease
Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), a Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) research institute, recently held an interactive workshop titled ‘Memories Matter’ at the HBKU Research Complex. Held in collaboration with the Geriatric Department at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), the exercise sought to answer questions surrounding Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and debunk any misconceptions with a series of activities exploring the positive outcomes of ongoing research in the field.
The event also shed light on the research being carried out at QBRI’s Neurological Disorders Research Center with a focus on neurodegenerative diseases, HBKU has said in a statement. QBRI’s acting executive director Dr Omar El-Agnaf pointed out that Institute has been long positioned as a pioneering national research institute that aims to improve healthcare through innovation in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases.
“Our ‘Memories Matters’ workshop aims to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s disease and highlight QBRI’s research on the illness. Our workshops are becoming increasingly popular among caregivers in Doha who are looking for real professional development opportunities. An overarching aim for this workshop and our Alzheimer’s disease campaign was to raise awareness among the general public and dispel many common myths about the disease.”
The highlight of the event was a workshop conducted by Dr Mani Chandran, senior consultant geriatric psychiatrist at the Department of Geriatric Medicine at HMC. He covered various aspects of AD — including early signs and symptoms, real-life scenarios, challenges faced by caregivers and the need to fight the associated stigma.
Noora Jaidah from HBKU’s Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute was a champion for the cause of those afflicted with AD and briefed participants on the emotional difficulties faced by family members of those affected by the condition, as well as the efforts being taken to form a support group for such families in Qatar.
QBRI’s Neurological Disorders Research Center enables various stakeholders to carry out extensive research on Alzheimer’s disease, measure the prevalence of the disease in the region and establish more effective diagnoses and better treatments, with the hope of ultimately finding a permanent cure, the statement notes.
The research conducted at the centre is a precursor to identifying genetic and biological markers unique to the Arab population, to aid early diagnosis. Much work is also being conducted on neurological disorders that affect the younger population, in areas such as autism.
QBRI operations are focused on applying integrative and multidisciplinary approaches to deliver novel insights into the molecular basis of the health challenges of diabetes, neurological disorders and breast cancer, and the development of novel biomarkers, diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.