Introduction

Allah, the Almighty, created humans in a dignified stature, empowered them to surpass His creations, entrusted them with careful utilization and enhancement of provisions He made available, and mandated them to prosper the planet.

Health and wellbeing underpin humans’ ability to realize their potential. His Royal Highness the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques has placed the development of healthcare sector at the top of the governments priorities to ensure and augment the wellbeing of our nation.

Launch of the Saudi Genome Program implemented by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) is a testament to the Government’s attention to the nations’ healthcare services. This program aims at reducing and preventing genetic diseases via implementing reliable screening and detection methods, and creating the physical and legislative infrastructure for development of personalized medicine. This is a substantial medical leap aimed at detecting the genes responsible for genetic diseases in the Kingdom.

Saudi Genome Program Objectives

• Building a genetic database for the Saudi population.
• Limit and prevent the genetic diseases in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
• Enabling scientists and researchers to benefit from the genetic information in the program.
• Determining the genetic variants and utilizing them to develop diagnostic and prevention tools to reduce the incidences genetic diseases, and enhancing the community’s well- being.
• Establishing an advanced infrastructure in the field of genomics and bioinformatics.
• Improving treatment methods based on the patient’s genetic makeup.
• Utilizing next generation sequencing technologies to collect and analyze 100 thousand samples.
• Training and developing national cadres in the field of genomics.