Collaborations

EVMC is continuously building close national and international partnerships with universities and research centers. Collaborations have already been initiated in Qatar with recognized institutions such as: Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Qatar University, Sidra Medicine, and Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar.

The international partners are Cornell Veterinary Medicine (New York, USA), University of Florida (USA), Royal Veterinary College (London, UK), Universidad de Rio Cuarto (Argentina), School of Veterinary Medicine Kitasato University, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (Japan), and University of Kentucky (Lexington, USA).

Qatar Equine Biobank

The Qatar Equine Biobank focuses on the extraction, preservation, long term storage, and future retrieval of DNA samples. The sequencing of the equine genome in 2009 has allowed scientists to better understand the relationship between domesticated horse breeds, and to identify and study inherited diseases within the Arabian horse, as well as other horse breeds.

Horses around EVMC will first be screened and their phenotype described. The ultimate goal is to achieve a repertoire of all horses in Qatar and to obtain samples every year, correlated to the growth of the equine population.

The goal of establishing an equine biobank in Qatar is to contribute to three areas:

• Disease Research
• Conservation
• Breeding for Performance

The primary objective is to enable local scientists to conduct research on prevalent equine diseases in Qatar. The potential of a biobank is broad, as it also contributes to breeding improvement programs as well as correlating the genotype with the phenotype. Through its collection of samples and information on the equine health and lifestyle, the equine biobank makes vital health research possible for scientists in Qatar, the region, and the world.

The Qatari equine biobank will play a vital role in helping to prevent and improve treatment of diseases that affect the equine local community. In the future, the biobank will expand to different equine tissue sources, microbial and plasma, among others. The biobank will be a driving force in developing research projects that most target the equine population in Qatar.

1^st Place award has been received on the poster "Establishment of an Equine Biobank" presented at the International Biobanking Conference held in Qatar in march 2019.