Biotechnology Centre researcher completes her training at WCMC-Q

A Qatari researcher from Biotechnology Centre, Ministry of Environment, has been honored after completing three months’ training with Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q).

Ameena Al Malki, who works in the Ministry’s Biotechnology Centre, received her certificate marking the completion of her training in genetic sequencing and DNA analysis. The collaboration between WCMC-Q and the Ministry’s Biotechnology Centre is the latest in the college’s mission to help further research capacity in Qatar.

Dr Khaled Machaca, associate dean for research at WCMC-Q, said: “The goal for this was to really focus on one of the main aims of WCMC-Q’s research department which is to increase human capacity in research in the country. Ameena now has expertise in genomics that she can take back to the Biotechnology Center to work on projects there that are in the national interest for Qatar.”

The training was the first in what is hoped will be a long, collaborative relationship with the Biotechnology Centre. Mr. Masoud Al Marri, director of the Biotechnology Centre, said: “We needed to increase our capacity and this was why we arranged for our researcher to come to WCMC-Q,”.

He added that the experience has allowed Ameena to learn new techniques and systems and also to familiarize herself with a next-generation genetic sequencer, which the Biotechnology Centre will soon be acquiring. Ameena’s placement with WCMC-Q involved her working on the genomes of the date palm and the oryx.

She said her time at the college had been extremely interesting and of huge benefit to her work with the Biotechnology Centre. She added: “I’ve really enjoyed it. I’ve made a lot of friends and everyone on the lab has helped me when I needed it. Thanks are also due to Dr Machaca for giving me the opportunity to learn and study here.”

Ameena’s training was conducted under the supervision of Dr Joel Malek, director of WCMC-Q’s Genomics Core. He said she had been an excellent student. He said: “She has been working on the genetics of the date palm and the oryx. She has done very well, she is really driven, a true scientist. She was always coming to my office with ideas which is really what you need – Ameena is really creative and to me that’s a very important feature in science as if we keep doing the same thing we will get the same results.”

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