The Implementation of an Integrated Management System at Qatar Biobank

Qatar Biobank (QBB) is a platform that will make vital health research possible through its collection of samples and information on health and lifestyle from the local population of Qatar. The goal of QBB is to collect, process, store, and finally share high-quality biological samples and associated data for research purposes with the research community. To do this, a series of standardized procedures following evidence-based practices are required, and QBB is achieving this by implementing an integrated management system (IMS) that incorporates ISO 9001: 2015 and ISO 27001: 2013 standards. ISO 9001 is one of the most commonly implemented quality management systems as it is applicable to any size of organization. ISO 27001: 2013 is increasingly popular as organizations look to manage their data and information security, especially in the light of the recent General Data Protection Regulation legislation and an ever-changing digital landscape. QBB has achieved certification in both ISO 9001: 2015 (originally 2008 standard) and ISO 27001: 2013 since 2014. In 2016, during preparations for recertification of both standards in 2017, QBB chose to integrate both of the management systems in preference to running them in parallel, without compromising the goals and objectives of QBB. The IMS has ensured that rigorous processes and controls are implemented to not only manage the quality of internal and external processes and services provided, but the privacy and confidentiality of data collected during a participant visit are consistently protected as well as a proactive approach to identifying and managing risk within the organization. This article will explore the impact of implementing an IMS on the continuous improvement of services within QBB

The epidemiology of viral hepatitis in Qatar

Viral hepatitis is a major public health problem in many countries all over the world and especially in Middle East, Asia, East-Europe, and Africa. The aim of our study was to assess the incidence of viral hepatitis A, B and C in Qatar and compare it with other countries. This is a retrospective cohort study, which was conducted at Hamad General Hospital, State of Qatar from 2002-2006. Patients who were screened and diagnosed with viral hepatitis were included in this study. The diagnostic classification of definite viral hepatitis was made in accordance with criteria based on the International Classification of Disease tenth revision (ICD-10). A total of 527 cases of hepatitis C, 396 cases of hepatitis B, 162 cases of hepatitis A and 108 cases of unspecified were reported during the year 2006. Reported incidence rate per 10,000 populations during the year 2006 for hepatitis A was 1.9, hepatitis B 4.7, and Hepatitis C 6.3. The proportion of hepatitis B and C was significantly higher in male population than females across the years (2002-2006). Hepatitis A was more prevalent in children below 15 years (72.3%), hepatitis B in adults aged above 15 years, and hepatitis C in the population above 35 years of age. The incidence of hepatitis A has been declining in Qataris and increasing in expatriates. There was a significant relationship in gender and age group of the patients with hepatitis A, B and C. We conclude that hepatitis has become a national health issue in Qatar. The incidence rate of hepatitis in Qatar is comparable to its neighboring countries, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. There is a need for further research on hepatitis and the associated risk factors

Qatar Biobank Cohort Study: Study Design and First Results.

The authors describe the design, implementation and results of Qatar Biobank (QBB) for the first 10,000 participants. QBB is a prospective population-based cohort study in Qatar, established in 2012. QBB's primary goal was to establish a cohort accessible to the local and international scientific community providing adequate health data and biological samples enabling evidence-based research. The study design is based on an agnostic hypothesis, collecting data using questionnaires, biological samples, imaging data and omics. QBB aims to recruit 60,000 participants, men and women, adult (age ≥ 18 years) Qataris or long-term residents (≥ 15 years living in Qatar) and follow up with them every 5 years. Currently, QBB has reached the 28% (n=17,065) of the targeted population and more than 2 million biological samples. QBB is a multinational cohort including 33 different nationalities with a relatively young population (mean age, 40.5 years), highly educated (50% university-educated) with high monthly incomes. The four main non-communicable diseases found among QBB population are Dyslipidemia, Diabetes, Hypertension and Asthma with a 30%, 17.3%, 16.7% and 9% prevalence, respectively. QBB repository can provide data and biological samples sufficient to demonstrate valid associations between the genetic and/or environmental exposure and disease development to the scientists worldwide

Exome sequencing-based identification of novel type 2 diabetes risk allele loci in the Qatari population.

BACKGROUND:Type 2 diabetes (T2D) susceptibility is influenced by genetic and lifestyle factors. To date, the majority of genetic studies of T2D have been in populations of European and Asian descent. The focus of this study is on genetic variations underlying T2D in Qataris, a population with one of the highest incidences of T2D worldwide. RESULTS:Illumina HiSeq exome sequencing was performed on 864 Qatari subjects (574 T2D cases, 290 controls). Sequence kernel association test (SKAT) gene-based analysis identified an association for low frequency potentially deleterious variants in 6 genes. However, these findings were not replicated by SKAT analysis in an independent cohort of 12,699 exomes, primarly due to the absence of low frequency potentially deleterious variants in 5 of the 6 genes. Interestingly one of the genes identified, catenin beta 1 (CTNNB1, β-catenin), is the key effector of the Wnt pathway and interacts with the nuclear receptor transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2), variants which are the most strongly associated with risk of developing T2D worldwide. Single variant analysis did not identify any associated variants, suggesting the SKAT association signal was not driven by individual variants. None of the 6 associated genes were among 634 previously described T2D genes. CONCLUSIONS:The observation that genes not previously linked to T2D in prior studies of European and Asian populations are associated with T2D in Qatar provides new insights into the complexity of T2D pathogenesis and emphasizes the importance of understudied populations when assessing genetic variation in the pathogenesis of common disorders

Type 2 Diabetes Risk Allele Loci in the Qatari Population.

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) is increasing in the Middle East. However, the genetic risk factors for T2D in the Middle Eastern populations are not known, as the majority of studies of genetic risk for T2D are in Europeans and Asians.All subjects were ≥3 generation Qataris. Cases with T2D (n = 1,124) and controls (n = 590) were randomly recruited and assigned to the 3 known Qatari genetic subpopulations [Bedouin (Q1), Persian/South Asian (Q2) and African (Q3)]. Subjects underwent genotyping for 37 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 29 genes known to be associated with T2D in Europeans and/or Asian populations, and an additional 27 tag SNPs related to these susceptibility loci. Pre-study power analysis suggested that with the known incidence of T2D in adult Qataris (22%), the study population size would be sufficient to detect significant differences if the SNPs were risk factors among Qataris, assuming that the odds ratio (OR) for T2D SNPs in Qatari's is greater than or equal to the SNP with highest known OR in other populations.Haplotype analysis demonstrated that Qatari haplotypes in the region of known T2D risk alleles in Q1 and Q2 genetic subpopulations were similar to European haplotypes. After Benjamini-Hochberg adjustment for multiple testing, only two SNPs (rs7903146 and rs4506565), both associated with transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2), achieved statistical significance in the whole study population. When T2D subjects and control subjects were assigned to the known 3 Qatari subpopulations, and analyzed individually and with the Q1 and Q2 genetic subpopulations combined, one of these SNPs (rs4506565) was also significant in the admixed group. No other SNPs associated with T2D in all Qataris or individual genetic subpopulations.With the caveats of the power analysis, the European/Asian T2D SNPs do not contribute significantly to the high prevalence of T2D in the Qatari population, suggesting that the genetic risks for T2D are likely different in Qataris compared to Europeans and Asians

Correction: Type 2 Diabetes Risk Allele Loci in the Qatari Population.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0156834.]