QSLP student researchers excel on genetic research project

May, 2015

Researchers at WCMC-Q have successfully conducted the first fully Qatar-based study on the effects of smoking and aging on our genetic material.

The study, undertaken at the college by Qatari PhD students Mashael Al-Shafai and Wadha Al Muftah, confirmed that aging causes modifications to DNA and that smoking tobacco causes similar changes to our genes. Crucially, the project is the first study of its kind to be based on samples drawn entirely from an Arab population, as previous research in this area has generally focused on Caucasians.

Al-Shafai and Al Muftah are both working at WCMC-Q through the Qatar Foundation Science Leadership Program (QSLP), a QF initiative that supports talented Qatari graduates to help them build careers in science and research. They carried out their groundbreaking research project with support from a team of graduate and senior scientists at WCMC-Q and Imperial College London.

Entitled ‘Association of DNA methylation with age, gender and smoking in an Arab population’, the paper has been published in the highly regarded medical journal Clinical Epigenetics and marks a significant success for both QSLP and WCMC-Q. Epigenetics is the study of the epigenome, which consists of chemical compounds that influence the production of proteins by switching genes in the DNA on and off.

Al-Shafai, who graduated from the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom with a BSc degree in Human Genetics, joined QSLP in 2009 and has been working in the labs at WCMC-Q since 2012 as a PhD student. She previously worked at WCMC-Q as an intern during 2010.

Al-Shafai said: “I’m so happy that our study has been published in a well-regarded journal like Clinical Epigenetics. I believe that this achievement would not be possible without the support from our research team at WCMC-Q and Imperial College London. I’m proud to be part of such a motivating and productive team especially at this early stage of my carrier. We applied state-of-the-art techniques in many areas, from sample collection to data generation and analysis, and we managed to successfully replicate findings from studies on Caucasians. Our study encourages further research efforts to accommodate underexplored populations, including Arab populations.”

The study involved taking blood samples from 123 Qatari adults, 13 of whom were smokers. The DNA strands contained in the blood samples were then analyzed to discover their level of DNA methylation, a natural process of gene modification that makes growth and development of cells possible. While methylation occurs naturally as part of the aging process, it can also be caused by environmental factors, such as exposure to tobacco smoke. DNA methylation is also known to be associated with the growth of most forms of cancer.

The researchers were able to conclude that studying DNA methylation is powerful tool for conducting genetic studies in non-Caucasian populations, opening the door for further important research focusing on a diverse range of ethnic populations.

Al Muftah graduated from the Arabian Gulf University in Bahrain where she studied Basic Medical Sciences and was awarded a medical degree. She joined QSLP in 2008 and has been working in WCMC-Q labs since 2012 as a PhD student.

She said: “Most existing epigenetic studies are based on European populations while the Arab region has not been explored yet. I believe that the differences in genetic and environmental backgrounds between Europeans and Arabs mean that epigenetic research in this unexplored region is highly valuable.

“Working on this paper has enhanced my knowledge of the subject and allowed me to learn new analytical skills that I can apply in future studies. Also, collaborating with such knowledgeable investigators helped me to benefit from their experiences and scientific knowledge that they shared with the other members of the research team.”

Support was provided to Al-Shafai and Al Muftah by WCMC-Q researchers Dr. Shaza Zaghool, senior bioinformatics data specialist, and Dr. Pankaj Kumar, research associate in physiology & biophysics. The team was supervised by senior researchers Dr. Karsten Suhre, director of the bioinformatics core at WCMC-Q, and Dr. Mario Falchi of the Department of Genomics of Common Disease at Imperial College, London.

Based on data collected in the study and using state-of-the-art technology, the team was able to accurately predict the age of a person to within seven years, based on analysis of just a single drop of their blood.

Applauding the efforts of the research team, Dr. Suhre said: “The findings of the research project are very exciting and I am very happy to congratulate Mashael and Wadha for the level of professionalism they have shown at this early stage in their career. I am also very pleased with the way the researchers at WCMC-Q supported the QSLP candidates and helped them to produce an excellent piece of research. Similarly, the support we received for this project from QSLP and Qatar Foundation was absolutely crucial to enable this project to go ahead and to be so successful.

“To be published in a very well-regarded journal like Clinical Epigenetics will give the careers of Mashael and Wadha a great boost, and also demonstrates that they have contributed to a piece of research that is of great value to the scientific community, both in Qatar and in the wider world.”

Dr. Khaled Machaca, associate dean for research at WCMC-Q, said: “This paper is a fantastic achievement by two of our Qatari PhD students, Mashael Al-Shafai and Wadha Al Muftah, supported by our own dedicated team of researchers.

“We are very proud to be able to contribute to the realization of the human potential of these two young scientists and we look forward to assisting them further as they develop their careers for the benefit of Qatar’s rapidly growing research and development sector. We are honored to receive support from Qatar Foundation and the Qatar Science Leadership Program, without which this research would not have been possible.”

The full text of the publication can be found online by following this link: http://www.clinicalepigeneticsjournal.com/content/7/1/6