Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser Attends Sidra Medicine’s Disease Modeling and Therapeutics Conference

DMT 2025 spotlights breakthroughs in stem cell and regenerative medicine
Day 1 features keynote sessions on advances in Diabetes research and care

29 September 2025—Doha, Qatar: Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) today attended Sidra Medicine’s first Disease Modeling and Therapeutics (DMT) conference.  

The opening plenary included several keynote addresses, and underscored Qatar’s commitment to advancing research and therapeutic innovation for diseases of global significance. His Excellency Mansoor bin Ebrahim bin Saad Al Mahmoud, the Minister of Public Health and other dignitaries were also in attendance at the conference.

Dr. Iyabo Tinubu-Karch, CEO of Sidra Medicine, said: “DMT 2025 is a platform where world-class innovation meets collaboration, driving forward our mission to position Sidra Medicine and, in turn, Qatar as leaders in transformative healthcare. It also highlights our commitment to knowledge-sharing and collaborating on pioneering research techniques, technologies and medical discoveries that improve lives locally and globally.”

Highlights from the opening featured keynote addresses by pioneering scientists whose research is shaping the future of diabetes care. The keynote speakers were also part of a panel discussion Translating Stem Cell Research into Clinical Applications for Diabetes. The first Disease Modeling and Therapeutics conference marks a milestone in Qatar’s journey to bring the country to the forefront of conversations that are shaping the future of regenerative medicine.

Prof. Khalid Fakhro, Chief Research Officer at Sidra Medicine noted: “Sidra Medicine is committed to advancing the integration of research and healthcare, particularly around conditions that have a profound impact on our community. By convening global experts here in Doha, we ensure that the latest breakthroughs in disease modeling and cell-based therapies are not only shared but contextualized for our local population needs. We are committed to accelerating research translation into clinical practice, and to strengthen Qatar’s role in global medical innovation.”

Through collaborative sessions and invaluable discussions, DMT 2025 aims to emphasize the importance of disease modeling technologies and their application to personalized therapies. Co-chaired by Principal Investigators Dr. Essam Abdelalim and Dr. Luis Saraiva, from Sidra Medicine, the conference will conclude on 30 September 2025.

Keynote sessions and experts from the Panel Discussion on Day 1 included:

• Dr. James Shapiro from the University of Alberta in Canada, shared insights on manufacturing autologous stem cell–derived islet therapies without immune suppression. He showcased his research aimed at restoring insulin production in patients while avoiding lifelong immunosuppressive treatment.
• Dr. Sonja Schrepfer from Cedars Sinai Medical Center in the USA, presented her groundbreaking work on hypo immune technology, designed to protect transplanted cells from immune rejection. Her team’s clinical trials have already demonstrated insulin production in a patient with type 1 diabetes without the need for immunosuppressive drugs, a milestone in cell-based therapies.
• Dr. Hao Yin, from Shanghai Changzheng Hospital in China, outlined progress in endoderm stem cell–derived islet therapy. By generating patient-specific insulin-secreting cells, his team has shown early success in clinical trials for type 2 diabetes, paving the way for personalized, long-term treatment options.
• Dr. Camillo Ricordi, from the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami presentation at DMT 2025 focused on 40 Years of the Ricordi Chamber and the Automated Method for Human Islet Isolation. Dr. Ricordi is acknowledged as one of the world’s leading scientists in cure-focused diabetes research, cell transplantation and regenerative medicine. He is known for inventing the technology for large scale human pancreatic islet isolation and for performing the first successful islet allotransplants to reverse diabetes.
• Dr. Matthias Hebrok from Technical University Munich, Germany also heads the Institute for Diabetes and Organoid Technology at Helmholtz Munich. He works on the differentiation of human stem cells into functional pancreatic organoids. Using gene editing strategies, hormone-producing islet cells are developed for cell replacement therapies for patients with diabetes.

Featuring world-renowned experts in stem cell and regenerative medicine, the topics at DMT 2025 reflect Sidra Medicine’s role as a regional hub for translational research and its alignment with Qatar’s national vision to prioritize healthcare innovation. For more details, please visit: www.sidra.org.