Translational Research Programs
At Sidra Medicine, our Translational Research Programs are at the heart of advancing healthcare for women and children. These programs bridge discovery and clinical care, translating pioneering research and innovative technologies into meaningful health outcomes.
Our Translational Research Programs are cross-cutting, disease-focused units designed to accelerate the journey from bench to bedside. Each program brings together multidisciplinary teams of researchers, clinicians, and clinician-scientists who share a common disease focus and strategic research interests. By fostering close collaboration across scientific and clinical domains, these programs ensure that research efforts remain clinically relevant, coordinated, and impactful.
A core objective of each program is to drive sustainable advancement in its field while remaining aligned with Sidra Medicine’s overarching research strategy. To achieve this, each program has identified priority disease groups, referred to as Gold Cohorts, selected based on strategic importance, clinical need, and patient impact.
These programs function as umbrella structures that align and synchronize research efforts across six carefully selected disease areas. This approach ensures synergy, optimizes the use of resources, and directly addresses the most pressing health needs of our patient population.
By leveraging high-throughput profiling technologies and innovative molecular approaches, our teams work to deliver accurate diagnoses and guide effective, personalized therapeutic decisions. This commitment to precision medicine underpins our research strategy and enables meaningful improvements in patient outcomes.
Through strategic focus, integrated programs, and global collaboration, Sidra Medicine’s Translational Research ecosystem continues to shape the future of healthcare locally, regionally, and beyond.
The program is committed to fostering multidisciplinary clinical research to improve healthcare and provide enhanced reproductive options for our patients. RPND’s objectives are aligned with the Qatar National Health Strategy, targeting significant health issues faced by patients with fertility disorders and pregnancy complications. Within the extensive women’s and pediatric services at Sidra Medicine, RPND will concentrate on the following Gold Cohorts:
- Infertility
- Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
- Prematurity
Immune dysregulation poses a significant clinical challenge, manifesting in diverse conditions like allergies, autoimmunity, inflammation, and cancer. These patients often present with unusual symptoms, complicating diagnosis and treatment. Treatment resistance or lack of established protocols further exacerbate the issue. Immune dysregulation disorders range from common, multifactorial conditions to rare monogenic disorders, which are notably prevalent in Qatar and the MENA region. Studying rare monogenic disorders, despite their individual rarity, offers valuable insights into pathogenic mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets applicable to more common polygenic immune dysregulation disorders. The planned Gold Cohorts for this program include:
- Monogenic disorders of immune dysregulation
- Inflammatory bowel disorders
Sidra Medicine’s Metabolic and Mendelian Disorders Program, known as Genome 2 Cure (G2C), represents a groundbreaking endeavor designed specifically to address the distinct healthcare requirements of the Qatari population. Its goal is to revolutionize medical practice and improve the well-being of individuals grappling with metabolic disorders, while also serving as a catchment for other Mendelian and rare conditions not addressed by existing programs, ultimately enhancing patient outcomes. The following are the Gold Cohorts recruited in this program:
- Newborn sequencing for screening
- Type I Diabetes
- Mendelian disorders not captured by other programs
Sidra Medicine’s Pediatric Cancer Program addresses the complexities of childhood cancer by focusing on accurate diagnosis and targeted treatments. Leveraging precision medicine, the program aims to understand the diverse molecular profiles of tumors across histological origins. This approach seeks to transform pediatric oncology by improving patient survival through advanced diagnostics and innovative, tailored therapies. The disease population is represented by pediatric (age birth-18 years old) patients with cancer, including newly nosed malignancies, relapsed and refractory or long-term survivor patients with a focus on the following Gold Cohorts:
- Hematologic malignancies
- Central nervous system tumors
Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders (NPDs) encompass a broad range of conditions impacting the nervous system, leading to sensory, motor, cognitive, or behavioral abnormalities. As the national referral center for pediatric NPDs, Sidra Medicine encounters numerous cases with unresolved diagnoses. The Neuroscience Program is a multidisciplinary clinical and research initiative focused on building a knowledge base on priority NPDs within Middle Eastern populations. This program aims to advance research, enabling improved NPD diagnosis and the development of tailored therapeutic interventions. The Program will build a database/registry of curated electronic health records and clinical data for NPDs focusing on three Gold Cohorts:
- Epilepsy
- Autism
- Cerebral palsy
The Congenital Malformations Translational Research Program at Sidra Medicine focuses on improving the diagnosis and treatment of children born with congenital anomalies. By integrating clinical expertise, advanced genomics, and functional biology, the program aims to identify disease mechanisms early and translate discoveries into personalized therapies. Built around nationally significant patient cohorts and supported by cutting-edge research platforms, the program strengthens early detection, advances precision diagnostics, and enables targeted interventions. Through close collaboration between clinicians, researchers, and global partners, the program is committed to improving lifelong outcomes for affected children and supporting families across Qatar and the region.
Sidra Pediatric Oncology Qatar (SPOQ) is a dedicated program focused on advancing care for children and adolescents with cancer. The program integrates precision medicine, innovative research, and multidisciplinary clinical expertise to improve diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes. SPOQ emphasizes personalized care through genomic profiling, novel therapeutic approaches, and participation in international research collaborations and clinical trials. By combining compassionate, family-centered care with cutting-edge science, SPOQ aims to deliver world-class pediatric oncology services in Qatar while contributing to global advances in childhood cancer research and treatment.
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