2003 saw the completion of the Human Genome Project and with it an instrumental shift in our contemporary understanding of modern genomics. The project revolutionized the process of decoding genetic information, influencing innovative research such as the National UAE Human Genome Project.

The UAE initially announced the UAE Human Genome Project — HGP — in February 2017, and recently reaffirmed its dedication to the project during the World Government Summit that took place in Dubai from Feb. 10 to Feb. 13.

The genome is the complete set of an organism’s genetic information. Understanding the genome offers many advantages, but the UAE’s primary goal for the project is a medical one. According to Youssif Al Serkal, chairman of the UAE HGP, the Project aims to “create a genome database and reference dictionary for all genetic diseases in the UAE,” which would then become a tool to create better solutions for genetic and non-communicable diseases.

The UAE HGP is also a response to a larger phenomenon in genome research. Genome data on the Arab and Middle Eastern population remains overwhelmingly underrepresented, comprising only 0.08% of all genome-related studies in 2016, preventing this group from securing the benefits that such research provides.

Research indicates that members of particular populations are more predisposed to certain genetic conditions or diseases than members of other communities. Among the contemporary Emirati population, common genetic and non-communicable diseases include obesity and diabetes. Genomics holds the key to understanding these differences. Understanding the role of genetics in the proliferation of such diseases can lead to better diagnosis tests, allowing preventative measures to be performed before the symptoms of the conditions arise.

Genomics also examines the interplay between a person’s genetic sequence and his or her environment and history. A popular hypothesis among researchers on the cause of UAE’s high obesity rates is the Emirati population’s rapid transition from a nomadic culture to a more sedentary, urbanized lifestyle over only a few generations. Due to food not being as readily available to the nomads, their genetic composition was more efficient in long-term food storage. In today’s urban cities, food is more abundant, but the local population still has a genetic predisposition towards long-term storage. Obesity therefore occurs more easily among these populations. This hypothesis, called the Thrifty Gene Hypothesis, has been refuted by some, but the emergence of genomic analysis will provide more quantitative evidence to reveal the cause of the UAE’s high obesity rates.

While the increasing use of and access to genetic testing is likely going to play a more prominent role in understanding ourselves, such research also raises a number of ethical concerns. Since some populations are more predisposed to certain diseases, the possibility that certain groups of people will be discriminated against based on their genetics may increase. Genetic discrimination has always occurred and continues to this day. Historically, genetic discrimination occurred through observable characteristics like race. Genomic research may extend the discrimination to a particular individual with traits that are not physically observed, such as susceptibility to disease. In the U.S., the 2008 Genetic Information of Nondiscrimination Act protects the individual from genetic discrimination in health insurance and employment. Other countries like Canada have followed.

What genetic information is used for, as well as who has access to it, will need to be considered critically. As projects like the UAE HGP become more widespread, it is necessary to assess the broader implications of such research.