From November 30 to December 3, 2024, Professor Irakli Natroshvili Rector of TSMU, Associate Professor Nona Janikashvili, Head of Division of International Grants and Contracts and Vakhtang Beroshvili, Deputy Head of the Economic Department, participated in a working visit to Doha, Qatar. The delegation attended a workshop “Setting up Large-scale Programs to Empower Precision Health,” organized by Qatar Precision Health Institute and Thermo Fisher Scientific.
Kakha Khandolishvili, Head of the International Relations and Programs Department at the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia was also a member of the Georgian delegation. The delegation actively engaged in the workshop and discussions, which addressed strategic components essential for establishing an institute for personalized medicine and a biobank. Key topics included infrastructure and human resource development, utilizing best practices from other countries, conducting population and cohort genetic studies, and developing innovative approaches in pharmacogenomics.
TSMU representatives presented the university’s achievements, capabilities, and strategic plan for its personalized medicine project to the organizers. The discussions led to outlining specific plans for participation in research and institutional capacity-building projects. The TSMU delegation also participated in focused tours of Qatar’s biobank and two genomics laboratory centers. Collaboration prospects were discussed with institutions attending the conference. Plans were proposed to prepare a grant project on personalized medicine under the Horizon Europe framework. Preparations are also underway for a conference on personalized medicine to be held in Georgia, with TSMU as one of the hosts. This initiative aims to strengthen collaboration between the Qatar Precision Health Institute and Tbilisi State Medical University. The TSMU delegation also met with leaders of relevant institutions from Finland, Turkey, Estonia and other countries to explore future cooperation opportunities.
