Doha, Qatar: Sidra Medicine, a member of Qatar Foundation, has become the first international site to join the BeginNGS Consortium, a genome-based newborn screening research program developed by Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine (RCIGM). The collaboration aims to enhance early detection of genetic diseases and provide timely interventions to improve children’s health outcomes.

The initiative is part of Sidra Medicine’s Research Strategy, which focuses on advancing translational genomic medicine for rare and complex diseases. It will build upon Sidra’s NOOR-QATAR program, led by Dr. Ammira Al-Shabeeb Akil, and set a new standard for preventive medicine in the region by shortening the path from diagnosis to treatment for conditions such as metabolic and monogenic disorders.

BeginNGS currently screens for more than 500 severe childhood genetic diseases in the U.S. and plans to expand globally to cover 1,000 diseases by 2030. Dr. Stephen Kingsmore, President & CEO of RCIGM, said the partnership with Sidra Medicine is a key step in making newborn genome-based therapies accessible worldwide, starting with Qatar.