Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College (WCMC) in Qatar have mapped a draft version of the date palm genome, unlocking many of its genetic secrets. "We have generated a draft DNA sequence and initial assembly of the date palm using the most advanced technology," says Joel Malek, director of the Genomics Laboratory at WCMC-Q.
Genetic information about the date palm is extremely valuable to researchers who are working to improve fruit yield and quality and to better understand susceptibility and resistance to disease. "This is an important step for our biomedical research program," says Khaled Machaca, Ph.D., professor of physiology and biophysics and associate dean for basic science research.
"It clearly demonstrates the feasibility and success of the most advanced genomics technologies in Qatar and represents a milestone towards establishing Qatar and Weill Cornell as a regional research center of excellence. In addition, this achievement by the WCMC-Q research team holds great promise for the application of the genomics technology to a better understanding of biomedical problems."
The date palm sequencing work was a proof of concept study, according to Malek, who established the genomics laboratory last year. The goal was to establish and validate the capabilities of the core lab for large-scale genomics projects.
The lab is an integral part of a large biomedical research program launched last year by WCMC-Q with support from the Qatar Foundation that aims to make Qatar a hub for research in the Middle East. Date palm trees play a significant role in agriculture throughout the Middle East, Northern Africa and Pakistan.
The fruit is a major source of nutrition in those areas, and the tree itself plays an important role in the development of sustainable agriculture in many drought and saline-affected regions of the world. References in the Holy Quran have kept alive the use of dates for medicinal purposes over the centuries. It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan is the 5th largest date palm producing country and is blessed with multi-climatic environmental conditions that are conducive for its production all over the country.-PR
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