Doha, Qatar: Sidra Medicine, a member of Qatar Foundation, will host its first Disease Modeling and Therapeutics (DMT) Conference from September 29 to 30, 2025 in Doha.
Held at the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC), the DMT conference will explore the innovative use of stem cells, organoids, and animal models in advancing understanding of diseases and developing novel therapeutic strategies.
Co-Conference Chair and Principal Investigator at Sidra Medicine’s Laboratory of Pluripotent Stem Cell Disease Modeling, Dr. Essam Abdelalim said, “The conference will highlight the latest advancements and innovations in disease modelling approaches that are driving the development of new personalised therapies.
“The conference and workshops also aim to foster strategic collaborations and build capacity through catalysing collaborations and partnerships with leading international scientists and centres at the forefront of translational medicine and drug discovery.”
The DMT conference will feature presentations at the QNCC focused on stem cells, organoids, and animal models in translational medicine, followed by two innovative workshops on Animal Disease Models and iPSC Technology at Sidra Medicine. The objective of both the sessions and workshops is to highlight the potential of these models in accelerating the identification of disease pathogenesis, drug discovery and optimising personalised therapies that will drive progress in translational medicine.
Co-Conference Chair and Principal Investigator at Sidra Medicine’s Laboratory of Disease Modeling and Therapeutics, Dr. Luis Saraiva said, “Cellular and animal models research is a catalyst for modern biomedical innovation. At the DMT conference, we aim to demonstrate how these advances are actively shaping the future of medicine, from modelling complex diseases to developing personalised treatments that improve patient outcomes.”
Key global speakers at the DMT conference include Dr. Matthias Hebrok, Technical University Munich (TUM) in Germany; Dr. James Shapiro, University of Alberta in Canada; Dr. Camillo Ricordi, University of Miami in the US; Dr. Hao Yin, Shanghai Changzheng Hospital in China; Dr. Sonja Schrepfer, Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in the US; Dr. Shuibing Chen, Weill Cornell Medicine in the US; and Dr. Erwan Bezard, University of Bordeaux in France.
“The conference hosted by Sidra Medicine is timely and aligns with national collaborative efforts to build integrated pipelines from discovery to translation. By leveraging Qatar’s unique strengths in genetics and disease modelling, these efforts aim to unlock new biology, unravel complex disease mechanisms, and develop novel therapies tailored to the needs of the region,” added Executive Director of Research, Development and Innovation at Qatar Foundation, Dr. Hilal Lashuel, who is also speaking at the conference.
