Pharmacogenomics: From research to clinical implementation

Zeina Almahayri serves as an educational manager at the UK-based Golden Helix Foundation, where she spearheads the integration of innovative pedagogical methods into pharmacogenomics education. She earned her Ph.D. in Pharmacogenomics from the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), where she also engaged in groundbreaking postdoctoral research focused on implementing pharmacogenomics. Notably, her research has uncovered rare genetic variants in Arab populations. A Harvard Medical School "Teaching in Medicine" program alumna, Zeina's commitment to education is evident in her efforts to disseminate pharmacogenomic knowledge using advanced educational techniques. With over a decade of research experience in medical genetics and pharmacogenetics, she has made significant contributions to the field, authoring numerous articles in prestigious international peer-reviewed journals and several book chapters. Zeina is an active participant in international consortia such as CPIC and PGRN, holds positions on the editorial boards of various scientific journals, and leads the UAE-based IVPN-Personalized Medicine educational initiative for pharmacists.

George P. Patrinos is a Professor of Pharmacogenomics and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology in the University of Patras (Greece), Department of Pharmacy, and Head of Division of Pharmacology and Biosciences of the same department and holds adjunct Full Professorships at Erasmus MC, Faculty of Medicine, and Health Sciences, Rotterdam (the Netherlands), and the United Arab Emirates University, College of Medicine, Department of Genetics and Genomics, Al-Ain (UAE). Also, from 2018 until the end of 2024, he was Chair of the Global Genomic Medicine Collaborative (G2MC). He served 12.5 years as a full member and Greece’s National representative in the CHMP Pharmacogenomics Working Party of the European Medicines Agency (EMA). George has more than 340 publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals, some of them in leading scientific journals, such as The Lancet, Nature Genetics, Nature Reviews Genetic, Nucleic Acids Research, Genes & Development. He has also coauthored and coedited more than 15 textbooks, among which the renowned textbook Molecular Diagnostics, published by Academic Press, now in its 3rd edition, while he is the editor of Translational and Applied Genomics book series, published by Elsevier. Furthermore, he serves as the Editor-In-Chief of the prestigious Pharmacogenomics Journal (TPJ), published by Nature Publishing Group, Associate Editor, and member of the editorial board of several scientific journals, and advisory and evaluation committees. Apart from that, George is the main coorganizer of the Golden Helix Conferences, an international meeting series on Pharmacogenomics and Genomic Medicine with more than 50 conferences organized in more than 25 countries worldwide.