Sidra Medicine has opened the second edition of the MENA Microbiome Conference 2026 in Doha, bringing together researchers, clinicians and industry experts to explore microbiome science and its potential applications in healthcare.
Held on October 17โ18 under the theme โFrom Biomarker Discovery to Microbiota-Based Therapeutics,โ the conferenceโs first day focused on womenโs and childrenโs health, precision nutrition and emerging microbiome-based treatments.
Discussions examined how maternal and breast milk microbiomes influence infant development, how pregnancy complications affect early immune systemโmicrobiome interactions, and how maternal nutrition may influence pregnancy outcomes and child neurodevelopment.
A key announcement was the launch of QMicrobe, an initiative to establish Qatarโs first dedicated paediatric donor stool bank for therapeutic research. Led by Dr Souhaila Al Khodor, the programme will combine screened donor samples, clinical assessments, metagenomic sequencing and computational analysis to identify microorganisms with potential therapeutic value. It is supported by the Qatar Research Development and Innovation Council and the Ministry of Public Health, with collaboration from physician-scientist Dr Majdi Osman of the University of Cambridge.
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The conference also highlighted new research led by Dr Annalisa Terranegra investigating how maternal fatty acid intake during pregnancy may influence infant brain development and the risk of neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Dr. Souhaila Al Khodor, Director of the Reproductive and Perinatal Health Translational Research Program and Principal Investigator at Sidra Medicine said: โBy establishing a collection of samples from carefully screened healthy pediatric donors, QMicrobe will provide researchers with a resource to investigate microorganisms and microbial functions with potential therapeutic value. The initiative could support future research into metabolic disorders, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, infections, and certain neurodevelopmental conditions.โ
The study will follow motherโinfant pairs from birth through 18 months, examining maternal nutrition, placental changes, infant gut microbiota and neurodevelopment. Findings will also be explored through zebrafish research to investigate potential biological mechanisms.
The research aims to inform more targeted nutritional guidance for pregnant women. Further conference sessions will examine microbiome research translation, rapid metagenomics, antimicrobial resistance and emerging therapeutic approaches.
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