Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Dr. Omar Albagha received his PhD scholarship to investigate genetic susceptibility to osteoporosis at the University of Aberdeen. After completing his PhD degree in 2001, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher until 2002, when he was appointed as an Arthritis Research UK lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Genetics of Bone disease at the Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, UK. In 2005, he moved to the University of Edinburgh as a Principal Investigator/Group Leader at the Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine (CGEM). In 2014, he was appointed the Associate Director of the Paget’s Association Centre of Excellence, Edinburgh.
In early 2017, Dr. Albagha joined Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) as a Principal Investigator at the Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), and in 2019 he joined the College of Health and Life Sciences at HBKU as a Professor of Genomic and Precision Medicine. His current research focuses on Genomic Medicine, aiming at understanding the genetic determinants of complex diseases with emphasis on Type 2 Diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. He has active collaborations with Qatar Genome Project to investigate genetics of disease-related traits in Qatar. He has published in high impact journals (Nature Genetics, JAMA, Cell Reports) and his work has been featured in news outlets such as the BBC and other international media. Dr. Albagha has received many awards from international organizations, including the European Calcified Tissue Society (ECTS) and the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR). He has obtained multiple research grants totaling over US$ 10 million, including the highly prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator fellowship.
Research Interests
- The genetic architecture of health-related traits in the Qatari population.
- Identification of genetic and epigenetic factors conferring susceptibility to Type 2 diabetes
- Personalized care for Qatari patients with genetic predisposition to hypercholesterolemia
- Identification of genetic and epigenetic factors contributing to Autism Spectrum Disorder
Biography
Professor
Hamad Bin Khalifa University
2019 - Present
Principle Investigator
Qatar Biomedical Research Institute
2017 - 2019
Principal Investigator in Genetics and Functional Genomics
Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, U.K. (on Leave of Absence)
2005 - present
Lecturer (Assistant Professor)
Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, UK
2002 - 2005
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, UK
2001 - 2002
Education/Academic qualification
Genetics (Medical Sciences), PhD, University of Aberdeen
… → 2001
Medical Molecular Genetics, Master, University of Aberdeen
… → 1997
Jordan Medical Technology, Bachelor, University of Jordan
… → 1996
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
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HBKU-OVPR-FRG-03-2: Environmental Health in Urbanised Arid Regions: Assessing the Effects of Natural Dust and Anthropogenic Pollution on Pulmonary and Cardiovascular Functions
Bensmail, H. (Principal Investigator), Siddique, A. (Principal Investigator), Albagha, O. (Principal Investigator), Alajez, N. (Principal Investigator), Alfarra, M. R. (Lead Principal Investigator), Puthukkadan Moosakutty, S. (Principal Investigator) & Murias, J. M. (Principal Investigator)
10/07/25 → 9/07/27
Project: Basic Research
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HBKU-OVPR-FRG-03-4: Environmental Exposure and Human Health in Qatar: A Generative AI-Enabled Framework for Risk Assessment and Communication
Bachour, D. A. (Principal Investigator), Fountoukis, C. (Principal Investigator), Abdallah, M. M. (Co-Lead Principal Investigator), Albagha, O. (Co-Lead Principal Investigator), Al Fuqaha, A. (Co-Lead Principal Investigator), Nemer, G. (Lead Principal Investigator), Alfarra, M. R. (Co-Lead Principal Investigator) & Bashir, Z. (Graduate Student)
10/07/25 → 9/07/27
Project: Experimental Development/Translation Research
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EX-QNRF-PPM-24: Integrating metabolomics, microbiomics, and pharmacogenomics for personalized metformin treatment in Qatari type 2 diabetes patients
Albagha, O. (Lead Principal Investigator), Bastaki, D. K. (Principal Investigator), Al-Asmakh, D. M. (Principal Investigator), Elrayess, D. M. (Lead Principal Investigator), Hariri, D. M. A. (Principal Investigator) & Zughaier, D. S. (Principal Investigator)
1/01/24 → 1/01/27
Project: Experimental Development/Translation Research
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EX-QNRF-NPRPS-17: A Precision Medicine Initiative To Target Paediatric Cerebral Palsy, A Movement Disorder
Albagha, O. (Principal Investigator), Farhan, M. (Lead Principal Investigator), El Hajj, N. (Principal Investigator), Grimshaw, P. (Principal Investigator), Ahammad, F. (Graduate Student), Abu Snaimeh, H. (Graduate Student), Miranda, H. G. (Graduate Student), Assistant-2, R. (Research Assistant), Thornton, D. L. (Principal Investigator), Collier, D. T. (Principal Investigator) & Hussain, S. (Graduate Student)
15/11/22 → 15/11/26
Project: Experimental Development/Translation Research
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EX-QNRF-NPRPC-2: Qatar Diabetes Prevention Program (QDPP)
Albagha, O. (Lead Principal Investigator) & Toor, M. S. M. (Post Doctoral Fellow)
11/08/19 → 31/12/25
Project: Applied Research
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A multi-ancestry genome-wide association study and evaluation of polygenic scores of LDL-C levels
Umlai, U. K. I., Toor, S. M., Al-Sarraj, Y. A., Mohammed, S., Al Hail, M. S. H., Ullah, E., Kunji, K., El-Menyar, A., Gomaa, M., Jayyousi, A., Saad, M., Qureshi, N., Al Suwaidi, J. M. & Albagha, O. M. E., 3 Feb 2025, In: Journal of Lipid Research. 66, 3, 100752.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access1 Citation (Scopus) -
Circulating PIWI-interacting RNAs in Acute Ischemic Stroke patients
Toor, S. M., Aldous, E. K., Parray, A., Akhtar, N., Al-Sarraj, Y., Arredouani, A., Pir, G. J., Pananchikkal, S. V., El-Agnaf, O., Shuaib, A., Alajez, N. M. & Albagha, O. M. E., 15 Jan 2025, In: Non-coding RNA Research. 11, p. 294-302 9 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access1 Citation (Scopus) -
Evaluating indices of insulin resistance and estimating the prevalence of insulin resistance in a large biobank cohort
Aliyu, U., Toor, S. M., Abdalhakam, I., Elrayess, M. A., Abou−Samra, A. B. & Albagha, O. M. E., 12 May 2025, In: Frontiers in Endocrinology. 16, 1591677.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access4 Citations (Scopus) -
Genetic risk and polygenic risk score assessment of prediabetes and progression to type 2 diabetes
Aliyu, U., Umlai, U. K. I., Al-Thani, N. M., Toor, S. M., Abou-Samra, A. B. & Albagha, O. M. E., Aug 2025, In: Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism. 27, 8, p. 4469-4479 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Lipid Subclasses Differentiate Insulin Resistance by Triglyceride–Glucose Index
Naja, K., Anwardeen, N., Albagha, O. & Elrayess, M. A., 20 May 2025, In: Metabolites. 15, 5, 342.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access1 Citation (Scopus)