Diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis, which are caused by parasites and bacteria, respectively, significantly affect human and animal health and also impact national economies across the globe. The emergence and rapid spread of drug resistance heightens the pressing need to fully understand the origins and complex genetic diversity of pathogenic micro-organisms.
The Middle East faces a particular challenge: genomic descriptions of pathogens relevant to the area are historically under-represented in the scientific literature. For Arnab Pain, an expert in pathogen genomics, the opportunity to play a lead role in this science underpinned his decision to become a founding member of the faculty at KAUST.
Read the full article at KAUST Discovery.