Mohamed A. Elmonem, Neveen A. Soliman, Ahmed Moustafa, Yehia Z. Gad, Wael A. Hassan, Tarek Taha, Gina El-Feky, Mahmoud Sakr & Khaled Amer Nature Genetics volume 56, pages1035–1037 (2024)
The recently launched Egyptian Genome Project aims to sequence genomic variants of 100,000 apparently healthy Egyptian adults, with around 8,000 individuals suspected to have a genetic disease, as well as 200 ancient Egyptian mummies. The project will provide the first comprehensive genomic dataset from Egypt and North Africa.
EGYPT CENTER FOR RESEARCH AND REGENERATIVE MEDICINE (ECRRM) IS ONE OF THE RESEARCH UNITS ASSOCIATED WITH THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE. IT WAS ESTABLISHED BY A PRESIDENTIAL DECREE IN 2017 AND HAS A LEGAL ENTITY AFFILIATED WITH THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE. THE CENTER WILL INITIATE THE EGYPTIAN GENOME REFERENCE PROJECT, UPON THE PRESIDENT AUTHORIZATION, IN COLLABORATION WITH THE ACADEMY OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY AND THE MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION, TO HELP IN THE OVERALL ENHANCEMENT OF THE GENERAL HEALTH CARE IN EGYPT.
MISSION Establishing a national Egyptian-genome reference hub that participates in genetic healthcare advancement for personalized and precision medicine, and gene therapy; through the use of highly advanced technology, qualified technical field experts and our wide range of national and international network, following the international quality standards.
OBJECTIVES Building an Egyptian genome reference that encompasses the genetic variants among Egyptians. Researching/finding the genetic variants that are associated with the common and rare diseases within the Egyptian population, compared to other ethnical groups. Studying and preventing some of the common Hereditary-Egyptian disease. Determining Whole exome sequences of specific diseases. Studying the novel target sequence of most prevalent malignancies among Egyptians. Leading advancements in the field of precision and personalized medicine, regarding diagnostic and therapeutic methods. Discovering the genetic predispositions responsible for endemic diseases. Enhancing the general public health through studying specific Egyptian genes related to non-communicable diseases. Collaborating with the biggest national research centers and The Ministry of Higher Education, along with future collaboration with international common entities, for the exchange of expertise. Creating an efficient national bioinformatics center that will serve our growing researchers’ need. Establishing one of the biggest national biorepository in our region. Developing and maintaining professional development programs and continuing educational programs, to serve our nation. Maintaining international quality and ethical standards. Increasing our international publication, to aid in global scientific advancements.
SPONSORS
THE EGYPTIAN KNOWLEDGE BANK IS AN INITIATIVE THAT HAS BEEN LAUNCHED BY PRESIDENT ABDEL-FATTAH EL-SISSI DURING THE NATIONAL SCIENCE DAY OF 2014.
AND THROUGH IT, THE SPECIALIZED COUNCILS OF THE PRESIDENCY STARTED TO LAUNCH SEVERAL NATIONAL PROJECTS CONCERNED WITH EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
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The first stage (5 years) will involve whole genome sequencing (WGS) of 20,000 apparently healthy Egyptians.
Additionally, this stage will include WGS of 200 ancient Egyptian mummies.
Moreover, it will comprise the genomic characterization of 8,000 diseased patients representing important common and rare diseases, cancers and infectious disorders among the Egyptian population.
Ancient Egyptian genome The objective of the ancient DNA (aDNA) research track is to effectively participate in the EG network by generating genomic data from Egyptian biological remains, enabling the characterization of ancient human and microbial organisms. The data will feed into the EG database and will serve to illustrate the sequence variations among the ancient Egyptians. Through comparison to the contemporary data, this should not only give insight as to how the Egyptian gene pool fared through history, but also shed light on the interaction between the human host genomics and that of the infectious agents.
The proposed research track will provide further insights into ancient Egyptian life [23] , [24] . Answers to the addressed questions will fill knowledge gaps in the fields of anthropology, archaeology, evolution, and history. The results are expected to elucidate the temporal changes in the gene pool of Egyptians by comparing the genomic data of ancient and contemporary Egyptians.
From another perspective, the project is predicted to have several outcomes that may have direct translational applications in the fields of biomedical sciences. The study of ancient human genomes will shed light on the molecular pathology of human disease and the interaction of the human genome with environmental agents, particularly the susceptibility or resistance to various infectious organisms, which is currently a core issue of precision medicine.
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Posted by Archeopteryx (Member # 23193) on :
Wonder where they will get the 200 ancient Egyptian mummies from? Will it be from Egypt itself or from museums in other countries? And will their origins be distributed in time and space, with remains also from older periods and from both upper and lower Egypt?
Posted by the lioness, (Member # 17353) on :
quote:Originally posted by Archeopteryx: Wonder where they will get the 200 ancient Egyptian mummies from? Will it be from Egypt itself or from museums in other countries? And will their origins be distributed in time and space, with remains also from older periods and from both upper and lower Egypt?
Likely none from outside of Egypt (there aren't many) The probably don't want to collaborate with Europe. They like to present this type of information in a low profile way sometimes a disease or kinship analysis and not do press conferences. You can see in the above collaborators list they are all Egyptian Comparatively the Europeans might make them ancestry focused and do press conferences and researchers do interviews
As for Old Kingdom mummies few exist
see wiki these two articles (I can't post URL due to html formatting)
1) List of Egyptian mummies (royalty)
2) List of Egyptian mummies (officials, nobles, and commoners)
add to this more recent mummy finds not yet listed
Some new finds in next post
Posted by the lioness, (Member # 17353) on :
27 Jan 2023 Egyptian archaeologists have uncovered a Pharaonic tomb near the capital, Cairo, containing what may be the oldest and “most complete” mummy yet to be discovered in the country.
The 4,300-year-old mummy was found at the bottom of a 15-metre (49-foot) shaft in a recently uncovered group of tombs dating back to the fifth and sixth dynasties of the Old Kingdom near the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, Zahi Hawass, director of the team, told reporters on Thursday.
The mummy, of a man named Hekashepes, featured a “gold-leaf covering” and was in a limestone sarcophagus that had been sealed in mortar.
“I put my head inside to see what was inside the sarcophagus: a beautiful mummy of a man completely covered in layers of gold,”
Lost 4,400-Year-Old Tomb Found With Ancient Egyptian Mummy Inside Published Sep 29, 2023
Archaeologists have rediscovered a lost tomb that contains the mummy of an ancient Egyptian official.
The tomb belonged to Ptahshepses, who lived around 4,400 years ago during the 25th and 24th centuries B.C. Archaeologists with the Czech Institute of Egyptology at Prague's Charles University said this week they located the tomb near the archaeological sites of Abusir and Saqqara in 2022 by using satellite imagery and studying old maps. Further excavations were conducted at the site this year.
The tomb was partially exposed almost 160 years ago by the French scholar Auguste Mariette, who uncovered an intricately decorated false door and a lintel, a kind of supporting beam.
The false door contains an extensive and unique biography of Ptahshepses' career. It tells the story of his education at the court of Menkaure, an ancient pharaoh who was born in 2532 B.C. (4th dynasty) and died in 2504 B.C. during Egypt's Old Kingdom, which lasted from around 2700 B.C. to 2200 B.C.
According to Ptahshepses' biography, the official married the daughter of Userkaf, a pharaoh who reigned for a short period in the early 25th century B.C.
"This reference itself indicates that Ptahshepses is the first known official of non-royal descent in Egyptian history who was given the privilege of marrying a royal daughter,"
In addition, on the lintel there is a reference that is one of the earliest attestations of the deity Osiris, the god of fertility and the embodiment of the dead.
Posted by Djehuti (Member # 6698) on :
^ The Egyptian SCA has been running genetic analysis on mummies for YEARS since at least the 90s when Hawass himself made reference to testing on Giza mummies. I'm pretty sure these Egyptians scientists behind the scenes were just refining and updating their genetic data via the advances in DNA sequencing and software algorithms.
Posted by Archeopteryx (Member # 23193) on :
Shall be interesting to be able to compare the results the Egyptians will get with the results from the upcoming studies mentioned in this thread:
quote:Originally posted by Archeopteryx: Shall be interesting to be able to compare the results the Egyptians will get with the results from the upcoming studies mentioned in this thread:
Blogger Miro rumored that those samples in Turin were badly contaminated so it my not happen (?)
Posted by Archeopteryx (Member # 23193) on :
Also this project one has not heard anything more from:
From the, 9th International Symposium on Biomolecular Archaeology held in Toulouse, France in the summer of 2021 there is also this abstract:
quote: Urban, Christian; Neukamm, Judith; Eppenberger, Patrick; Brändle, Martin; Rühli, Frank and Schuenemann Verena, 2021: Human mitochondrial haplogroups and ancient DNA preservation across Egyptian history
quote: Egypt represents an ideal location for genetic studies on population migration and admixture due to its geographic location and rich history. However, there are only a few reliable genetic studies on ancient Egyptian samples. In a previous study, we assessed the genetic history of a single site: Abusir el-Meleq from 1388 BCE to 426 CE. We now focus on widening the geographic scope to give a general overview of the population genetic background, focusing on mitochondrial haplogroups present among the whole Egyptian Nile River Valley. We collected 81 tooth, hair, bone, and soft tissue samples from 14 mummies and 17 skeletal remains. The samples span approximately 4000 years of Egyptian history and originate from six different excavation sites covering the whole length of the Egyptian Nile River Valley. NGS based ancient DNA 8 were applied to reconstruct 18 high-quality mitochondrial genomes from 10 different individuals. The determined mitochondrial haplogroups match the results from our Abusir el-Meleq study. Our results indicate very low rates of modern DNA contamination independent of the tissue type. Although authentic ancient DNA was recovered from different tissues, a reliable recovery was best achieved using teeth or petrous bone material. Moreover, the rate for successful ancient DNA retrieval between Egyptian mummies and skeletal remains did not differ significantly. Our study provides preliminary insights into population history across different regions and compares tissue-specific DNA preservation for mummies and skeletal remains from the Egyptian Nile River Valley.
