The Double-Edged Sword of Consanguinity: King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center

Serving the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the surrounding region, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Specialist Centre’s main campus in Riyadh is an internationally recognized, JCI accredited hospital. First opened in 1975, its now houses 1,600 beds, has 28 Health Outreach Centers and is a national referral center for Oncology, Organ Transplantations, Cardiac Surgery, Genetic Diseases, and more.
The facility has maintained the highest standards in specialized medical care in an integrated educational and research, with a systematic development strategy that adopts the best medical technologies and contributes towards improving diagnosis and treatment techniques. As a leading global academic medical center, KFSH&RC Riyadh focuses primarily on research in the field of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, transplant immunology, genetics, molecular diagnostics, and proteomics.
In regions where consanguinity is prevalent such as Saudi Arabia, there exists an elevated risk of autosomal recessive diseases. These areas grapple with the highest incidence of such diseases, many of which are severely debilitating or even fatal. However, these communities stand to benefit immensely from genomic analysis, given not only the relative ease of identifying causal genetic variants but also the potential for prevention. This documentary showcases the essential role played by the dedicated team in serving both local and global patient communities, and underscores how the study of special populations can significantly elevate healthcare standards within these communities while contributing to the global advancement of genomics in clinical practice.