According to World Health Organization depression affects 350 million people worldwide and is a leading cause of disability, affecting more women than men.

In the Arab world, it is estimated that 17.7 percent of the population suffers from depression. With these alarming statistics, mental health is a top priority on the UAE National Agenda and a focus for Al Jalila Foundation research.

One Al Jalila Foundation funded research project, led by Dr Wegdan Bani Issa from University of Sharjah, is an in-depth population-based study among healthy adult women living in the UAE. This research studies the relationship between stress levels, sleep quality, physical activity and dietary habits.

Mental health is related to mental and psychological well-being. It affects how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Women are at great risk for increased stress levels due to hormonal differences and pressure related to engaging in multiple roles in life.

Research like Dr Wegdan’s takes us a step closer to understanding how a woman’s stress relates to her lifestyle choices and will help develop evidence-based interventions geared toward improving her mental health, happiness level and productivity.

Worldwide, lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer mortality in both men and women and in the UAE it is ranked the second deadliest disease among UAE nationals.

Al Jalila Foundation research grant recipient, Dr Saba Al Heialy, Assistant Professor of Immunology at Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, is a brilliant researcher who aims to identify genes involved in severe asthma and their correlation with the development of early lung cancer.

Interestingly, recent data from Dr Saba’s study has identified common genes, such as TLR4 and FCγRIIIB, between asthma and lung cancer which are both heterogeneous diseases of the lungs. Many studies have focused on the genetic alterations in asthma and lung cancer separately; however, there are no studies on the common genetic alterations in both lung cancer and asthma which she is exploring through her pioneering research.

Dr Saba Al Heialy was one of 15 female scientists worldwide honoured as ‘International Rising Talent’ at the 21st L’Oréal-Unesco For Women In Science Award Ceremony. The award is Dr Saba’s second L’Oréal-Unesco for Women in Science recognition; last year, she was one of only four ‘Outstanding Female Scientists’ from the GCC awarded a Middle East Fellowship.

Dr Saba’s father, an accomplished researcher, her inspiration and mentor, instilled “the core values and self confidence that have allowed me to become the researcher I am today. I hope my story will inspire many girls and young women in the Middle East to pursue their scientific dreams and reach their full potential.”

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), more than 4.8 million people in the UAE suffer from obesity. These numbers underscore the need for long-term funding into scientific research to develop discoveries in the field of obesity.

Al Jalila Foundation research grant recipient, Dr Teresa Arora from Zayed University, is conducting a pilot study to assess the feasibility of sleep improvement intervention for weight loss, and its maintenance in sleep impaired obese adults.

There is a well established association between sleep and obesity. However, the approach that has not yet been explored is the possibility and effectiveness of treating sleep impaired obese patients with sleep improvement to enhance weight loss and its maintenance.

The study takes obese, sleep impaired adults into two groups to receive lifestyle intervention to improve dietary and exercise habits using evidence-based psychological approaches. One group will additionally undertake a six-week training program to improve sleep targeting sleep duration, quality and timing. Should the twelve-week lifestyle intervention be feasible, secondary outcomes including weight loss and its sustainability will be assessed over six months along with other outcomes, such as mood, sleep, food intake and quality of life

Dr Bashair Mussa from University of Sharjah (College of Medicine) is a cutting-edge researcher leading a study, with the support of Al Jalila Foundation seed grant, investigating the role of FOS and BECLIN1-inducing autophagy in pathogenesis of hypoglycemia-associated autonomic failure (HAAF) in diabetes.

HAAF is a serious complication of diabetes which is associated with unawareness of hypoglycemia (low levels of blood glucose) in patients with diabetes. The main cause of this condition is the absence of physiological homeostatic counter-regulatory mechanisms that are controlled by the hypothalamus (a critical region within the brain).

FOS is a sensitive marker of neuronal activity in the hypothalamus which possesses significant responses to hypoglycemia. Expression of autophagic adaptor proteins such as BECLIN 1, is associated with cognitive dysfunction in diabetes.  It has been suggested that FOS mediates the regulatory effect of BECLIN1 on autophagic processes in the brain.

This project aims to identify the role of FOS and BECLIN 1 in the pathogenesis of HAAF and to profile the involvement of autophagic markers in HAAF.

Identification of novel biomarkers for early detection of HAAF will help patients with diabetes to prevent hypoglycemic episodes, to improve their quality of life and to preserve their cognitive functions.

Celebrated scientist and Al Jalila Foundation research grant recipient, Professor Rabah Iratni from United Arab Emirates University, is studying a naturally occurring polyphenol, carnosol, and its effect on breast cancer.

Breast cancer ranks as the leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide with triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) being the most aggressive and invasive form with the worst prognosis. Sadly, TNBCs lack effective treatments with identification of targeted efficient therapies remaining a clinical challenge.

Professor Iratni previously reported that carnosol, a natural compound found in rosemary and sage, induced cell death of the mutant TNBC cells through activation of both autophagic and apoptotic pathways.

This study aims to explain the molecular mechanism through which carnosol exerts its anti-TNBC activity. Based on preliminary results, the team hypothesize that one possible mechanism of action of carnosol on TNBC is through the downregulation of the death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1), a protein recently shown to be essential for the growth TNBCs. The hope is that the findings from this study may reveal a novel therapeutic approach based on small natural molecules targeting DAPK1 in aggressive forms of breast cancer and that carnosol may serve as lead agent for the development of such anti-cancer therapy.

Read more about Professor Iratni’s research here.

According to the World Health Organization cancer is the second leading cause of death globally and researches around the world continue to search for a cure. Al Jalila Foundation research grant recipient, Professor Amr Amin from United Arab Emirates University, has been conducting a study since 2011 and found saffron to have anti-liver cancer properties working both to stop cell division and promote cell death. The study was first published in the Hepatology Journal. A multifaceted disease like cancer should be approached with therapies that target multiple biochemical and physiological pathways. Saffron has been used in folk medicine for centuries. Anticarcinogenic activity of saffron was reported at the beginning of 1990 and research on this subject has increasingly continued during the past decade.

Introduction of a natural compound-based active ingredient to the cancer therapeutics would be an advancement in relation to the serious issues of drug resistance, relapse, and effective dose, etc. Given the current limited treatment options for liver cancer, introducing safranal as a novel therapeutic drug against liver cancer is needed. With the same objective, Professor Amin’s study is assessing the anti-tumor properties of safranal with and without sorafenib in Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells and investigating the transcriptional and translational effects of safranal on angiogenesis of HCC cells.

Professor Amr’s study advocates that the active components of natural products can be curative and protective in a sense of evoking less side effects; thereby enhancing the efficiency of isolated or synthesized chemical compounds with the ultimate possibility to inhibit or even reverse tumor development.

According to the World Health Organisation, cardiovascular diseases are the number one cause of death globally and it is estimated that 30% of fatalities in the UAE are attributed to cardiovascular disease. While improvements in lifestyle can support successful treatment there is much research to be done to provide better treatment options.

Dr Maria Baias, Al Jalila Foundation grant recipient from New York University Abu Dhabi, is conducting a study to determine the structure of a new polymorph of aspirin using nuclear magnetic resonance crystallography.

This project will study the crystal structure of a new form of aspirin, which could have improved pharmaceutical properties and therefore be more effective in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Experimental and computational techniques will be combined to find an accurate crystal structure for this molecule from a pool of computationally predicted structures. The methodology used could, later on, be utilised to determine the structure of other important pharmaceutical compounds.

Click here to read about Al Jalila Foundation research.