All posts by Abdullah Zafar
Bassmat Rashid Bin Saeed
Bassmat Rashid Bin Saeed
New Year. New Beginnings.
January 2021
2020 began with great promise as we looked forward to welcoming the world to the UAE with EXPO 2020. However, events turned as the world faced an unprecedented global health crisis, the coronavirus pandemic, which affected every person around the globe. 2020 certainly tested us all but even so, despite the losses and the challenges faced, we have witnessed great learning, incredible innovation and, more than anything else, a united global front and togetherness to fight the virus
Mahzooz
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Student aims to become a doctor of the future
As a bright young student, Saad Syed was drawn to medicine and was overjoyed to learn he had been awarded a scholarship from Al Jalila Foundation to continue his studies at Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU).
By attaining this scholarship, Saad can follow his passion for medicine and he finds himself developing every day. Saad’s medical student experience has truly enriched his life and encouraged him to develop life skills such as problem solving and empathy which has allowed his creativity to shine through.
At MBRU Saad has a rich student life and engages in several programs including the Summer Scholar’s program which allows students to explore their passions by participating in clinical observerships, clinical research and volunteering at local and international hospitals and institutes to broaden their vision of healthcare of today.
Through his experiences Saad recognised a large gap in the field of research and developed a strong passion for innovation. Saad hopes to work in the field of medical education and produce relevant research papers and is enthusiastic to take a proactive role in medicine.
“My ultimate goal is open but I believe that with technology advancing exponentially the roles of doctors will be vastly different from what they are today, and I hope to fulfill those responsibilities and expectations of the doctor of the future.”
Nahid inspires the community to support medical research
Nahid Al-Naqbi, a celebrated journalist for Al Bayan Newspaper and a recipient of the 2018 Al Jalila Foundation Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism, is recovering from breast cancer thanks to receiving quality medical care and support.
Nahid’s journey has not been easy and whilst she does not define her life by her cancer – in Nahid’s words “Cancer was part of my life. But it is not my life.” – her diagnosis inspired her to be a passionate advocate for cancer research and access to quality care for cancer patients.
Through the newly launched Bassmat Rashid Bin Saeed giving campaign Nahid saw the perfect opportunity to champion medical research to save patients’ lives. Nahid rallied her high school friends ‘Girls of Khor Fakkan Class of 96’ and together they raised AED 20,000 to kick-start Nahid’s mission.
The ambassadors of hope paid a special visit to Al Jalila Foundation to make the donation and engrave their class name live on the donor recognition wall leaving their mark on the future of medicine.
Nahid’s work does not stop there, she is on a mission to reach zero cancer deaths by 2030 and has launched an ambitious YallaGive fundraising campaign to raise AED 500,000 to support breast cancer research in the UAE.
Follow Nahid’s inspiring journey on Instagram and support her #ZeroBy2030 campaign here.
Autism expert seeks innovative treatment methods
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a growing health concern around the world and is estimated that it impacts 1 in every 58 children globally. Research indicates that the disease manifests very early in development which requires early diagnosis and intervention.
Dr Mohammed Uddin from Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, an expert in the etiology of autism and neurodevelopmental disorder genetics, is leading a study to develop ‘An in vitro system to characterise recurrent pathogenic deletions in autism spectrum disorder’.
Each child impacted by autism carries a different genetic signature; therefore, a targeted personalised molecular approach is necessary. This research is immensely important to implement a translational core for autism genome and to guide personalised therapeutics. Dr Uddin hopes this study will be a step forward for genome sequencing projects and will enable the translation of clinical relevance of the mutated genes.
The team now have a comprehensive list of genes that are associated with ASD and have successfully completed gene editing experiments. Due to the relevant and important nature of the work, Al Jalila Foundation has funded this research to continue the process of conducting multiple characterisation experiments on the knockout CRISPR/Cas9 cell lines that can then be used by other scientists in the country.
To learn more about this and other Al Jalila Foundation research please click here.
The Year of Courage, Hope and Resilience
December 2020
This year began with an unprecedented global health crisis, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which has affected every person around the world. 2020 has certainly tested us all as it brought our world to a complete standstill as we experienced movement restrictions, many lost their livelihoods and, sadly, some even their loved ones. And even so, despite the losses and the challenges we have faced, we have witnessed great learning, incredible innovation and, more than anything else, a united global front and togetherness to fight the virus
Bismah’s life is powered by hope
At 4-years-old Bismah, a highly talented child, began to develop serious health problems and deteriorated to the point that she could no longer walk or play like other children. After admission to the hospital she was diagnosed with a very rare autoimmune connective tissue disease, juvenile dermatomyositis, in which only 1 to 4 cases occur per million children. As a connective tissue disease, if left untreated it can cause significant disability and high-risk mortality. Patients must undergo rigorous medical care under close supervision to stabilise their condition and support their recovery.
Coincidently, in addition to this rare disease she was also diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus which too had developed complications and required vital treatment and care. The medical team at Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital put together an extensive treatment plan for Bismah and Al Jalila Foundation provided the financial support the family needed to save their daughter’s life.
The family has expressed their gratitude: “We cannot say thank you enough for the support Al Jalila Foundation has been to our daughter. She has transformed from when she arrived at the hospital unable to stand and she then came back home running.”
Bismah is responding to the treatment well and is a happy care-free child.
Local diabetes research is vital to fight the disease
Despite the high prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the UAE, approximately 1 in 5 of the population suffers from the disease, epidemiological data about diabetes incidence and subgroups in the UAE in general, and particularly the Northern Emirates (Sharjah/Ajman), is very limited.
Al Jalila Foundation research grant recipient Professor Nabil Sulaiman from University of Sharjah is leading a pioneering local research study ‘All new diabetics in Sharjah & Ajman [ANDISA]: An epidemiological and genetic study toward individualized medicine (phase II)’ to find answers.
Clinical data such as the response of diabetes subgroups to different modes of treatment and the prevalence of diabetes complications in these subgroups have not been investigated yet.
This study aims to enroll new diabetic patients aged 13 to 65 years in Sharjah and Ajman to collect basic, clinical, genetic and immunological data from a newly diagnosed population of diabetics to improve diagnostic categorisation rates and develop personalised treatment.
This groundbreaking study represents the first step towards precision medicine in diabetes in the UAE. Through the findings it will provide better diagnosis and better personalised care for diabetic patients at a lower cost.
It is through investing in studies like this, Al Jalila Foundation aims to create a brighter future for diabetic patients.
To read more about this and other research click here.