All posts by Carla Duarte

Research Matters, Stories of Hope

Pioneering epigenetic-based analysis for liver cancer

Liver cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and the sixth most prevalent cancer in the GCC countries. A survey by the Health Authority of Abu Dhabi reported liver cancer as the tenth most common cancer in the UAE and one of the top five leading causes of death in male cancer patients. Liver cancer shows significant gender bias, with incidence two to four times more common in males than females. This phenomenon is not fully understood, but the protective role of the estrogen hormone was reported.

To understand this critical issue, Al Jalila Foundation awarded a research grant to Dr Jibran Sualeh Muhammad from the University of Sharjah to study ‘Estrogen-induced epigenetic regulation of Iron metabolism in hepatocellular carcinoma’.

The study showed that estrogen hormone and estrogen receptor agonists disrupt intracellular iron homeostasis by epigenetically downregulating the expression of crucial iron metabolism-related genes in liver cancer cells.

Identifying epigenetic-based gene silencing that could turn off gene expression in cancer cells is a new field of investigation in carcinogenesis. It is now becoming clear that input from the epigenetics-based analysis will continue to make ever-increasing contributions to liver cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy in the coming years.

Future studies would pave the way for further consideration of the complex relationship between estrogen hormone signaling and liver cancer cell death. Based on these findings, there is a possibility of innovation in terms of using estrogen-receptor agonists as an adjunct therapy to enhance liver cancer cells’ sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs.

To learn more about this study, please click here.

Stories of Hope

The sky is the limit for medical scholarship graduate

As part of Al Jalila Foundation’s mission to transform lives through medical innovation, our scholarship fund supports brilliant medical students who display great promise to utilise their talent to be an integral part of the future medical community in the UAE.

Alea Khalid Abdelgadir Mohamed is one of these rising stars who received a scholarship to attend the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU) six-year program to pursue a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS).

Having enrolled in 2016 Alea is now in her final weeks of the program and is in absolute awe of the opportunity she was given and intends to make the most of what she has learned.

“I am beyond grateful to Al Jalila Foundation for offering me the esteemed scholarship to complete the MBBS program at MBRU. Through the program I had support from incredible mentors, opportunities to participate in research at some of the world’s most prestigious hospitals and, most importantly, I learned how to become an empathetic, compassionate and hardworking physician striving to always put my patients first. I believe that these experiences will equip me with the necessary skills to contribute to the UAE’s healthcare system creating a positive impact in the delivery of effective and safe healthcare.”

We wish Alea every success as she moves forward in her role as a healthcare professional making a difference to patients’ lives.

Press Release

Healthcare crowdfunding in Dubai gets a strong push with the success of Al Jalila Foundation’s A’awen Giving platform

Healthcare crowdfunding in Dubai has received a strong push with the success of A’awen Giving, an online crowdfunding platform launched by the Al Jalila Foundation, a member of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives. The Foundation today announced that in less than a year since its launch, the platform has raised over AED1 million from the community to support patients in their healing journey.

A’awen, Arabic for ‘support’, is Al Jalila Foundation’s treatment support programme that provides financial assistance to UAE-based patients in need. The programme seeks to alleviate some of the financial burden of patients suffering from life-threatening illnesses who are unable to afford quality healthcare.

Growth in crowdfunding

Corporations and individuals in the UAE have increasingly been showing support for the A’awen Giving programme, which provides donors a convenient digital channel to provide financial aid to patients with critical illnesses. The expansion in the platform’s donor base mirrors the rapid growth of the global healthcare crowdfunding market in recent years. The latest studies indicate that donors prefer to contribute to individual campaigns, which allow them to connect with the beneficiary and follow their journey.

Digital platform crowdfunding is particularly attractive to young people. As much as 17% of online donations are made on mobile devices. This easy-to-use method makes charitable donations convenient and rewarding.

As a registered UAE charity, Al Jalila Foundation invites donations from individuals to help patients, with the assurance that the funds raised will be used fully to support patients. Through the A’awen Giving online platform, donors can have the confidence that their donations will make a real difference to the lives of people within the community and that 100% of their donation contributes to the patient’s medical treatment.

 A’awen Giving

The A’awen Giving website features stories of patients who require life-changing treatment and the funds they are seeking to raise to cover their medical expenses. Online donors receive regular updates on the success of the fundraising campaign and are notified when the full amount is raised. As part of its efforts to expand the network of donors, the crowdfunding platform has created a unique feature that enables donors to challenge their friends and family to match their donations.

Dr  Abdulkareem Sultan Al Olama, CEO of Al Jalila Foundation, said: “In today’s digital world, we want to make it as easy as possible for people to help those in need, so we created a platform where the community can give at any time, from anywhere. Technology has the power to change every aspect of our lives and it has made the patient much more accessible to the donor. Through A’awen Giving, we count on our donors and partners to help us pave the way for a healthier, brighter future for all. There is no greater gift than good health and A’awen gives hope, so patients are able to lead happy, healthy lives.”

Helping Patients

In less than a year since the platform was launched, the Foundation has run 20 fundraising campaigns and raised over AED1 million to help adults and children with life-threatening medical issues such as Santhoshi who was born with a hole in her heart and needed corrective surgery; 13-year-old Abdulrahman, who no longer relies on painkillers to get through the day after his life-transforming surgery; and Grace, a young mother suffering from cancer, who is responding well to treatment and hopeful of a full recovery.

Dr Abdulkareem added: “We help patients focus on their recovery without worrying about the medical costs, alleviating their financial burden so that they can focus on their treatment and recovery. When we help a patient, there is a ripple effect – a father who will see his children grow up, a child who will pursue their dreams, a grandparent who has more time with their grandchildren. Nothing gives us more joy than to see families flourish in the face of adversity. It is a great privilege to be a small part of their life journey.”

Al Jalila Foundation works with healthcare partners on treatment plans that cater to patients’ needs and A’awen Giving gives the community the opportunity to be a part of their healing journey.

For more information on A’awen Giving, visit: www.giving.aljalilafoundation.ae

Stories of Hope

Gulf Islamic Investments foster CSR in the community

At Al Jalila Foundation the support we receive from the business community is integral and financial business partners like Gulf Islamic Investments (GII), a leading UAE-based Shari’ah-compliant financial services company, helps energise the work we do to transform lives in the UAE.

Financial institutions have the potential to be the backbone of charitable giving and we are grateful for Gulf Islamic Investments’ support who not only donate Zakat each year but also promote corporate social responsibility in unique ways.

Earlier this year GII launched Eureka GCC 2021 the first edition in Dubai fostering the spirit of entrepreneurship in the region. The 5-month long competition offered aspiring entrepreneurs the opportunity to design solid business models, gain mentorship from renowned VCs and angel investors and avail excellent networking opportunities and educational workshops.

GII opted to move from the traditional corporate gifting and made donations to support medical research and patient treatment on behalf of 60 jury, mentors and speakers of Eureka GCC 2021 and their names were engraved on Bassmat Rashid Bin Saeed donor recognition wall as a token of appreciation.

Our CEO Dr Abdulkareem Al Olama was delighted to welcome Mohammed Al Hassan and Pankaj Gupta Co-Founders and Co-CEOs to Al Jalila Foundation to engrave ‘Gulf Islamic Investments’ name on the donor wall marking our longstanding partnership and GII’s generous contributions.

Stories of Hope

New graduate is honoured to be a part of the UAE vision

A strong healthcare system is the cornerstone of a successful society. To support the UAE’s national healthcare agenda Al Jalila Foundation invests in the future generation of healthcare professionals by providing scholarships to promising medical students.

One very successful student, Seyed Ali Seyed Reza Safizadeh Shabestari, received the coveted scholarship in 2016 and will be graduating in the summer of 2022.

Seyed’s dedication and hard work have been consistent throughout the six-year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) program at Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU).

Through the support of incredible professors and mentors Seyed was able to publish several first-author papers and co-author in reputable journals such as iScience and Human Genomics. He has also participated in several global conferences, including the European Society of Human Genetics 2019 held in Gothenburg, Sweden, where he was nominated as the best poster candidate and did an oral presentation.

Seyed is also the founder and president of MBRU’s Radiology Club which serves to establish a foundation for medical students to become familiarised with the field of imaging,

Seyed is forever grateful for the opportunity he was given, “Thanks to the support from Al Jalila Foundation through this scholarship and MBRU’s mentoring, I am now able to contribute to advancing the research and academic vision in the UAE. I hope to be involved in the future trajectory of radiology, where there is no limit to what can be attained.”

We wish Seyed the very best in this next chapter as he pursues a life-long dream of becoming a doctor to save patients’ lives.

Stories of Hope

Abdulrahman’s life is forever changed following heart surgery

4-year-old Abdulrahman suffered from left ventricular atrophy syndrome which is a disease that causes the narrowing of the aortic valve that separates the left ventricle from the large blood vessel leaving your heart (aorta).

Abdulrahman suffered from heart complications since birth and had already undergone two major surgeries to correct the congenital heart defect. In early 2022, he needed a final surgery that would restore his health and give him the opportunity to live a full and happy life.

Abdulrahman’s father works as a manager at a small pest control business while his mother is a housewife. The family were unable to fund the significant costs of the critical operation and thanks to Al Jalila Foundation A’awen program, and the community that rallied together to raise the necessary funds for his life-changing surgery, Abdulrahman was able to undergo the open-heart surgery. The young boy has made a full recovery; his energy is growing daily and he now enjoys playing with his brothers and looks forward to attending school soon.

His parents are filled with appreciation, “Our son’s condition is continuously improving thanks to Al Jalila Foundation’s support. We cannot thank the team enough for standing with us in the difficult time and showing us incredible compassion when we needed it the most. Abdulrahman is so excited to be able to go to school and we look forward to seeing him grow up strong and healthy with a bright future ahead of him.”

Press Release

Al Jalila Foundation becomes first healthcare charity in the UAE to receive donations in cryptocurrency

Al Jalila Foundation, a nonprofit healthcare organisation dedicated to transforming lives through medical innovation, and a member of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, today announced that it has been granted approval to receive charitable donations in cryptocurrencies, making it the first healthcare charity in the UAE to accept donations in digital money.

Al Jalila Foundation also announced that it has partnered with a leading cryptocurrency platform. This unprecedented move in the charity sector aims to expand the Foundation’s donation channels, network and capabilities in line with Dubai’s vision to be a leader in adopting advanced financial technologies and a prominent digital asset hub.

Dr Abdulkareem Sultan Al Olama, CEO of Al Jalila Foundation, said: “As a philanthropic organisation we rely on charitable donations and we are always seeking innovative ways to expand our donation channels for ease of convenience for donors from all around the world to support our programmes. Therefore, as an emerging source of fundraising, providing the opportunity to the growing number of crypto users around the world to donate to Al Jalila Foundation to causes that interest them is a win-win for us as a foundation and the donor community. We are proud to be the first healthcare charity in the UAE to accept donations in cryptocurrencies bridging the gap between physical and digital currency.”

According to Chainalysis, the Middle East is one of the fastest-growing cryptocurrency markets in the world, making up seven per cent of global trading volumes. The UAE transacts approximately USD 25 billion worth of cryptocurrency each year and ranks third by volume in the region.

Crypto philanthropy has emerged as an important and sustainable source of fundraising for charities, giving people greater opportunities to donate for good. Cryptocurrency is also the fastest growing donation method for Millennial and Gen-Z donors. According to a study published by The Giving Block, the leading crypto philanthropy platform for nonprofit organisations and individual donors, total yearly crypto donations in 2021 soared over fifteen times compared to 2020. Furthermore, the average crypto donation stood at USD 10,455 as opposed to cash donation at USD 128.

Since its inception in 2013, Al Jalila Foundation has raised millions to deliver life-transforming healthcare programmes in the areas of medical treatment, education and research.

Stories of Hope

How a Dubai mum got help to beat cancer

Aisha Soud Mohammed, a 30-year-old mother from Kenya, who has been living in Dubai with her husband since 2018, was leading a normal life until she felt a few uneasy symptoms in December 2020. “I started noticing blood in my stool. I was worried and told my husband about it. We went to the hospital and met a specialist. After tests and scans that evening, the doctor asked for colonoscopy because they had noticed something abnormal,” said Aisha.

She went through colonoscopy, which was covered under her medical insurance. Subsequently, she was told by the hospital about the horrific diagnosis. “The doctor met me and said that I had Stage 3 colorectal cancer. I broke down. I couldn’t believe I had cancer at this age, but Alhamdulillah, Allah knows best,” she added.

In January 2021, she underwent a major surgery to excise the tumour. The surgery went off well and she had a colostomy bag as a life-saving support mechanism as she couldn’t pass stools normally. After the surgery, she started a follow-up treatment plan involving radiation therapy.

“All this was happening in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. So I couldn’t go home. I couldn’t be with my family. It was just me and my husband as my son lives with the rest of my family in my home country. It was the toughest time for us,” she said.

Soon after Aisha started her radiation therapy, her insurance cover got exhausted. Her company tried to support her as much as they could, but the treatment proved to be very expensive. “We started looking for charity to support the second part of my treatment, which involved chemotherapy. Thank God, Al Jalila Foundation responded to my application and helped me to become a cancer survivor,” Aisha said.

She appealed to the A’awen programme at Al Jalila Foundation which covered the entire cost of her remaining treatment plan. “I received from Al Jalila Foundation more than what I could have asked for. I cannot thank the foundation enough for their support. I’m happy that I was able to take the road back to a healthy life. Al Jalila Foundation gave me hope and a fighting chance,” Aisha said.”

After one year with the colostomy bag, she recently had it removed and the recovery phase started after successful completion of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Dr Abdukareem Sultan Al Olama, CEO of Al Jalila Foundation, said the foundation gave hope to Aisha and other patients through the support of partners and donors. “At Al Jalila Foundation, we believe that health is the cornerstone of happiness and everyone deserves a second chance at health. With the support we receive, we are able to give hope to patients like Aisha and help alleviate their financial burden so that they can focus on treatment and recovery. Nothing makes us happier than experience the overwhelming joy from patients whose lives have been transformed after successful treatment. These are the precious moments that make our job at Al Jalila Foundation so rewarding.”

Note: Aisha’s story was published in Gulf News by Ali Al Shouk on 26 May 2022.

Newsletters

From all of us at Al Jalila Foundation, thank you!

May 2022
Once again Ramadan brought together our wonderful community of hope-makers whose generosity touched so many lives.  As part of our A’awen patient treatment program, we launched our Ramadan campaign to help cancer patients and give them hope. The power of hope can not be underestimated. Hope gives patients courage to keep moving forward, one day at a time, hopeful of a time when their disease no longer controls their life and livelihood. We thank everyone that came forward to give hope to men, women and children who are suffering with this devastating illness. Your support makes all the difference!

Research Matters, Stories of Hope

Developing novel treatment for COVID-19

COVID-19 has disrupted the world, produced chaos and posed a significant threat to global health. Since the first outbreak, several treatments have been developed to prevent the spread of this virus with many vaccines approved and extensively administered. However, the fact that SARS-CoV-2 rapidly mutates makes the efficacy and safety of this approach constantly under debate and the development of small molecule antivirals are still needed to combat the infection.

To tackle this global challenge, Al Jalila Foundation took the lead to support promising local research to fight COVID-19. One of these studies is led by Professor Taleb Al-Tel from the University of Sharjah and is directed toward the discovery of small molecules that inhibits the proteases enzymes of the virus with the aim to discover first-in-class treatment options.

Professor Taleb’s research has developed modular and efficient strategies to access the core scaffolds of various classes of nature-inspired compound collection employing complexity-to-diversity strategy. From this collection, a relatively potent lead drug candidate was discovered that covalently binds to the main protease of the virus.

Another finding is the discovery of novel small molecules that are potent inhibitors of the papain-like protease of the virus which were tested using various infected cells. To validate these findings, the compounds are under further analysis using transcriptomic studies and investigating their effect on innate immune system.

These important findings form the foundation for the development of novel treatments for COVID-19 infections.