ARF Award-Winning Medical Student Propels Genetic Research in Qatar

Doha, March 03 (QNA) - An award-winning medical student's research on genetic mutation prevalent in Qatari and African-derived populations that is linked to higher risk of cardiovascular disease is reaffirming here the transformative power of genetics in biomedicine. Winner of 2012 Annual Research Forum's (ARF) 'Best Student Health and Biomedical Research', Maen D Abou Ziki probed why certain populations have higher genetic risk of diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease, Qatar Foundation (QF) said Sunday. Abou Ziki, in his third year at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q) said, "Arab populations in general and Qatari population in particular, are under-represented in international studies on genetic markers of disease." What is discovered, for instance, in European populations on the genetic risk factors for diabetes may not be applicable to our patient population in Qatar, he said. "We set out to discover the genetic variations that increase the risk for diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease in the Qatari population," said Abou Ziki. His subsequent research uncovered a genetic mutation prevalent among Qatari and African-derived populations that is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. The success of this award-winning study, 'High Prevalence of the ApoE Arg145Cys Dyslipidemia At-risk Polymorphism in African-derived Populations', a collaboration with his mentor at WCMC-Q, has inspired Abou Ziki to continue his research into new frontiers of genetic diagnosis. Abou Ziki's discoveries in biomedicine are paralleled by critical studies in the field of environmental science, also awarded at the ARF. Qatar University's Momina Adel Zakzok and Shamsa Abdullah Al Khanjari examined the contamination of one of Qatar's lesser-known natural treasures: the coastal mangroves of the northeast. Al Khanjari's study, entitled 'Concentrations and Bioaccumulation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the Soft Sediments of Mangrove, East Coast of Qatar', won her the Best Student Poster of the Year in Energy and Environment Research. "Oil industries and transportation can impose a potential environmental impact on this unique ecosystem, so I was interested in investigating the concentrations of different PAHs in the sediments and bivalve tissues within the mangrove ecosystem," said Shamsa. A coinciding study by her colleague Adel Zakzok uncovered alarming arsenic contamination in the mangroves. Adel Zakzok hopes her ARF award for 'Best Student Energy and Environment Research of the Year' will help when applying for a place on Master's programmes, where she would like to continue her research on environmental contamination in Qatar, the country of her birth. Although these student-led studies fall under vastly different disciplines, they are united by their concern for issues critical to the development of modern-day Qatar, the QF said. The ARF organised annually by Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development is heading towards its fourth year. Through the forum, QF aims to inspire younger generations to engage in research for Qatar that not only adds to the country's own knowledge-base but also generates life-changing discoveries that extend beyond its borders. Previous researchers who received awards in each of these fields have gone on to publish or present their findings to international audiences, QF said. PhD candidate Asma Essa Alfadala at the University of Cambridge, for example, will be using her ARF award to present her research on the implementation of Qatar's education reform, entitled 'Education for a New Era', at two major conferences in the United States. Next month's 57th Annual Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society, and the American Educational Research Association's annual meeting, to be held in San Francisco in April, have each selected her research through a competitive blind review process. Asma believes that through these conferences, her case studies on school leaders in Qatar will offer an insight to a wider group of researchers analysing the success of ambitious educational reform in public school systems. The list of ARF 2012 award winners also includes:- Dia Noufal - University of Angers; Abstract Title of Social Sustainability and the Historical District Projects: Souq Waqif in Qatar as a Case Study for Best Student Arts, Behavioural and Social Sciences, Humanities and Islamic Studies Research Program of the Year. Dania Abed Rabbou - Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar; Abstract Title of Extending the Reach of Social-Based Context-Aware Ubiquitous Systems for Best Student Computing and IT Research of the Year. Rawan Al Saad - Qatar University and Nile University; Abstract Title of Efficient Parallel Implementation of the SHRiMP Sequence Alignment Tool using MapReduce for Best Student Poster of the Year in Computing and IT Research. Omayma Abdulla Al-Saei, Najah Abdulsalam Al Fakih - Qatar University; Abstract Title of Effect Of Beta-Catenin Inhibition On Liver Cancer Stem Cell Profile for Best Student Poster of the Year in Health and Biomedical Research. (END)