Dubai: Whether it is finding ways to make cancer treatment less painful or starting a registry to fight inherited diseases, Arab women shone in the field of scientific research at the L’Oreal–Unesco Pan Arab Regional Fellowships for Women in Science 2013.
The programme which was launched in the region in 2010 by L’Oreal and Unesco aims to promote women in the field of scientific research.
This year 10 Arab scientists and researchers from different countries in the region — including two from the UAE — were awarded €15,000 (Dh55,090) for their work in different fields.
Gulf News spoke to three of the winners to learn more about their research and future plans.
Emirati Fatima Al Jasmi, Metabolic Consultant at Tawam Hospital and Assistant Professor at UAE University, was awarded for her metabolic disorder registry which records cases of Emiratis who suffer from this inherited disorder.
So far Fatima has recorded the cases of 189 Emiratis and she found that in the UAE, for every 100,000 Emirati births 75 suffer from metabolic disorders. She also found 57 different types of diseases caused by this disorder.
“There are more than 100 diseases that can be caused by metabolic disorders; some are lethal while others can cause severe retardation. My dream is to establish genetic metabolic centres in the UAE on a research and clinical level. By documenting cases in the UAE and establishing a registry more cures can be found,” she added.
Palestinian national Sherin Al Falah won for her research proposal which aims to spare cancer patients the pain and agony of losing their hair, fatigue and many other symtoms that are caused by anti-cancer drugs.
Sherin, who has a Ph.D. in natural science and theoretical chemistry and is a lecturer and researcher at Al Quds University, believes that this is possible if the metallic compounds used in catalysis — chemicals used to speed up or cause the drug to react — can be replaced with organic compounds.
“I have been thinking about this concept for over a year now but I did not have the resources to implement it. Receiving the €15,000 from the programme will finally help me start my research which will hopefully help cancer patients continue their treatment without suffering from the agonising symptoms.”
Another Emirati, Naeema Ebrahim Karam Al Darmaki, Assistant Professor in Chemical Engineering at UAE University, was awarded for her research on green solvents used in extracting components from herbs.
“Green solvents can be used to extract components from many different substances. If you take herbs, for example, which is what I based my paper on, we were able to use this solvent to extract its main compounds in the form of a liquid. This can help different industries such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and food.”
Naeema, who is the youngest faculty member and the first female at the chemistry department in the university, called on all Emiratis to remain confident regardless of their educational background.
“I studied in public schools which people usually believe provides poorer education than private schools. However I was able to succeed in my major with hard work. I call on Emiratis, especially women, to work hard regardless of their background.”
