Dubai: Europe’s largest biomedical research centre, Francis Crick Institute, saw the opening of Sharjah Laboratory to help facilitate medical studies by world’s leading scientists.
The laboratory was inaugurated by His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and his wife, Shaikha Jawaher Bint Mohammad Al Qasimi.
Housing 1,250 leading scientists from a variety of disciplines working together to understand why diseases develop, the laboratory will help find new ways to prevent and treat non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cancer.
Dr Shaikh Sultan praised the efforts made by scientists and researchers to come up with effective therapies for diseases affecting societies across the world.
He said that these efforts must be purely for human benefit, free of financial incentives or economic objectives, in order to protect people from the diseases that claim their lives and hamper their involvement in the development and well-being of their communities.
He underlined that the Sharjah Laboratory will serve as a scientific beacon that will utilise and invest its research capacity to find the underlying causes of serious non-communicable diseases, cancer in particular. He stressed that Sharjah will support the laboratory, not only financially, but also with highly qualified human resources that are able to realise its objectives.
Emphasising that science is moving at an ever-increasing pace, with each day seeing new possibilities, he added new research may help us beat cancer, giving us reason to be optimistic, but we can never be complacent.
He stressed that ongoing unified support and funding is essential to make sure this research progresses, and “gives us the best chance to rid the world of so many horrific diseases and that we are all integral to the future of global health”.
As an International Ambassador of the World Cancer Declaration for the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and International Ambassador for Childhood Cancer for UICC, Shaikha Jawaher plays a vital role in cross-cultural efforts to fight the disease internationally. Shaikha Jawaher underlined the importance of supporting and funding NCDs and cancer research. The Sharjah Laboratory is fully funded by Shaikha Jawaher who donated half a million pounds to the Cancer Research UK to support its work and help train human resources in order for them to move into a new phase of the treatment of NCDs and curb their prevalence.
