Al Ain: Two UAE University (UAEU) scientists have been selected to work on the Halifax Project, a collaborative international research initiative to tackle cancer’s complexity.

Dr Amr Amin, a professor of cell and molecular biology, and Dr Salman Ashraf, associate professor of biochemistry, will join more than 350 cancer researchers from prominent research institutions in 31 countries on the project, said an UAEU official.

The Halifax Project involves two separate task forces. One will take what has been learned about cancer’s complexity to design an entirely new approach to therapy, while the other will assess whether or not everyday exposures to mixtures of commonly encountered chemicals have a role to play in cancer causation, she said.

The research is being led by Getting to Know Cancer, a non-governmental organisation based in Nova Scotia, Canada. Dr Amin and Dr Ashraf will work with one of 12 cross-functional teams of scientists that will each focus on a different aspect of cancer biology.

“The teams will spend the next year reviewing what we now know about cancer’s complexity to design a ground-breaking, broad-spectrum therapeutic approach that will be aimed at many prioritised targets simultaneously,” said the official.

Dr Keith I. Block, the medical and scientific director of the Block Centre for Integrative Cancer Treatment in Skokie, Illinois, said researchers had quietly worked for many years on developing a multi-dimensional treatment model.

The Halifax Project, said Dr Block, involves a large number of cancer scientists and researchers from around the world. “Our team’s objective is to further evolve a comprehensive treatment model with less toxic and more innovative therapies, with the ultimate goal of eradicating cancer,” he added.

Dr Amr said cancer continues to be a leading cause of death and a major healthcare burden worldwide despite all the research and hard-work. “It is the goal of all cancer researchers to be able to control such a devastating disease. I am honoured to be a member of the advisory board of such a noble global initiative and would like to thank UAEU for the continued support,” he said.

Dr Salman said: “I am very excited to be part of this prestigious group of scientists working on an extremely important problem that will have real and tangible results, and hopefully lead to novel therapeutics to tackle various forms of cancer.”