Medical Research in UAE

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Medical Research in UAE

• Round Table 1 - May 2, 2005
• How to fund basic research and
• how to link
• local research laboratories
• with global centers

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Medical Research in UAE

• Round Table 1 - May 2, 2005
• An insiders view of research capacity in the
  region
• S. George Carruthers MD
• Professor of Medicine (Clinical Pharmacology)
• Dean, Faculty of Medicine Health Sciences
• United Arab Emirates University
• Al Ain, UAE

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Medical Research in UAE

• UAE federation of emirates 1971
• UAE University established 1976
• Faculty of Medicine established 1986
• first medical graduates 1993
• first health sciences graduates 2005

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Medical Research in UAE

• Strengths
• Weaknesses
• Opportunities
• Threats

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Medical Research in UAE

• Strengths
• Young, energetic country
• Visionary, enlightened leadership
• Wealth a prerequisite for medical research
• Strong desire to move from developing to
  developed nation status (including trappings of
  developed nations)
• transitional disease status of nation offers
  research opportunities and challenges (disease of
  the third world and the developed world)

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Medical Research in UAE

• Strengths
• Research intensive culture in FMHS/UAEU
• Outstanding laboratories and equipment
• Experienced investigators
• Adequate internal funding UAEU and FMHS
• Adequate external funding
• Research priority areas linked to national needs

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Medical Research in UAE

• Weaknesses
• The importance of research is not widely
  appreciated
• UAE has no Medical Research Council or NIH
• Research philanthropy is underdeveloped
• Disease related support is limited
• Big Pharma is not a player
• Hospitals and staff have little tradition of
  research
• Research does not bring fast returns on
  investment
• Regional perspective on ethical issues
• Uncertainty about intellectual property issues

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Medical Research in UAE

• Weaknesses
• Data bases are inadequate
• diabetes mellitus (Type 2)
• cardiovascular health
• trauma
• cancer
• High turnover of faculty
• Clinical research not well developed (basic
  sciences research much stronger foundations)
• The vital circle between basic and clinical
  sciences (bench to bedside, bedside to bench) is
  fragile

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Medical Research in UAE

• Opportunities
• HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Awards for
  Medical Research
• Terry Fox Cancer Funds, Dubai and Abu Dhabi
• UAE Red Crescent Association
• International collaborations
• British Council
• Universities, e.g. USA, UK, Sweden
• International granting agencies
• Wellcome Foundation
• Michael J. Fox Foundation
• Other international granting agencies

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Red Crescent
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Medical Research in UAE

• Threats
• Lack of critical mass of investigators
• Lack of infrastructure
• Fragmentation, lack of central plan
• Inability to complete projects
• cultural barriers
• turnover in faculty, staff
• funding short-falls for mega-projects

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Medical Research at UAEU

• Priority Research Areas at FMHS
• to develop medical scientists and to support
  programmes of research in the basic medical
  sciences and clinical sciences, with emphasis on
  areas of special need in the United Arab
  Emirates
• Mission Statement of FMHS, 2001

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Medical Research at UAEU

• Priority Research Areas at FMHS
• Congenital and developmental disorders
• Cancer
• Diabetes and cardiovascular diseases
• Immunology and infection
• Neurosciences
• Trauma
• Aging and degenerative diseases

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Medical Research at UAEU

• Congenital and developmental disorders
• consanguinity common
• high morbidity and mortality in childhood
• thalassemia, G-6PD deficiency
• Links to Al Maktoum Centre for Arabic Genetics,
  Dubai
• Major research conference in Dubai 2003
• Al-Ghazali syndrome named after Professor Lihadh
  Al-Ghazali at FMHS by Malaysian investigators in
  2004

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Medical Research at UAEU

• Cancer
• Tissue bank
• Cancer registry
• Cell biology (anatomy, biochemistry)
• Genetics and cancer
• Gynecological cancer/screening
• Psychological aspects of cancer in families
• Cancer conference planning includes regional and
  world congresses

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Medical Research at UAEU

• Diabetes and cardiovascular diseases
• Rodent models of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes
  mellitus
• Isolated cardiomyoctes
• Islet cell transplantation
• Natriuretic peptides in heart failure (clinical)
• Cardiac remodelling (clinical)
• Clinical investigation of Diabetes Complications
  in collaboration with UAEU Research Affairs,
  Research Triangle International and UAE Red
  Crescent Association
• International conference in 2001, planned 2006
  in Al Ain

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Medical Research at UAEU

• Immunology and infection
• Bacteriology, mycology, parasitology, virology
• Immunology
• Innate immunity
• Th1/Th2 modelling
• Epidemiology
• Zoonoses
• Emerging infections
• International Conference on Emerging Infectious
  Diseases 2005, Al Ain

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Medical Research at UAEU

• Neurosciences
• Neuroanatomy
• Neurophysiology
• Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology
• Autonomic function and disease
• Epilepsy modeling
• Brain imaging
• Toxicology
• International conference planned in November
  2005, Al Ain

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Medical Research at UAEU

• Trauma
• morbidity and mortality from Road Traffic
  Accidents
• Seat belt use, speed
• Cyclist safety
• morbidity and mortality from workplace accidents
• Trauma Registry
• Special injuries such as scapular, spinal, pelvic
  fractures
• Radiological assessment of trauma victims
• Monash-UAEU Road Safety Centre in Al Ain (
  Faculties of Engineering and Medicine Health
  sciences in conjunction with GM Australia)
• ATLS programs (American College of Surgeons)
• FAST ultrasonography program for trauma assessment

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Medical Research at UAEU

• Priority Research Areas at FMHS
• Congenital and developmental disorders
• Cancer
• Diabetes and cardiovascular diseases
• Immunology and infection
• Neurosciences
• Trauma
• Aging and degenerative diseases
• www.uaeu.fmhs.ac.ae

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Medical Research at UAEU

• Links with Global Centers
• They already exist
• There is a lot of room for further development
• Foundations of relationships need to be robust
• Challenges in UAE include developing of true
  academic health centers and academic networks
• Excellent medical research needs context of
  excellent patient care and education
• Medicine for profit is unlikely to encourage
  research
• International partnerships should be win-win
• Global partners should demonstrate regional
  commitment

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Medical Research at UAEU

• Building a Superior Healthcare System
• Superior Healthcare Systems integrate
• Superior healthcare based on evidence and high
  standards
• Superior education of patients and health
  professionals
• A spirit of curiosity, together with a commitment
  to research
• A commitment to quality improvement
• A commitment to ongoing accreditation
• Superior Healthcare Systems require effort!

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Medical Research at UAEU

• Building a Superior
• Healthcare System
• UAE University and the Faculty of Medicine
  Health Sciences are open to partnerships.

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