UAEU Gets Dh400,000 for Cancer Research

The research projects include the ‘characterisation of curcumin signal transduction and apostosis as possible target for chemotherapy’ and the ‘novel resistance biomarkers in human breast cancer’.

The grant was received by Dr Charles Leduc, associate professor at the Faculty, during a press conference on Tuesday held to announce the 15^th anniversary of Abu Dhabi Terry Fox Run (TFR).

Dr Leduc is also the research coordinator for Abu Dhabi TFR.

According to Dr Leduc, from 1995, the UAE has raised Dh7.412 million for Terry Fox fund. Abu Dhabi has raised Dh2.65 million for the last 13 years.

The number of projects funded in the UAE from TFR grants totalled 45 with 40 different principal investigators. The average grants per project for three years (duration of the project) is Dh230,000 in the UAE and Dh265,000 in Abu Dhabi.

The Dh400,000 fund granted to the UAE University this year will be equally divided among the four research projects for 2010.

0Additional funds are expected to be awarded to them for the next two years.

Farid Dabaghani, committee chairperson for Abu Dhabi TFR, said to get funding, research proposals are submitted to the International Research Centres in Canada and Europe and they decide whether the project is to be funded or not.

“The idea is not to spend money to do the same research,” said Dabaghani.

For the last 15 years, all grants in the UAE are awarded to the UAE University, which is the only cancer research centre in the country to date, Dr Leduc told Khaleej Times.

Dr Leduc said the research focuses on cancer treatment or how to stop cancer without killing the human cell.

The conference was also attended by Breeda McClew from the International Terry Fox Foundation and Judith Fox-Adler, Terry Fox’s sister who has flown in to Abu Dhabi to reach out to the local community, talk about Terry’s story and spread the message of hope, selflessness and perseverance, as well as to promote the sense of giving back to the community for humanitarian cause.

olivia@khaleejtimes.com