Drugs and future of Health under discussion at 4th STEP in Oman

03 Dec. 2018

MSTF Media reports:
The panel discussion began with opening remarks by the 2015 Mustafa Prize laureate, Prof. Jackie Ying. Professor of Pharmacology at Qatar University, Saghir Akhtar, explained about gene silencing, a potential new medicine that could target genes that cause disease. It can be achieved by delivery of gene silencing agents into cells aiming at right cell in the body and at the right site inside target cell.
“If we can produce drugs that can silence disease causing genes, we might be able to have better drugs in the future. As you know cancer is a genetic disease and Oncogenes are cancer causing genes so if we can target them and selectively silence those genes with the new short nuclear gadgets and they can be pretty much used in all disease that arises from genetic condition,” explained Akhtar.
These molecules that are part of the gene silencing have reached the market not for cancer but for situations where there is too much cholesterol in the blood - familial hypercholesterolemia. Similar medication has also arrived in the market since three months for another hereditary condition called neuropathy. According to Akhtar, these molecules could also help in the cases of Thalassemia.
The 4th STEP forum is co-organized by Mustafa Science and Technology Foundation and Sultan Qaboos University with the goal of establishing a network between scientists in the Islamic world. Over 80 scientists from Islamic countries have come under one roof in Muscat to exchange views on Water, Energy and Health which are the main themes of this round of STEP