AGU specialist receives Best Research Award

Manama, June 6 (BNA): Dr. Ghada Al-Khafaji, a genetic and molecular genetics specialist at the College of Medicine and Medical Sciences in Arabian Gulf University (AGU), was awarded the Best Scientific Research Award at the Global Cancer Genome Conference held recently in Dubai amidst wide international participation by major countries, notably Britain, Japan and many other international and Arab countries. Al-Khafaji received the award for her research, which found new genetic markers to detect prostate cancer and differentiate it from benign prostatic hyperplasia, pointing out that four genetic indicators were able to effectively distinguish between malignant prostate cancer from benign, enabling these genetic markers to become a substitute in the future for a previous conventional test based on serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer tumor and one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among men. Several studies have shown that prostate antigen (PSA) may increase in cases of non-cancerous prostate disease, and this may contribute to making the old examination loses its specificity in the diagnosis of prostate cancer. It may also result in a surge in doctors' tendency to take unnecessary biopsies from patients and prescribe unnecessary and expensive treatments. Al-Kafaji said that developing such genetic markers can identify the right treatments and not only to help in diagnosing the disease. Al-Kafaji also emphasised the importance of conducting more studies on larger samples to ensure that these genetic markers are stable before using them in laboratories as new tests.