Ajman University Center for Medical and Bio-Allied Health Sciences Research (CMBAHSR) is the University’s central point for connecting Ajman university researchers to opportunities for funding and a variety of research-related services. Research in Medical and Bio-allied Health Sciences is contributing to the development of life -changing technologies with significant impact on individuals and communities.
Ajman University researchers are:
Welcome to our Research Highlights: Latest News & Achievements! This section celebrates our research center's outstanding accomplishments, awards, and activities. Discover the latest news, innovative work, and significant milestones that showcase the excellence and dedication within our community.
If you are part of our research center and have an achievement or news to share, please contact Dr. Mohammad Anas Shamsi (m.shamsi@ajman.ac.ae) with the details. We are always eager to celebrate and acknowledge our team members' hard work and successes.
1. Best Presenter at International conference, ICCBOC 24, held at Singapore on 2-3rd August 2024.
2. Second Place at the 11th Undergraduate Research and Innovation Competition at Abu Dhabi University
Date: May 2024
Category: Electrical Engineering
Awarded To: Bayan Alradi, Rand Agha, Bashayer Al-Maamari
Supervised By: Dr. Samer Zyoud
We are thrilled to announce a significant achievement by members of our Advanced Nanotechnology Research Group at the 11th Undergraduate Research and Innovation Competition held at Abu Dhabi University. Our team, composed of Bayan Alradi, Rand Agha, and Bashayer Al-Maamari, participated in the Environmental and Electrical Engineering category under the exceptional supervision of Dr. Samer Zyoud.
Their innovative project earned them second place in the Electrical Engineering category, a prestigious recognition that highlights their hard work, dedication, and the high quality of their research. This accomplishment is a testament to able supervision and guidance provided by Dr. Zyoud.
The Advanced Nanotechnology Research Group, led by Dr. Samer Zyoud, continues to push the boundaries of research and innovation. This success underscores our commitment to excellence and the impactful contributions of our talented students.
We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Bayan Alradi, Rand Agha, Bashayer Al-Maamari, and Dr. Samer Zyoud for this outstanding achievement. We also express our gratitude to Prof. Kamran, Dean of Research and Graduate Studies; Prof. Mohd Nasor, Dean of the College of Engineering and Information Technology; and Prof. Moayad Shahwan, Head, Center of Medical and Bio-Allied Health Sciences Research and everyone who supported and encouraged the team throughout their journey.
3. Oral Presentation at MONASH INITIATE 2023 Conference Held at Monash University, Malaysia
Dr. Mohammad Anas Shamsi, working as Full Time Research Associate at the Centre of Medical and Bio-allied Health Sciences Research (CMBHSR), hosted at College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Ajman University, UAE, delivered a compelling Scientific Talk entitled “REPURPOSING DRUGS FOR BRUTON'S TYROSINE KINASE INHIBITION: A COMBINED VIRTUAL SCREENING AND MOLECULAR DYNAMICS STUDY” at international conference “MONASH INITIATE 2023”, held at Monash University, Malaysia (Ranked 42nd globally in QS World University Rankings 2024.).
Dr. Shamsi's presentation shed light on the fascinating world of drug repurposing, a field with the potential to revolutionize pharmaceutical research and development. His research involved a comprehensive study that combines virtual screening and molecular dynamics simulations to identify novel uses for existing drugs in the inhibition of Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase, a key player in various diseases, including certain types of cancer and autoimmune disorders.
The presentation, delivered at MONASH INITIATE 2023, was met with great enthusiasm from the audience, consisting of fellow researchers, scholars, and industry professionals. It showcased Mr. Shamsi's dedication to pushing the boundaries of scientific knowledge and his innovative approach to drug discovery and is a testament to the research excellence and commitment to advancing scientific knowledge at Ajman University. Dr. Shamsi's work adds to the AU reputation as a hub of innovative and impactful research in the field of pharmaceutical sciences and provides a perfect platform to represent AU globally.
Dr. Mohammad Anas Shamsi is highly grateful to Prof. Kamran, Dean of Research and Graduate Studies and Prof. Moayad Shahwan, Head, Center of Medical and Bio-Allied Health Sciences Research for all the support and is indebted to Ajman University fro providing funding to attend this reputed event.
Research Center Membership
Membership types include (1) Full membership for full-time AU academic faculty who have published at least one Q1 papers in their area of specialization in the past academic year, and (2) Affiliate membership for full-time AU academic faculty.
Full-time AU academic faculty are required to fill in their membership preferences in the form below:
Research Center Membership Form
Professor Moayad Jamal Saeed Al Shahwan
Research of the Interdisciplinary Population Health team aims to further advance the expertise and competence of academic health disciplines through developments of discipline sharing and integration. It also aims to address social and collaborative matters amongst the health disciplines away from discipline-related academic outcomes.
The team will collaborate with health organizations, governments, industry, and other research institutes, locally and internationally to tackle the essence, process, and outcomes of population health concepts with the ultimate goal of enhancing the health condition of the population. The research will adopt established interdisciplinary methods of preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in addressing health problems of people equally; leading to enhanced health outcomes and effective and efficient running of health management systems that cater for the health needs of the population.
Coordinator |
College |
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences |
|
Members from Ajman University |
|
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences |
|
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences |
|
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences |
|
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences |
|
College of Dentistry |
|
College of Dentistry |
Coordinator College College of Medicine Members from Ajman University College of Medicine College of Medicine College of Medicine College of Medicine College of Medicine College of Medicine 8) Ayesha Azhar
College of Medicine
College of Medicine
Drug Design, Development, Delivery, Analysis and Mechanistic Studies (D4AMS) is an established component of the CMBHSR within the Ajman University (AU). The members of the team shall work on the convergence of health and medical sciences between the AU’s medical, dental, biological/biochemical, pharmaceutical and biomedical engineering programs to address the UAE’s most pressing health problems, and the world at large by improving biomedical and health care research.
To open new vistas in the next generation medical science that enables discovery of new drugs, low-cost and high-quality personalized yet scalable healthcare, disease prevention, early detection and containment, and new modes of medical science education. D4AMS has the resources, facilities and equipment for drug design, development (including synthesis and characterisation), analysis and formulation development and characterization and clinical studies.
Coordinator |
College |
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences |
|
Members from Ajman University |
|
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences |
|
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences |
|
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences |
|
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences |
|
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences |
|
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences |
|
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences |
|
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences |
|
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences |
Since engineering has always been progressing side-by-side with medicine and biology, the aim of the Medical Instrumentation and Signal Processing (MISP) team is to collaborate with other groups within CEMBHSR, other research centres within AU, as well as external research entities (outside AU) to deliver novel research work that will have a positive impact on society and advance knowledge in healthcare. The research interests of the team lie in several areas such as sensor fabrication, neuro-engineering, medical electronics, biomaterials, bio-signal processing, and image processing.
In addition to the regular members of the team, faculty members and industry specialists from all engineering and information technology disciplines shall be invited to add to the existing expertise of the team in order to create the ideal environment for tackling contemporary and complex research problems.
Coordinator |
College |
Engineering and Information Technology / Biomedical Engineering |
|
Members from Ajman University |
|
Engineering and Information Technology / Biomedical Engineering |
|
Engineering and Information Technology / Biomedical Engineering |
|
Engineering and Information Technology / Biomedical Engineering |
Our team is multifaceted with departments actively pursuing research in both clinical and translational dental treatment. Our endeavour would be to collaborate with other colleges present within the university and globally to achieve our goal of contributing justifiable and repeatable results that sheds light on some frequently asked research questions. As a college which belongs to a consortium of colleges in the region providing clinical good governance, it is our responsibility to contribute judiciously to the cause. Our team will be concentrating on topics related to:
Coordinator |
College |
Dentistry |
|
Members from Ajman University |
|
Dentistry |
|
Dentistry |
|
Dr. Ahmed Jagshi |
Dentistry |
Dr. Kelvin Ian |
Dentistry |
Dr. Alexander Luk |
Dentistry |
Dr. Okba Mahmou |
Dentistry |
Dentistry |
Coordinator College College of Humanities and Sciences Members Biomedical Engineering
This is Advanced nanotechnology research group under the umbrella of Center for Medical and Bio-Allied Health Sciences Research. The Nanotechnology research group at Ajman University is a newly established in AU with a technical and descriptive research coordinated by Dr. Samer. It constitutes a significant breakthrough in the development and activation of scientific research in pursuit of the country's development according to the AU strategic plans. This group aid in the promotion of research role to reach an advanced level of research and provide highly skilled and well-educated expertise in the interdisciplinary areas. The main aim of this research group is to build on the skill sets that already exists under the belt of the AU curricula aimed at developing nanotechnology-based solutions that will serve the best interest of UAE and its society in a variety of ways. An important target of our research group is to serve as a connecting bridge between Academia and Industries and to create a pool of researchers that are experts in the field of nanotechnology ultimately aiding in the betterment of the society. Another important target is to establish new educational programs in nanotechnology.
The aim of this research group is to cover the Undergraduate and Graduate students of Pharmacy and Engineering. The main research topics covered under our group are:
1. Synthesis of Nanoparticles
2. Photocatalysis
3. Lasers and Sensors
4. Waste Water Treatment
5. Nanotechnology in Disease therapeutics
6. Antibacterial activity and toxicity mechanism of nanoparticles
Coordinator |
College |
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences/Deanship of Research and Graduate Studies |
|
Members |
|
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences |
|
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences |
|
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences |
The structure-based drug design and Discovery group under the Center for Medical and Bio-Allied Health Sciences Research umbrella aims to understand the structure-function relationships and investigate drug-protein interactions of various clinically relevant proteins. Structure-based drug design has become a valuable and essential part of drug discovery and possibly the most relevant approach to discovering bioactive leads exhibiting high specificity and effectiveness. We use various Bioinformatics methods, namely molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, and molecular modelling approaches to investigate the structure of proteins and their complexes with drugs and other molecules. These approaches unveil a comprehensive understanding of the drug-protein interactions for disease therapeutics, namely Cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Our group aims to discover new drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's and related neurodegenerative diseases and Cancer. Our group also focuses on various drug protein interactions that can play a key role in treatment of Neurodegenerative diseases.
Molecular Research in Cancer" is a dedicated research group focused on unraveling the complexities of cancer at the molecular level. Led by accomplished researchers in the field, the group employs cutting-edge techniques to study various aspects of cancer biology. Their research spans across understanding the molecular mechanisms driving cancer initiation, progression, metastasis, and drug resistance.
Coordinator:
Group Members |
||
Al Moutassem Billah Mahmoud Khair | College of Dentistry | a.khair@ajman.ac.ae |
Dr. Pratibha Prasad | College of Dentistry | p.prasad@ajman.ac.ae |
Dr. Huda Abutayyem | College of Dentistry | h.abutayyem@ajman.ac.ae |
Dr. Amawaye Al-Sammarraie | College of Dentistry | a.alsammarraie@ajman.ac.ae |
Dr. Divya Gopinath | College of Dentistry | d.gopinath@ajman.ac.ae |
Dr. Dunia Al Hadi | College of Dentistry | d.alhadi@ajman.ac.ae |
Dental Biomaterials and Clinical Translational Research Group
This group will focus on advancing research in dental materials and translating laboratory findings into clinical practice for improved patient outcomes.
Proposed Aims of the Group:
a. Development and Optimization of Dental Biomaterials: Explore innovative materials with enhanced biocompatibility, durability, and sustainability for dental applications.
b. Clinical Translational Research: Bridge the gap between laboratory research and clinical implementation to improve patient care and treatment outcomes.
c. Sustainability in Dentistry: Investigate and promote the use of eco-friendly materials and practices within the dental field.
d. Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Foster partnerships with other disciplines, such as materials science and bioengineering, to drive innovation in dental biomaterials. It will also train researchers and clinicians in the latest developments in dental biomaterials and clinical translational research.
Name | |
1. Dr. Ahmad Al Jaghsi | |
2. Dr Okba Mahmoud | |
3. Dr. Muhammad Amber Fareed | |
4. Prof. Muhammad Sohail Zafar | |
5. Dr Arief Cahyanto | |
6. Dr. Dinesh Rokaya |
CORE FACILITIES:
Internal Funding:
AU provides funds to members of the research center through internal research grants and infrastructure support for researchers in the medical and allied health sciences fields.
List of Ongoing Projects for the current academic year:
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences |
||
Type of Grant (IRG/IDG) |
DGSR Ref. No. | Title of the Proposal |
IDG | 2022-IDG-PH-1 | Inter-professional collaboration between dentists and pharmacists to offer care for patients in the dental setting |
IDG | 2022-IDG-CAAD-2 | Development and Characterization of Novel Multilayer Nanofiber Insert Loaded With Dexamethasone For Treating Dry Eye Disease |
IRG | 2022-IRG-PH-1 | Protective effects of Coenzyme Q10 on methotrexate-induced testicular injury in experimental rats |
IRG | 2022-IRG-PH-2 | Bioactivity guided fractionation and mechanistic studies on phytoconstituents from a plant of family costaceae against colorectal adenocarcinomas and their possible antimicrobial properties. |
IRG | 2022-IRG-PH-3 | Secondary metabolites (SM) and metallic nanoparticles (MNP) mediated antimicrobial biomaterials with potential for infection control : AV-SM-PVP-I2 and SM-MNP |
IRG | 2022-IRG-PH-5 | In vivo wound healing potential of amniotic fluid and Moringa-olifera loaded nanoclay films and elucidation of molecular pathways for regeneration |
IRG | 2022-IRG-PH-7 | Anticancer-loaded nanoparticles for skin cancer |
IRG | 2022-IRG-PH-8 | Nanoparticle Laden Contact Lens for Controlled Delivery of Acetazolamide in the Treatment of Glaucoma |
IRG | 2022-IRG-PH-10 | Design and development of potential inhibitors of Sphingosine Kinase 1: A therapeutic approach to attenuate cancer progression. |
IRG | 2022-IRG-PH-11 | Structural and functional studies of brain cystatin: Exploration of possible mechanism for polyphenols induced protection in Alzheimer’s disease |
IRG | 2022-IRG-PH-12 | Rethinking “Chain of Survival”: Insights from Economic Theory |
IRG | 2022-IRG-PH-13 | Protective Role of Vitamin C Against Injurious Effects of Ciprofloxacin on Albino Rat Testis and Epididymis |
External Research Grants:
The center will target to gain the award of research grants from major national and international research funding agencies. In addition, researchers will be involved in joint research projects with a variety of national and international private and public institutions.
The suggested external partners are as follows. Others may also be considered.
Name | Contact address |
Dr. Jwala Renukuntla | High Point University, High Point, NC, USA |
Dr. Hamzah Al Zubaidy | The University of Sharjah |
Dr. Kebede Beyene | The University of Auckland, NZ |
Dr. Djenane Ramalho de Oliveira | Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil |
Dr. Ahmed Awaisu | Qatar University |