Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI) and the King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC) in Jordan will work together to help accelerate cancer research in the region. Their collaboration was made official through the signing of an agreemen this month. QBRI is part Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU).

During the official signing, the organisations were represented by QBRI Acting Executive Director Dr Omar El Agnaf, KHCC Director General Dr Asem Mansour, and Dr Richard O’Kennedy, Vice-President for Research, Development and Innovation at Qatar Foundation and Vice President for Research at HBKU.

According to Dr El Agnaf the agreement will allow both institutions to benefit from complementary research assets and immediate access to different populations.

Over the next five years, we hope that this symbiotic relationship will help us deliver innovative breakthroughs that better address this pressing healthcare challenge and have regional and worldwide resonance.’

Dr Mansour said that their collaborative agreement with QBRI is a significant milestone in cancer research at the regional level.

We are excited to see teams from our institutions combining expertise to deliver cutting-edge translational research and generate quality oncology-specific scientific content from the region.’

The research capabilities of QBRI will play a significant role in the collaboration as it will usher in new techniques and methodologies in cancer-related research. The agreement includes (but is not limited to) sharing research data with KHCC regarding new diagnostic and predictive biomarkers for breast cancer, potential novel biomarkers for cancer patients with diabetes, and the detection of circulating tumor cells and protein biomarkers in the plasma of patients with early stage cancer.

QBRI aims to improve and transform healthcare through innovation in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases. The institute won the prestigious Best Arab Research Institute Award in 2017, in recognition of its biomedical research.

KHCC (khcc.jo) is one of the leading cancer centres in the region. Over 52,000 patients has received treatment from their facilities since the turn of the century, including an increasing number of patients from the GCC, in addition to many others from conflict-stricken countries around the region.

Prior to this agreement, QBRI’s biomedical research teams have been working on the development of novel biomarkers, and diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for many diseases. Partnerships are fundamental to the institute’s day-to-day endeavours as QBRI works with pharmaceutical giants including Lundbeck and AFFiRiS, as well as the Harvard Stem Cell Institute on an international level. QBRI is also working with key players in healthcare such as Hamad Medical Corporation, Sidra Medicine and the Shafallah Center.

For more information about HBKU, visit hbku.edu.qa.