Nobel Laureate Professor Zur Hausen reveals cancer treatment developments

Yesterday’s 12th Distinguished Lecture Series, showcased by the Research Division at Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), presented new avenues for advancement in cancer and disease treatments.

The lecture was widely attended by students, local researchers and members of the public, who subsequently participated in a lively Q&A session. Delivered by world-renowned Nobel Laureate in Medicine, Professor Zur Hausen, at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q), the lecture is furthering QF’s plan to achieve a knowledge-based economy through its strong commitment to overcoming national health challenges.

According to Professor Zur Hausen’s discoveries, a large number of infectious agents have been identified which either cause, or contribute to, specific human cancers. More than 20 percent of cases of cancer globally can currently be linked to viruses, bacteria and parasites.

“Some epidemiological observations even suggest that this percentage will increase in the future. The recognition that no cancer linked to infections develops without additional modifications within the host-cell genome permits the speculation that even cancers with well-established chromosomal modifications deserve careful analysis for an additional involvement of infectious agents,” explained Professor Zur Hausen.

Professor Zur Hausen’s fresh medical knowledge and new outlook on treatment studies will undoubtedly give valuable contributions to QF’s mission to raise the standards of medical care in Qatar. Furthermore, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), a member of QF’s Research Division, seeks to add Professor Zur Hausen’s contributions to its own research centers for disease.

“The Qatar Biomedical Research Institute has set up a number of research centers that are disease-focused, supported by a number of core platforms addressing challenges facing the State of Qatar and aimed at making global impact. Two of these areas are infectious diseases and cancer which, combined, are the subject of Professor Hausen’s lecture,” said Dr. Dirar S. Khoury, Ph.D., Director of Institutional Research at QF.

Inviting distinguished academics, Nobel Laureates, and top researchers to share the breadth of their  knowledge with QF’s Education City will allow Qatar’s medical community to take on a global role in the identification of applicable treatments for deadly cancers.

By actively striving to partner with local and international researchers through such events, such as  the annual Distinguished Lecture Series , QF is successfully connecting those who are committed to finding successful treatment practices for cancer and disease.

Research is an essential component in QF’s strategy to make Education City a world-class center for innovation.  Under the leadership of the Research Division, QF is pursuing cutting-edge research and development that will help build Qataris’ innovation and technology capacity for the future.

For more information about QF’s Distinguished Lecture Series, please visit http://www.qf-research-division.org/distinguished/

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