Scientific Medical Applied Research and Development (Smard), which will soon open at the Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP), has brought two cutting edge-technologies that will help detect diabetes in children and prevent sepsis - a serious medical condition caused by infection.
Speaking on the sidelines of a media roundtable held at the QSTP on health sciences, Smard chief executive officer Tarek Zaazou, head of the scientific committee Prof Dr Karin Klingel and project leader Dr Ernst Geutebruck explained the workings of the technologies, which is being introduced in the Middle East for the first time.
“We have established a technology in treating patients, especially those with acute inflammatory diseases, to prevent sepsis. Many people die due to this condition as they develop infections either due to injury sustained during accidents, brain injury, or wounds after surgery,” Klingel explained.
Sepsis has a very high mortality rate as there is currently no treatment available, she said. This is why the company is trying to establish a technology capable of eliminating infections and boosting the immune system, Klingel said.
She added that the technology had been run in a clinical study in Berlin, Germany, and almost all patients who had received treatment survived the sepsis attack.
“We will like to follow-up on this achievement by reducing sepsis incidence among babies because it is also a big problem with children as well,” she added.
Speaking on the second technology, Diasens, Dr Geutebruck said it was still under development.
The company hoped the skin sensor technology could be used to avert serious health problems like diabetes, which children could develop later in life.
Dr Geutebruck said the technology, when finished, would test for blood glucose without taking blood samples.
Dr Geutebruck said the technology would be available to adults later.
Zaazou said that though the Smard laboratory would not be ready until the year-end, it is already engaged with certain existing research facilities, which it had identified as potential partners, such as the Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar National Diabetes Association and Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMCQ).
“We have our laboratory here in QSTP and by end of this year we hope to start research work fully,” he hinted.
Attending the media roundtable were QSTP managing director Dr Eulian Roberts, WCMCQ vice dean Dr Javaid Sheikh, Sidra’s head of research Prof David Kerr, Aspertar general manager Dr Mohamed Ghanem al-Ali, Prof Yang Guang-Zhong from QRSC Imperial College, London and Mohamed Suffarin from QSTP.
http://gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=278944&version=1&template_id=36&parent_id=16
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