Salma Younes | Biomedical Sciences | Best Researcher Award

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Ms. Salma Younes | Biomedical Sciences | Best Researcher Award

Salma Younes, Qatar University, Qatar

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Short Bio 🌟

Salma Younes, MSc, MLS (ASCP)CM, is a dedicated and accomplished Ph.D. candidate in Biomedical Science at Qatar University. With an impressive portfolio of 42 peer-reviewed publications and significant contributions to cancer research and biomedical nanotechnology, Salma is committed to advancing healthcare through innovative scientific solutions. Her exceptional academic performance and research efforts have earned her numerous awards and recognitions, marking her as a leader in her field. Currently, she serves as a Graduate Research Assistant while actively mentoring undergraduate and master’s students.

Education 🎓

Salma completed her Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences at Qatar University, graduating with a GPA of 3.65/4.00 in 2020. Her dissertation focused on the anticancer activity of guggulsterone in human leukemic cells. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences from the same institution in 2017, achieving a GPA of 3.10/4.00. Her undergraduate dissertation investigated the effects of iron chelation therapy on zebrafish models.

Experience 💼

Currently in her second year as a Ph.D. candidate and Graduate Research Assistant at Qatar University, Salma has extensive research experience. Previously, she worked as a Research Assistant at the Women’s Wellness and Research Center, Hamad Medical Corporation, and at the Biomedical Research Center of Qatar University. Salma also held a role as a Graduate Teaching Assistant, where she honed her teaching and mentoring skills, and served as a Lab Technologist at Qatar Biobank.

Research Interests 🔬

Salma’s research focuses on biomedical nanotechnology, particularly the synthesis and evaluation of novel 2D diphosphate nanocrystalline hydrogels for applications in skin infections and treatments. She is also deeply involved in cancer research, investigating molecular pathways and therapeutic strategies for chronic myeloid leukemia. Her commitment to public health is reflected in her studies on SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses and vaccine effectiveness.

Awards 🏆

Salma’s exceptional work has garnered several prestigious awards, including the Distinction in Academic Excellence from Qatar University in 2024 and the SIEED Innovation Pre-Incubation Program Award in both 2022 and 2023, where she received substantial funding for her research project. Additionally, she was recognized as the First Place Winner in the Graduate Research Award in Doha and was honored as a “Distinguished Graduate Student” by Qatar University in 2020, showcasing her dedication and impact in the field.

Publications 📚

Salma has contributed significantly to scientific literature, publishing in high-impact journals. Her key publications include:

  1. Younes, S., Nicolai, E., Pieri, M., Bernardini, S., Daas, H., Al-Sadeq, D., Younes, N., Shurrab, F., Nizamuddin, P., Humaira, F., Al-Dewik, N., Yassine, H., Abu-Raddad, L., Ismail, A. and Nasrallah, G. (2024). Follow-Up and Comparative Assessment of SARS-CoV-2 IgA, IgG, Neutralizing, and Total Antibody Responses After BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273 Heterologous Booster Vaccination. Influenza Other Respi Viruses, 18: e13290. DOI: 10.1111/irv.13290.
  2. Younes, S., Nicolai, E., Al-Sadeq, D.W., Younes, N., Al-Dewik, N., Abou-Saleh, H., et al. (2023). Follow-up and comparative assessment of IgG, IgA, and neutralizing antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 between mRNA-vaccinated naïve and unvaccinated naturally infected individuals over 10 months. Journal of Infection and Public Health, 16(11): 1729-1735. DOI: 10.1016/j.jiph.2023.08.009.
  3. Younes, S., Zein, N., Abunasser, S., Kamareddine, L., Kirienko, N.V., Nasrallah, G.K. (2023). Editorial: Unconventional animal models in infectious disease research, volume II. Front Cell Infect Microbiol, 13: 1225129. DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1225129.
  4. Younes, S., Ismail, M.A., Al-Jurf, R., Ziyada, A., Nasrallah, G.K., Abdulrouf, P.V., et al. (2023). Management of chronic myeloid leukemia: current treatment options, challenges, and future strategies. Hematology, 28(1): 2196866. DOI: 10.1080/16078454.2023.2196866.
  5. Shurbaji, S., Al Tamimi, F., Al Ghwairi, M.M., El Chaar, D., Younes, S., Majdalawieh, A.F., et al. (2023). High-sensitive detection and quantitation of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) from capillary/fingerstick and venepuncture whole-blood using fluorescence-based rapid lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA). Heliyon, 9(10): e20589. DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20589.
  6. Al-Dewik, N., Samara, M., Younes, S., Al-Jurf, R., Nasrallah, G.K., Al-Obaidly, S., et al. (2023). Prevalence, predictors, and outcomes of major congenital anomalies: A population-based register study. Sci Rep, 13(1): 2198. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-27935-3.

Mario Flores | Computational Biology | Next-Generation Science Trailblazer Award

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Assist Prof Dr. Mario Flores | Computational Biology | Next-Generation Science Trailblazer Award

Biomedical, University of Texas at San Antonio, United States

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Short Bio

Dr. Mario A. Flores is an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio, specializing in artificial intelligence models for disease phenotype predictions, biomarker identification, and explainable mechanisms. His innovative research integrates various AI techniques to enhance our understanding of disease progression, particularly in oncology.

Education

Dr. Flores holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering from the Metropolitan Autonomous University, a Master’s in Applied Mathematics, and a PhD in Electrical Engineering (Computational Biology) from the University of Texas at San Antonio. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), NIH.

Experience

Since 2020, Dr. Flores has served as an Assistant Professor with joint appointments in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and Biomedical Engineering (BME) at UTSA. His prior roles include NIH Postdoctoral Fellow at NCBI and Research Associate at the Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute, showcasing his extensive experience in computational biology and bioinformatics.

Research Interests

Dr. Flores’s research focuses on developing AI tools for disease gene dependence prediction, utilizing spatially resolved transcriptomics, single-cell RNA sequencing, and Electronic Health Records (EHRs) to analyze tumor microenvironments. His work aims to bridge gaps in understanding disease mechanisms and improve patient outcomes through precision medicine.

Awards

Dr. Flores has received numerous awards for his research, including funding from the NIH for projects on neural circuits inhibiting pain, and recognition from the AIM-AHEAD Fellowship program, supporting his efforts to address health disparities in minority populations.

Publications Top Notes

Dr. Flores has authored several impactful publications, including:

New tools for spatial biology transcriptomics & proteomics in immuno-oncology, Immuno-Oncology Insights, 2023.

Deep learning tackles single-cell analysis—a survey of deep learning for scRNA-seq analysis, Brief in Bioinformatics, 2022.

Transformer for Gene Expression Modeling (T-GEM): An Interpretable Deep Learning Model for Gene Expression-Based Phenotype Predictions, Cancers, 2022.