Features
The feature articles in KAIMRC Innovations offer a closer look at issues of science not just related to researchers, but also to the wider community. They offer a window into all the interesting things happening at KAIMRC, and also informs policymakers and society of the importance of science in transforming communities all around the world. With regular updates, this is the place to learn all about KAIMRC, its facilities and the people behind its pioneering work.
Vaccines vs variants: An ongoing race
September 1, 2021
What does the rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants that affect vaccine potency mean for the fight against COVID-19?
Reducing chronic maladaptive inflammation rejuvenates brain cells in mice
August 2, 2021
Scientists pinpoint a single molecular signalling pathway that could be used to reverse age-associated metabolic and immune dysfunction in mice.
A Triumph For Science: Hastening the race toward a COVID-19 vaccine
June 28, 2021
An unprecedented international response by researchers, funders and regulators made it possible to develop COVID-19 vaccines in record time
Fighting the pandemic on all fronts
May 31, 2021
KAIMRC is at the forefront of the nation’s fight against COVID-19 by ramping up coronavirus research, says Naif Alharbi, one of Saudi Arabia’s leading virologists.
Hidden immune failure in severe COVID-19 cases
April 26, 2021
Two studies find that genetic anomalies and autoimmune antibodies dampen the immune response in severely ill COVID-19 patients.
The case for masks in combatting COVID-19
March 29, 2021
Specific studies assessing face masks and COVID-19 transmission are limited, but related scientific evidence suggests that even simple fabric masks can make a difference
Reducing MERS mortality
February 22, 2021
Clinicians have tested a combination drug regimen that reduces the number of deaths from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome by a third.
Clinical Trials: A hopeful start in Saudi Arabia
August 19, 2020
Early signs suggest that Saudi Arabians are willing to embrace and participate in the kingdom’s new human clinical trials programme.
Scope for greater use of digital tools in Saudi healthcare
June 1, 2020
A study on the use of smartphones in the Saudi healthcare system shows that while penetration rates are high, medical workers in the kingdom are reluctant to use mobiles for work purposes.
The most discussed COVID-19 therapies
May 11, 2020
While the world waits for a vaccine, there are several treatment options being considered for use on COVID-19 patients.
Sticking to the facts in the pandemic
April 29, 2020
Bombarded with news, advice, and pseudo-science presented as facts, it is time to debunk some of the misinformation around COVID-19
Life on the COVID-19 frontline
April 27, 2020
Egyptian anesthetist in London speaks about the realities of COVID-19 for health workers
COVID-19 research efforts draw on Saudi Arabia’s MERS experience
April 1, 2020
KAIMRC is central to the kingdom’s efforts to slow COVID-19 as it builds on MERS research infrastructure and applies knowledge from previous coronavirus outbreaks
HIV stem cell therapy: Why it’s too early to declare a cure
March 1, 2020
Gene-editing and stem cell therapy have emerged as promising approaches to the treatment of HIV/AIDS, but ideal recipients are rare
Seeking cures for Alzheimer’s disease
February 9, 2020
Advances in Alzheimer’s research over the past few years are increasing hopes of finding more effective treatments, while implicating bacteria as a possible cause
Searching for answers surrounding autism
February 4, 2020
Replicating a gene linked to autism in a monkey model could shed light on its underpinnings.
KAIMRC a strong player in quest for a MERS-CoV vaccine
January 5, 2020
The medical hub’s research into a single-dose vaccine for the lethal Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is promising, but more evaluation and trials are needed, scientists say.
A smart way to beat the heat
December 22, 2019
KAIMRC researchers develop a system that can regulate body temperature in real time to help treat heatstroke patients.
Obesity and anaemia rife among Saudi female adolescents
November 3, 2019
Study shows obesity and iron-deficiency are common among young women in Riyadh.
Slightly raised risk of rare childhood cancers in IVF babies
October 8, 2019
Largest cohort study to date shows marginally increased cancer risk among IVF babies, but researchers say overall numbers very low
Train efficiently, not more
September 2, 2019
New research by the University of Glasgow suggests that 15 minutes of resistance training to the point of exhaustion three times a week can have the same health benefit as longer sets.
Putting Saudi Arabia on the clinical trial map
August 26, 2019
KAIMRC’s new initiative stands to kickstart Saudi Arabia’s clinical trials economy, and find treatments for its people.
A year of biomedicine breakthroughs
July 28, 2019
The latest global innovations in the study of disease
E-skin, the next prosthetics frontier
June 30, 2019
New electronic stretchable sensors can help alert burn victim and people using prosthetic limbs against dangers like fire.
Screening for an enzyme defect in newborns
February 11, 2019
Study boosts argument for cord blood screening to detect an enzyme defect in infants.
Myrrh detoxifies when liver cannot
February 10, 2019
Myrrh, the resin from a shrub native to the Arabian Peninsula and Africa, relieves the symptoms of ammonia excess from liver disease.
Playing RNA viruses at their own game
February 10, 2019
Researchers in France turn viruses against themselves by exploiting their ability to mutate and evolve rapidly.
Healthy cells for healthy pregnancies
February 10, 2019
Activating a defence gene may reduce damage to cells involved in preeclampsia.
Saudis buck the diabetes trend
January 22, 2019
Type II diabetes and insulin resistance don’t go hand in hand among Saudis as frequently as they do in other populations.
Researchers take aim at Saudi Arabia’s diabetes crisis
June 11, 2017
A better understanding of the root causes of diabetes in Saudi Arabia could yield new therapeutic strategies.
Smart partnerships
December 12, 2016
While some Saudi enterprises strive to be the biggest, a new biotechnology park in Riyadh has set smaller perimeters with a sharp focus.
Striking at the heartland of the MERS infection
December 8, 2016
At least a dozen additional cases of MERS were reported in Saudi Arabia in September 2016, bringing the number of cases in the kingdom to more than 1,450, of which 610 have been fatal.
A kingdom with a knowledge plan
June 20, 2016
A shift to a knowledge economy in Saudi Arabia is a necessity that holds much promise.