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Research Activities in the Department of Biological Sciences

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The research activities in the Department of Biological Sciences revolve around two main subthemes in the scope of health & well-being: Studying Human Diseases at the Molecular Level and Medical Microbiology. The research interests of the department also extend to studying environmental issues within the scope of science and technology.

Studying Human Diseases at the Molecular Level

For instance, studying prevalent human disorders in the Lebanese population such as Cancer, Rheumatoid arthritis, Acute Kidney Diseases, etc... Investigating alternative natural therapeutic strategies for those diseases in experimental models and deciphering the underlying signaling pathways involved in their mechanisms of action. 

Selected publications

  • Sonia Abou Najem, Ghada Khawaja, Mohammad Hodroj, Patil Babikian and Sandra Rizk,* Adjuvant Epigenetic Therapy of Decitabine and Suberoylanilide Hydroxamic Acid Exerts Anti neoplastic Effects in Acute Myeloid Leukemia cells. Cells. 2019 8(12). https://doi:10.3390/cells8121480. 
  • Sonia Abou Najem, Ghada Khawaja, Mohammad Hassan Hodroj, Sandra Rizk. Synergistic Effect of Epigenetic Inhibitors; Decitabine and Suberoylanilide Hydroxamic Acid, on Colon Cancer. Current Molecular Pharmacology 2019, 12 (4). https://doi.org/10.2174/1874467212666190313154531.
  • Ismail M. & Khawaja G * Association of cannabinoid CB2 receptor gene (CNR2) polymorphism, Q63R variant, with Rheumatoid Arthritis in the Lebanese Population. Clinical Rheumatology 2018, 37: 2933. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-018-4217-9. 
  • Ismail M., Hasan H., El-Orfali Y., Ismail H.1, Khawaja G.* Anti-Inflammatory, anti-oxidative and hepatoprotective effects of trans-Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol/sesame oil on adjuvant- induced arthritis in rats. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2018, vol. 2018, Article ID 9365464, 13 pages, 2018.https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/9365464. 
  • Hasan H., Ismail H., El-Orfali Y., Khawaja G. *. Therapeutic Benefits of Indole-3-Carbinol in Adjuvant-Induced Arthritis and its Protective Effect against Methotrexate Induced-hepatic Toxicity. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medecine. 2018; 18(1):337. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-018-2408-1. 

Industrial and Medical Microbiology

Selected publications

  • Nahed Ghaddar, Elie Anastasiadis, Rawad Halimeh, Ali Ghaddar, Rita Dhar, Wadha AlFouzan, Hoda Yusef, and Mira El Chaar, “Prevalence and antifungal susceptibility of Candida albicans causing vaginal discharge among pregnant women in Lebanon,” BMC Infectious Diseases, vol. 20, no. 1, 2020.
  • Said-Salman, I.H., Jebaii, F.A., Yusef, H.H. et al. Global gene expression analysis of Escherichia coli K-12 DH5α after exposure to 2.4 GHz wireless fidelity radiation. Sci Rep 9, 14425 (2019) doi:10.1038/s41598-019-51046-7
  • Halawi, M., Yusef, H., Borjac J.*, Zeaiter, Z. Prevalence of Candida Species in Lebanese Water. (2019). Asian Journal of Microbiology Biotechnology & Environmental Science. 2019. Issue 2.

Environmental Studies

Selected publications

  • Borjac, J.*, Shaheen, M., Nsaif, M., AbouKhalil, S., Blake, DA. Bacterial Analysis of Dump Leachates and Irrigation Water from a Canal in Deir Kanoun Ras El Ain in Lebanon. Pollution Research. 2018, Vol 37, issue 4, pp 886-893.
  • Houri T.* et al. Heavy Metals Accumulation Effects on The Photosynthetic Performance of Geophytes in Mediterranean Reserve. Journal of King Saud University-Science. 2020, Vol32, issue 1, pp874-880. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jksus.2019.04.005