Using systems biology to advance translational cancer research

Research needs to improve patients’ lives, not just fill academic journals, says Mahmood Yaseen Hachim Al Mashhadani, assistant professor of molecular medicine at Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

MBRU is part of Dubai Health, which is the city’s first integrated academic health system. As a medical doctor, Al Mashhadani belongs to a new generation of medical practitioners who not only prescribe medicines but also participate in creating them, he says. He uses a systems biology approach to breast cancer research and treatment.

In medicine, systems biology is underpinned by the idea that every part of the body is connected and works together, and these interactions must be studied when designing therapies. Al Mashhadani uses the analogy of a car to describe the approach: the components of a car, taken in isolation, do not make a car work. But the vehicle works when the components are connected. Similarly, biological systems are interconnected and influence one another across molecular, cellular, and organ levels. “We have to look at the patient as a system, and everything inside them is connected,” he says.

“We are tackling the diseases affecting our population and the world. Cancer is one of the research focuses of the UAE and Dubai Health,” says Al Mashhadani. Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death among women in the country. However, many of the tests and treatments for life-threatening diseases such as cancer have not been tested on local groups, says Al Mashhadani. 

Investigating what is unique in breast cancer in the UAE’s population and contributing to its management and the research literature in the field is a priority for MBRU, he says. Factors such as genetics, culture, and lifestyle vary across population groups. To provide effective treatment to their patients, the MBRU team could not rely solely on research and interventions based on populations in other countries. This drove researchers at the university to study how various illnesses present in their communities and how patients respond to different medications and treatments. 

“The motto of Dubai Health is ‘patient first’. We take the approach of bedside to lab and back to bedside,” says Al Mashhadani. The culture of collaboration among different teams within the Dubai Health ecosystem makes this possible. The state-of-the-art equipment at Dubai Health facilities has enabled researchers to create biological databases from patient samples and support clinical teams with data-driven insights to inform treatment decisions for each patient.

Health practitioners at MBRU and Dubai Health are shifting disease management from traditional methods to targeted therapy. By combining high-quality research with clinical expertise, they can personalise treatment for every patient. “We are increasingly stratifying patients based on molecular and clinical characteristics,” he says. “This is not a vision. This is happening right now.”

Partnership underpins this holistic, patient-focused research. MBRU collaborates with local and international institutions, such as the Monaco Scientific Center, Queen’s University Belfast, and the University of Birmingham in the UK.

Al Mashhadani says that MBRU is laying the groundwork for future research. “We are creating references for diseases and identifying biomarkers, so that anyone who comes after us will continue with what we started,” he says.

Find out more about Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences.