Dr Ghada Al-Kafaji, Associate Professor of Molecular Genetics at Princess Al-Jawhara Center, won the Best Scientific Research Award at the First International Conference on Internal Medicine, Diabetes and Obesity, organised by Al Noor Specialist Hospital last week under the patronage of the President of the Supreme Council of Health, Lt-General Dr Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa. The event was attended by over 400 specialists from around the world.
Dr Al-Kafaji’s research discussed the genetic disorder of the mitochondrial genome in patients with type 2 diabetes and its complications on renal glucose.
Laboratory research conducted by Dr Al-Kafaji indicated the effect of mitochondrial genome disorder induced by high blood sugar levels on increasing oxidation, which leads to low renal function in many cases.
Research demonstrated that targeting the increased oxidation of the mitochondria caused by high blood sugar with antioxidants helped modify the functioning of the mitochondrial genome, thus the functioning of the mitochondria, which gives preliminary indications of the potential use of this mechanism as a treatment for complications of diabetes.
In her study of mitochondrial genome disorder, Dr Ghada Al-Kafaji considered a new addition to the risk factors leading to diabetes and its complications.