Latest news with #KIRSTINBERNABE
Al Etihad
08-05-2025
- Health
- Al Etihad
Abu Dhabi Biobank offers a life-saving opportunity at half the cost
8 May 2025 23:34 KIRSTIN BERNABE (ABU DHABI)Abu Dhabi resident Felize Flores-Navarro, a mother of three, wishes she had been able to bank her children's cord blood. As a cancer survivor, she was well aware of the life-saving potential that stored stem cells could hold. But, because the service was too expensive for her growing family, she and her husband had to let the opportunity battled cancer twice, the expat wanted to do everything possible to give her kids the best fighting chance if they ever need personalised treatment for a life-threatening disease."I know that not all cancers and conditions can be treated with stem cells from cord blood, but who knows when they may come in handy? Who knows what can be possible through the next scientific discoveries?" Navarro told blood, collected from a newborn's umbilical cord at birth, contains stem cells that can treat diseases such as leukaemia, lymphoma, sickle cell anaemia and certain immune disorders. It has been used in over 60,000 transplants worldwide, with ongoing research exploring its potential in new life-saving the UAE, private cord blood banking can cost anywhere from Dh20,000 to Dh38,000 - prices that are too steep for many expecting Dhabi Biobank, which is operated by global health champion M42, comes in as a game-changer as it offers the service at half the current market rates. Through the facility, families can get their newborns' cord blood stored for as low as Dh7,500."The pricing is offered as bronze (Dh7,500), silver (Dh10,000) and gold (Dh12,500) packages with different benefits, making it accessible and affordable for most families," Paul Downey, General Manager of Abu Dhabi Biobank, told lower rates, he added that the centre offers flexible payment plans, "including minimal upfront payments and customers can convert the payments to easy monthly instalments through participating banks."Since launching the new, affordable pricing in March, Downey said they've seen an encouraging response from the public. Life-Saving Treatments There is growing interest in cord blood banking, said Dr. Mai Mohammed Elsayed, an obstetrics and gynaecology specialist at Medeor Hospital in Abu Dhabi."As more families hear about its potential benefits - whether through discussions or emerging information - they're increasingly inclined to explore this option," she told Elsayed encourages families to consider the blood banking option, especially those "with a history of genetic disorders or medical conditions that could potentially be treated with stem cells" - as was the case with cord blood can be used to treat more than 80 disorders, said Downey of Abu Dhabi Biobank. "The cord blood stem cells can combat life-threatening and highly prevalent diseases like beta thalassaemia, sickle cell anaemia and other blood disorders."UAE-based oncologist Dr. Arwa El Dhuwaib enumerated other conditions that can be cured through stem cell transplants. These include malignancies like leukaemia, lymphoma, myelodysplastic syndrome, and neuroblastoma, some bone marrow failure and other types of hereditary anaemia. They can also be beneficial in treating metabolic diseases like Gaucher's disease, Hurler syndrome, and Niemann Pick syndrome; and immune deficiency diseases like severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). Saving the Life of a Loved One Besides its powerful therapeutic potential, cord blood offers an advantage in genetic matching."The newborn's cord blood can be a perfect genetic match for family members requiring stem cell transplants or therapies. The 25% chance of siblings being a perfect match can help save the life of a loved one in a family," Downey El Dhuwaib, however, noted certain limitations, including "a risk that cord blood stem cells already contain premalignant cells and cannot be used to treat the child; the same is applied when there is a known genetic defect in a family."Nevertheless, the potential of cord blood in regenerative medicine remains significant."The development of stem cell-based therapies has a big potential to revolutionise the field of regenerative medicine and to improve the lives of millions of people worldwide," said Dr. El Dhuwaib, a paediatric haematology oncology specialist at NMC Royal Hospital Sharjah."There are plenty of ongoing research and clinical trials on using cord-blood-derived cells to regenerate or promote the repair of damaged organs, especially in cases when medical needs to prevent or reduce degenerative disease are still unmet with current practice. Examples of these trials are in type 1 diabetes, arthritis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, and spinal cord damage," the specialist added. World-class Facility Abu Dhabi Biobank is the region's largest multi-modal cord blood collection and storage facility. Its centre in the capital's Masdar City can store up to 100,000 cord blood units and more than 5 million pan-human samples."We firmly believe that these capabilities, complemented by our scientific expertise, make us the partner of choice for families, entities and governments," Downey said. Families can register by visiting Abu Dhabi Biobank's website at The centre's hotline 800 213 can also connect families to an adviser, who can explain the banking options.
Al Etihad
16-04-2025
- Science
- Al Etihad
Look: Stunning Milky Way spectacle lights up UAE's darkest spot
17 Apr 2025 00:57 KIRSTIN BERNABE (ABU DHABI)In the heart of Abu Dhabi's desert, there's a spot so dark that the night sky comes alive — offering a clear, breathtaking view of the galaxy to those who are willing to wait. Expat Ralph Emerson De Peralta is among them, a patient stargazer and astrophotographer who camps out at one of the darkest places in the UAE to get a magical shot of the cosmos. His latest work captured an unusual celestial view: the Milky Way in two arches. To the uninitiated, the stunning photo seemingly shows two separate Milky Ways — but how can there be two when there's only one Milky Way, the galaxy that houses our solar system?Explaining the 'mystery' and why he considers the photo a bucket-list shot, De Peralta said this is the view of the Milky Way's winter and summer arches, captured in a time-lapse panorama. He drove to Abu Dhabi's Al Quaa Desert — one of the darkest accessible spots in the country — in early April, hoping to catch the dual-arch Milky Way. He had to wait at least six hours. 'This is by far the most challenging time-blended landscape astrophotography image I've ever captured and edited. It's not for the impatient, you need endurance and patience to pull this off,' he told Aletihad . He took the shot from a single tripod location with a six-hour interval between capturing the winter and summer arches. He used a star tracker to snap the winter arch at 9pm and waited until 3am to click the summer side. 'This vision had been in my mind for weeks, and I finally made it a reality,' he said. The Science Behind the ViewEng. Ibrahim Ghonaimat of the International Astronomy Centre confirmed that the photo shows 'two distinct sections of the Milky Way, photographed from the same location, but at different times of night'.'They form two opposing arcs in the sky, which — when captured on the same night — create a panoramic blend of both the feint and bright halves of the Milky Way.'March to early April is 'a sweet spot' in the Earth's orbital position, he said. 'The winter Milky Way (October-April) is still just visible after sunset, while the summer Milky Way (March-September) core rises just before dawn.'For those who wish to replicate the shot, however, it's a bit too late now, the expert said. 'After April 10–12, your chances rapidly decline due to seasonal transition and shorter nights,' he said. Year-round Mission For astrophotographers like De Peralta, any day could be a good day to capture the skies - and whenever he can, he heads to the desert, usually with other photographers who share the same passion for chasing the Milky Way. 'But sometimes, I go alone into the Abu Dhabi desert to take photos of the night sky. There's nothing more inspiring than photographing the Milky Way, it's my way of escaping the hustle and bustle of city life,' said the expat, who works as a civil engineer and has been living in Abu Dhabi for 19 years. 'Standing under the stars, I feel a quiet connection between us and the universe, a reminder that we are small, yet our dreams have no limits,' he said. Among his other stunning photos show star trails in circles, which were captured during the Eid Al Etihad holiday in 2024, and the Perseid meteor shower in August may be personal to hobbyists like De Peralta, but for astronomy, such photos have both artistic and scientific value. 'They sit at the intersection of science and art. It's storytelling with stars. Visual poetry. You're combining two time periods into one image, so it's not a literal representation of the sky,' Ghonaimat said.'To an extent, it can be scientific. Such images demonstrate spatial orientation of the galaxy, help educate about seasonal visibility, and are used in outreach, astronomy presentations, and planetarium projections,' he added. However, for raw scientific data analysis, astronomers rely on precise, timestamped, unblended images, the expert clarified. 'So these panoramas are not scientific data, but they inspire science — and that's just as valuable.'
Al Etihad
08-04-2025
- Business
- Al Etihad
UAE stands by Sudan: A legacy of nearly 50 years of bilateral relations
9 Apr 2025 01:26 KIRSTIN BERNABE (ABU DHABI)While the UAE is open to the world, Sudan is among the countries that have always had a special place in the Emirates. With nearly 50 years of bilateral relations, the two nations share a rich history of cooperation, spanning economic affairs and cultural exchange. In the face of the ongoing crisis in Sudan, the UAE has remained steadfast in its support, consistently providing humanitarian aid - reaching $3.5 billion and counting - and firmly calling for an end to a war that has ravaged homes, destroyed livelihoods, and claimed innocent and again, the UAE has assured the Sudanese people of its unwavering support - a pledge anchored on ties marked by "sincere national feelings", as described by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, during a Sudanese festival held in Dubai in sincerity dates back to the very beginning of bilateral relations. Sudan was one of the first countries with which the UAE established diplomatic ties following its formation in December 1971. Less than three months after the Union, on February 20, 1972, the UAE's Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, made his first official visit to Sudan, touring every state in the Northeast African nation. As trade and investments flowed in, relations deepened, extending into sports, culture, and the arts. Thousands of Sudanese nationals made the UAE their second home, becoming an integral part of society - "a testament to the deep-rooted relations between our two countries", as the UAE stated in a June 2024 message to the UN Security expat community flourished and so did the cultural exchange, with events like art festivals taking place throughout the UAE. In 2024, more than 4,000 people turned up for a festival held in Dubai to celebrate Sudanese culture and event - the 'Sudan in the Heart of the UAE' fest in May 2024 - "represented important human communication between Sudan and the UAE, and a strong sense of pride in the close fraternal relations that bind the two beloved countries," as Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak stated in his address to the crowd. "The strong relationship between the UAE and Sudan is, in essence, a deep-rooted and renewed relationship, a relationship based on the ideal values and common principles that we are proud of together, which include: the values of love for the homeland, pride in the Arab and Islamic nation, as well as the values of mutual respect and the continuous and relentless pursuit of goodness, peace and security for both countries," he success of the festival, he added, reflected "a strong bond that embodies the sincere national feelings that we feel together, uniting us and making us work together … for the advancement of the Arab nation as a whole".The devastating impact of the current crisis in Sudan goes beyond its borders - it's strongly felt in the large community of Sudanese expats in the Emirates, the UAE said in its UN statement in June. "The Sudanese people deserve justice and peace; they need an immediate ceasefire, the unhindered flow of humanitarian aid, and a credible political process," it said.
Al Etihad
01-04-2025
- Health
- Al Etihad
How Abu Dhabi creates a safe, empowering space for people with autism
2 Apr 2025 00:44 KIRSTIN BERNABE (ABU DHABI)From creating accessible infrastructure to setting top-notch standards for care, Abu Dhabi has always made space for people with autism.A champion of inclusivity, the emirate is among the global leaders in terms of providing support to people of determination and this has been evident in the distinctive projects and initiatives it has rolled out for this sector. Ahead of World Autism Awareness Day, marked every year on April 2, Aletihad looks into a number of projects that make the emirate a welcoming, empowering space for those on the autism spectrum. At the Airport Travelling can be exhausting for many people, but for those with autism, it is particularly challenging. At airports, the crowds, the noise, and several things happening all at once can be too overwhelming. Abu Dhabi's Zayed International Airport (AUH) acknowledged the struggle and did something about it: It built a Sensory Space facility. Within this space are two rooms where therapeutic techniques are at play. Lights are calming and special seats are available to help travellers relax. There are bubble tubes and interactive activities, too. The space is available free of charge, with sessions lasting 45 minutes for every booking. It is located near Gate D43 and it is open 24/ at AUH, there are trained staff members who wear sunflower pins, conveying a message that they are ready to support people with "hidden disabilities". Those who need assistance may also wear special lanyards available at the pre-check-in area. These gestures and symbols signal that help is always within reach. The AUH is "one of only three in the Middle East to have implemented a globally recognised identification system to support passengers who may require additional assistance without attracting unwanted attention", Aletihad reported earlier. In a Mall A mall is another environment that can be overstimulating for those with autism. This is why Yas Mall makes sure there's somewhere they can head to for some peace and quiet. Called The Quiet Room, this safe space allows children and adults on the spectrum to block out all the noise and mall collaborated with the Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination (ZHO) so that its "visitors with autism have an exclusive place to feel at ease when the world becomes a bit too big or boisterous for comfort", it said on its website. The Quiet Room is located on Yas Mall's Level G, next to The Male Prayer Hall. An Interactive Showroom To build empathy and raise awareness, a unique initiative in the capital shows people what it's like to have autism. In its Al Bahia headquarters, the ZHO has opened the Middle East's first interactive showroom for assistive technology. Among its key features is the Autism Virtual Reality Experience, which allows individuals to experience the sensory challenges faced by those on the spectrum. Elevated Autism Care Besides these public services, Abu Dhabi authorities are also ensuring that high standards of care are maintained for people of determination. In September 2024, the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) released comprehensive guidelines to elevate autism care in the department's new Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) Guidelines for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is primarily aimed at setting the stage for improved access to ABA therapy. "ABA is a kind of research-based behavior therapy for people with autism and other developmental disorders. Its goal is to see an increase in positive behaviours and a decrease in negative behaviours," the DoH explained in a statement. The guide is designed to enhance the collaboration between healthcare and education professionals and deliver holistic care for those with ASD."By ensuring that ABA services are standarised and accessible, we reaffirm our commitment to building a resilient and inclusive healthcare system where collaboration between healthcare and education thrives to enhance the health and well-being of all community members," Dr. Rashed Obaid Al Suwaidi, Executive Director of Healthcare Workforce Planning at the DoH, said in a previous statement. "Abu Dhabi is dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment that ensures equitable access for people of determination, empowering them to reach their full potential," he said.
