Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department

Facilities

The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology manages essential research core facilities, including the Analytical and Molecular Unit, Cell Biology Facility, as well as Computational Facilities. These labs are equipped for various functions, such as cell culture, molecular biology experiments, DNA cloning, RT-PCR analysis, heterologous protein expression & purification utilizing both eukaryotic and prokaryotic systems, stereotaxic surgery of rodents, stereo Investigator systems, and computational sciences resources and facilities.

Teaching

The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology offers four undergraduate courses within the Doctor of Medicine program, tailored specifically for pre-medical students. These courses are Chemistry of Medicine, Biological Chemistry, Molecular Biology, and Cellular Communication and Metabolism.

In addition to undergraduate teaching, the Department actively engages in postgraduate education, namely the Master’s in Medical Sciences and PhD in Biomedical Sciences. These programs aim to provide students with a comprehensive foundation in Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology, as well as intensive laboratory and computational research training. The graduate courses offered by the Department include Adv. Cell Biology, Adv. Molecular Biology, Recent Advances in Mol. Biol., Techniques in Biochemistry, Adv. Topics in Biochemistry, Computational Biochemistry, and AI in Medicine, and Special Topics in Biochemistry.

The objective of these educational initiatives is to nurture graduates capable of pursuing careers as independent investigators, possessing a deep understanding of both basic and clinical aspects of biomedical research.

Research

The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology explores a diverse array of research topics. All faculty members from the Department regularly receive funding from various grant organizations such as UAEU, Al Jalila Foundation, ADEK, the Terry Fox Foundation for Cancer Research, and the Sheikh Hamdan Medical Research Awards. The department has consistently been very productive in publishing over the last many years and the members of the department always receive recognition from the UAEU for publishing in top-ranking journals. Some of the main research topics pursued by the department include:

• Investigating mechanisms of epigenetic regulation and chromatin remodelling.
• Exploring molecular carcinogenesis and examining the role of oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in disease development.
• Studying the molecular basis of neurodegenerative disorders.
• Investigating mechanism by which the nervous system modulates the immune response in infectious and autoimmune diseases.
• Studying the molecular basis of diseases induced by retroviruses.
• Modelling developmental diseases and carcinogenesis using human embryonic stem cell culture and differentiation.
• Generation of patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells for disease modelling and drug discovery.
• Investigating the anticancer and anti-diabetic effects of chemicals and drugs.
• Conducting computational studies to understand mutations in DNA under the influence of external stress factors.
• Evaluating quantum properties to advance drug design methodologies.

These research topics reflect the commitment of the Department to advancing knowledge at the interface of biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology, as well as computational sciences, with the ultimate goal of improving human health and addressing global challenges in medicine.

To access the research profiles of individual faculty members, kindly click here.

Academic Programs

Faculty

Note: If calling from outside the UAEU organization, dial (+971 3 713) before the extension.

Name	Position	Email	Extension
Prof. Farah Mustafa	Professor and Chair	fmustafa@uaeu.ac.ae	7509
Prof.  Ahmed H. Al- Marzouqi	Professor	ahmedh@uaeu.ac.ae	7478
Prof. Maria J. Fernandez-Cabezudo	Professor	mariac@uaeu.ac.ae	7503
Dr. Md Emdadul Haque	Professor	ehaque@uaeu.ac.ae	7517
Dr. Alya A Arabi	Associate Professor	alya.arabi@uaeu.ac.ae	7630
Dr. Suraiya A. Ansari	Associate Professor	sansari@uaeu.ac.ae	7484

Staff

Note: If calling from outside the UAEU organization, dial (+971 3 713) before the extension.

Name	Position	Email	Extension
Mr. MHD Achraf Al Sbiei	Medical Research Specialist I	achraf.alsbiei@uaeu.ac.ae	7751
Dr. Anju Pushkaran	Medical Research Specialist I	anju.p@uaeu.ac.ae	7631
Dr. Jisha Chalissery	Medical Research Specialist I	jishachalissery@uaeu.ac.ae	7636
Dr. Muhammad Abid Sheikh	Medical Research Specialist I	m.abid@uaeu.ac.ae	7621
Dr. Waqar Ahmad	Medical Research Specialist I	waqar.ahmad@uaeu.ac.ae	7641

General Enquiries

Thank you for your interest in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department. We welcome your query and encourage you to contact us using the information below:

United Arab Emirates University,

College of Medicine and Health Sciences

P.O. Box: 15551, Al Ain, UAE

Email: Cmhs.office@uaeu.ac.ae