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RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s defense minister Prince Khalid bin Salman met in Riyadh Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir, the Saudi Press Agency reported early Thursday.
The meeting discussed bilateral relations and ways to enhance defense and military cooperation.
“Pleased to meet H.E General Asim Munir, Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff. We emphasized the strategic partnership between our brotherly countries, reviewed the bilateral military and defense relations, and discussed ways of strengthening our cooperation,” Prince Khalid tweeted.
Pleased to meet H.E General Asim Munir, Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff. We emphasized the strategic partnership between our brotherly countries, reviewed the bilateral military and defense relations, and discussed ways of strengthening our cooperation. pic.twitter.com/HAtcNKX6O3
— Khalid bin Salman خالد بن سلمان (@kbsalsaud) January 4, 2023
He also congratulated General Munir on being appointed as Chief of Army Staff.
Saudi and Pakistani military and civil officials attended the meeting.
RIYADH: The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Russia met with each other in Moscow on Monday on the sidelines of a joint ministerial meeting between the Gulf Cooperation Council and Russia.
During the meeting, Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Sergey Lavrov reviewed the historical friendship and strategic cooperation between their countries and ways to enhance and develop them in all fields.
They also discussed the consolidation of bilateral and multilateral work regarding many issues of common concern.
RIYADH: Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan participated in a joint ministerial meeting between the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and Russia on Monday in the Russian capital, Moscow.
During the meeting, GCC-Russia relations were reviewed along with ways to build upon them in various fields. The meeting addressed developments in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and international efforts aimed at resolving it.
The officials discussed intensifying coordination on many regional and international issues, also addressing economic cooperation and international sustainable development goals.
The meeting was attended by Saudi Ambassador to Russia Abdulrahman Al-Ahmad and Abdulrahman Al-Dawood, director-general of the foreign minister’s office.
RIYADH: In June 2021, a remarkable breakthrough took place at Harvard University’s research lab, led by Waleed Seddiq, a Saudi scholarship student. Through their preclinical studies, the team witnessed a momentous achievement as the immune system of a lab mouse overcame brain cancer. Seddiq expressed his excitement, stating: “It’s a milestone for a scientist. For us, it’s like getting the World Cup.”
As they conclude the initial phase of clinical trials, Seddiq’s team has achieved yet another significant milestone. Their groundbreaking medical discovery, involving the use of viruses and stem cells to target and terminate brain cancer cells, has earned them the esteemed Harvard Medical School Annual Conference Award.
“As a Saudi citizen who’s being sponsored by the Saudi government, it’s quite a pleasure having this kind of recognition, having this award, and competing with the world, in the best university in the world,” Seddiq said.
Patients with brain metastases, a condition in which cancer cells from other parts of the body spread to the brain, typically have a survival rate of only six months. In the advanced fourth stage of this condition, the blood-brain barrier poses a significant challenge as it prevents most medications from effectively reaching the brain through the veins. This natural barrier acts as a defense mechanism, blocking the entry of microorganisms like fungi and parasites that may be present in the bloodstream.
The research team found that viruses are one of the few organisms that can access the brain, and with this information, they genetically modified cold viruses, specifically the herpes simplex virus, to only target cancer cells.
“As a delivery vessel, we used stem cells equipped with the modified virus. They flow through the bloodstream until they reach the brain,” Seddiq said.
Stem cells also act as a booster as the virus reproduces within it. Their clinical trials have found that a patient can undergo direct injections into the bloodstream for a four-month period until the patient was “completely cleared” of their cancerous condition.
A similar immunotherapy method, talimogene laherparepvec, was previously developed to treat melanoma skin cancer, but it is not compatible with other parts of the body, Seddiq explained.
As the award-winning team at Harvard University and Brigham and Women’s Hospital nears the completion of the initial phase of their clinical trials, they have successfully ensured the safety of the treatment for patients. The upcoming phases will focus on evaluating dosage and efficacy. However, to progress to the next stage, the team is in need of approximately $4 million in funding. This financial support will be crucial in further advancing their research.
Seddiq said: “With Vision 2030, I see Saudi turning to having biotech companies. We still don’t have them in Saudi … I believe that by the time (they do), these kinds of projects and any other projects will go to Saudi.
“In the meantime, of course, any research lab would like to have their own fund, their own projects. I hope that one day I can lead a project that is being funded by Saudi, managed by Saudi, in Saudi, in the very promising field of immunotherapy. That’s the end goal: to give a small thank you to the country for what it’s done for me.”
Seddiq embarked on his research journey in high school, prompted by his curiosity of molecular biology and atomic structure. His interest in the field of immunotherapy grew from a question: How can the body’s immune system be used to overcome disease?
He later earned his medical bachelor’s degree from King Saud University in clinical laboratory science before earning a master’s degree from Harvard Medical School in clinical investigation in the translational immunotherapy track. The Harvard program requires an MD, MBBS or an equivalent doctoral degree to apply, but a special committee was held to discuss, and later on accept, his case.
His efforts in the field have merited several acknowledgments, including the SABIC prize for chemistry and health, first place in the field of scientific research at King Saud University for undergraduate students, and the Harvard Medical School scholarship for outstanding students in the years 2021-2023.
RIYADH: Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, the general supervisor of Saudi aid agency KSrelief, held a meeting with Carl Skau, the deputy executive director of the World Food Programme, at the center’s headquarters in Riyadh on Monday.
The two officials discussed ways to strengthen the strategic partnerships between KSrelief and the WFP.
They also discussed the progress of joint projects aimed at providing essential food assistance and enhancing living conditions in communities impacted by various challenges.
Skau commended KSrelief for its professionalism and efforts in promoting global food security.
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent cables of condolences to the king of Bahrain on the death of Sheikh Rashid bin Sabah bin Hamoud bin Sabah Al Khalifa, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.
“We have learned the news of the death of Sheikh Rashid bin Sabah bin Hamoud bin Sabah Al Khalifa — may Allah have mercy on him — and as we send your majesty and the family of the deceased with deep sincere and condolences,” SPA quoted the cables as saying.
“We ask the Almighty Allah bless him with the abundance of His mercy and forgiveness, and to dwell him in his spacious gardens. And indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return,” said the cables.
Sheikh Rashid is a member of the ruling family council, according to Bahrain News Agency.