An Emirati doctor who found himself on the front lines against Covid-19 in the US during the pandemic is on a mission to change cancer care in the UAE.
Dr Ajlan Al Zaki is now based at Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi, having worked at Stanford University's hospital in California, where he played a major role in the fight against Covid-19.
Now he is leading a project to help reduce the cost of one of the most expensive cancer treatments by up to 90 per cent. Although the UAE offered to repatriate its citizens from the US during the pandemic, Dr Al Zaki refused to leave his post at Stanford.
“I’ve been in the US for a long time, and I felt like I got enough experience where I felt comfortable enough to transplant that knowledge to the UAE," Dr Al Zaki told The National.
“It’s exciting to be part of building something in a country that’s relatively young, but has accomplished so much in a short amount of time.”
CAR T-cell therapy, short for chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, is a type of immunotherapy that collects a patient’s blood, isolates their T-cells - specialised immune cells - modifies them in a lab so they can recognise and attack cancer, and then reinfuses them back into the patient, essentially reprogramming the immune system to become a personalised weapon against cancer.
Globally, CAR T-cell therapy is one of the most expensive forms of cancer treatment currently available. In the US, costs for a single treatment cycle, including admission to hospital, immune cell collection, lab engineering, infusion, and management of side effects, can exceed $1.5 million.
Even the baseline cost of the CAR-T product alone typically ranges between $475,000 and $650,000, depending on the cancer type and manufacturer.
Burjeel Holdings aims to overcome this challenge by producing CAR-T therapies locally. It is projected to reduce treatment costs by up to 90 per cent compared to the US and Europe.
Specialised treatment
Dr Al Zaki’s specialisation lies in treating blood cancers such as lymphoma, leukaemia and multiple myeloma.
After earning a PhD in bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania, he completed his medical degree at George Washington University, followed by internal medicine training at Stanford and a haematology-oncology fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Centre in Houston - one of the world’s leading institutions of its kind.
He is the first and only Emirati doctor to specialise in cellular cancer therapy. Yet he downplays the title, preferring to focus on the work rather than accolades.
“I don’t think of it as first or second,” he said. “I just think of it as how can you help in any way possible? How can you give a small piece of what you know and give back to society. I’m just playing my part.”
Success is "being able to give something back and never expect anything in return”, he added. “That’s what excites me the most, sharing knowledge and inspiring more people to join the fight against cancer.”
Although he rejects personal recognition, he says he is deeply proud to represent his country in a field so vital to the future of medicine. “It’s an honour,” he said. “But the most important thing is what we build for the generations that follow.”
CAR T-cell therapy is typically offered only after other treatments, such as chemotherapy, with global trials exploring moving it to first-line use.
"That would be the dream, right? Chemo-free treatment. Immunotherapy," Dr Al Zaki said.
“In the US, for one patient, one single infusion can cost several hundred thousand dollars - around $500,000 for just the infusion itself.
“That doesn’t even take into account hospitalisation, toxicities, or medications to treat those toxicities. The total cost can easily go above $1 million per patient."
There are opportunities to make CAR T-cell therapy available on a large scale by decentralising the manufacturing process, Dr Al Zaki added.
“We would basically manufacture the CAR T-cells locally. That would significantly cut down the cost,” he said.
The plan
Rather than shipping patient cells abroad for processing, Dr Al Zaki hopes to set up a lab in the UAE to perform the entire process domestically.
In 2023, Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre (ADSCC), a subsidiary of Pure Health, successfully manufactured the UAE’s first CAR-T cells to treat an 11-year-old boy with leukaemia.
“It would be exciting to bring down the cost of CAR T-cell therapy … or a collaborative opportunity in the UAE would be something very beneficial," he said.
"The technology is out there, the knowledge is out there. If we do the programming ourselves, you already cut down the cost by several hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
While CAR T-cell therapy is currently used to treat blood cancers, researchers including Dr Zaki are exploring ways to expand its reach to solid tumours. He also wants to see the UAE become a centre for clinical trials and specialised expertise.
“We have amazing specialists here,” he said. “But I think we’re still limited when it comes to rare subtypes of cancer. Rather than seeing a broad range of diseases, we need more doctors who focus on very specific cancers, like just T-cell lymphoma, for example.”
A long road
Dr Zaki’s journey into oncology was inspired by academic discovery and personal experience.
Initially drawn to chemical engineering, he moved to cancer research while in college after working with a mentor to develop cancer-detecting nanoparticles. But the turning point came when his grandfather was diagnosed with cancer - twice.
“I spent six weeks driving him daily from Abu Dhabi to Al Ain for radiation therapy,” he said.
“Later, when I was doing my PhD at UPenn, he got a different kind of cancer and had to go to MD Anderson in Houston. I never knew I would end up working there.”
That experience made him want to move beyond research and work directly with patients. “I wanted to be that person who would develop something and take it to patients when they needed it so desperately,” he said.
He describes cellular therapy as the perfect intersection of his interests. “It brings together engineering, biology, and oncology,” he said. “It lets me use all parts of my background to help patients and at the end of the day, that's all I want to do."
Dr Zaki also hopes to bridge the gap between hospitals and academia.
“In five years, I’d like to see a low-cost CAR T-cell programme delivering outcomes comparable to the West,” he said.
“But I also want to see a collaborative ecosystem between hospitals and research institutions—where we share knowledge, accelerate innovation, and introduce new technologies and therapies to our healthcare system.”
SPECS
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Previous men's records
- 2:01:39: Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) on 16/9/19 in Berlin
- 2:02:57: Dennis Kimetto (KEN) on 28/09/2014 in Berlin
- 2:03:23: Wilson Kipsang (KEN) on 29/09/2013 in Berlin
- 2:03:38: Patrick Makau (KEN) on 25/09/2011 in Berlin
- 2:03:59: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 28/09/2008 in Berlin
- 2:04:26: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 30/09/2007 in Berlin
- 2:04:55: Paul Tergat (KEN) on 28/09/2003 in Berlin
- 2:05:38: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 14/04/2002 in London
- 2:05:42: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 24/10/1999 in Chicago
- 2:06:05: Ronaldo da Costa (BRA) 20/09/1998 in Berlin
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Company%20Profile
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MO
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Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 374hp at 5,500-6,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm from 1,900-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.5L/100km
Price: from Dh285,000
On sale: from January 2022
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SERIES INFO
Schedule:
All matches at the Harare Sports Club
1st ODI, Wed Apr 10
2nd ODI, Fri Apr 12
3rd ODI, Sun Apr 14
4th ODI, Sun Apr 16
UAE squad
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Zimbabwe squad
Peter Moor (captain), Solomon Mire, Brian Chari, Regis Chakabva, Sean Williams, Timycen Maruma, Sikandar Raza, Donald Tiripano, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara, Chris Mpofu, Craig Ervine, Brandon Mavuta, Ainsley Ndlovu, Tony Munyonga, Elton Chigumbura
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Manchester United v Barcelona, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
Asia Cup 2018 final
Who: India v Bangladesh
When: Friday, 3.30pm, Dubai International Stadium
Watch: Live on OSN Cricket HD
Ammar 808:
Maghreb United
Sofyann Ben Youssef
Glitterbeat
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Gender equality in the workplace still 200 years away
It will take centuries to achieve gender parity in workplaces around the globe, according to a December report from the World Economic Forum.
The WEF study said there had been some improvements in wage equality in 2018 compared to 2017, when the global gender gap widened for the first time in a decade.
But it warned that these were offset by declining representation of women in politics, coupled with greater inequality in their access to health and education.
At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, while it is expected to take 202 years to close the workplace gap, WEF found.
The Geneva-based organisation's annual report tracked disparities between the sexes in 149 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.
After years of advances in education, health and political representation, women registered setbacks in all three areas this year, WEF said.
Only in the area of economic opportunity did the gender gap narrow somewhat, although there is not much to celebrate, with the global wage gap narrowing to nearly 51 per cent.
And the number of women in leadership roles has risen to 34 per cent globally, WEF said.
At the same time, the report showed there are now proportionately fewer women than men participating in the workforce, suggesting that automation is having a disproportionate impact on jobs traditionally performed by women.
And women are significantly under-represented in growing areas of employment that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills, WEF said.
* Agence France Presse
Need to know
When: October 17 until November 10
Cost: Entry is free but some events require prior registration
Where: Various locations including National Theatre (Abu Dhabi), Abu Dhabi Cultural Center, Zayed University Promenade, Beach Rotana (Abu Dhabi), Vox Cinemas at Yas Mall, Sharjah Youth Center
What: The Korea Festival will feature art exhibitions, a B-boy dance show, a mini K-pop concert, traditional dance and music performances, food tastings, a beauty seminar, and more.
For more information: www.koreafestivaluae.com
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
Martin Sabbagh profile
Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East
In the role: Since January 2015
Lives: In the UAE
Background: M&A, investment banking
Studied: Corporate finance
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh1,470,000 (est)
Engine 6.9-litre twin-turbo W12
Gearbox eight-speed automatic
Power 626bhp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 900Nm @ 1,350rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.0L / 100km
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour Calendar 2018/19
July 29: OTA Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan
Sep 22-23: LA Convention Centre in Los Angeles, US
Nov 16-18: Carioca Arena Centre in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Feb 7-9: Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Mar 9-10: Copper Box Arena in London, UK
Key changes
Commission caps
For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:
• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• On the protection component, there is a cap of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated.
• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.
• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.
Disclosure
Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.
“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”
Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.
Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.
“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.
Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
