DRUG DISCOVERY PLATFORM:
(A) TARGET STUDY, ASSAY DEVELOPMENT, SCREENING AND CELL BIOLOGY UNIT
The Unit is engaged in developing the assay to screen for novel therapies that include small molecules, antibodies, aptamers, and RNA-based therapies.
- Applying Artificial Analysis to study disease pathways and drug targets.
- Primary and Cell lines Culture
- Stem Cell Differentiations
- Stable Cell line generation
- Transfection
- PBMC Isolation
- Assay development in 96 and 384 plates format
- High Throughput Screening
- Target Identification and Validation
- Hit identification and optimization
(B) MEDICINAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY UNIT
The unit is involved in the synthesis of new chemical entities (NCE) for therapeutic areas of KAIMRC interest. The current focus is on Cancer, COVID-19, and resistant microbes. Modern techniques like structure-based drug design (SBDD), computational modeling, novel synthetic methods, and artificial intelligence have been applied to develop new therapeutic modalities.
A robust training program is available for new graduates in the art of synthesis and drug discovery.
- Design and Synthesis of Biologically Active Compounds
- Optimization of Drug Candidates and SAR Development
- Purification and Identification of Small Molecule
- Antibody Drug Conjugates Preparation
- PET Tracer Design
- Consultancy on API Synthesis
LIGHT AND ELECTRON MICROSCOPY UNIT
The Light and Electron Microscopy Unit of KAIMRC’s core lab facility is equipped with several wide-field and fluorescence microscopes, confocal laser scanning microscopes (cLSM), live cell imaging equipment, a high-content imaging system (HCI), a laser capture microdissection system (LCM), a total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM) system, a Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and a transmission electron microscope (TEM) with all the required accessories for processing samples. The unit also includes immunohisto (IHC) and immunocytochemistry (ICC) capabilities.
- Life Technologies EVOS FL Auto system equipped with life cell imaging capability
- Molecular Devices Image Express High Content Imaging System
- Jeol JEM-1400 Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) with all the accessories for biological and material science sample preparation
- FEI Nova SEM Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) with all the accessories for biological and material science sample preparation
- Zeiss LSM 780 Laser Scanning Confocal Microscope (cLSM) equipped with Intune lasers and live cell imaging capability
- Nikon Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscope system (TIRF)
- Zeiss Laser Capture Microdissection (LCM) system equipped with PALM Micro Tweezers and live cell imaging capability
- Immunohistochemistry (IHC) preparation and imaging
- Immunocytochemistry (ICC) preparation and imaging
MASS-SPEC: PROTEOMICS AND METABOLOMICS DIVISION
The unit performs the following functions:
- Protein and peptides identification using high-resolution mass spectrometers based on the bottom-up method
- Protein and peptides quantification using selected reaction monitoring (SRM) which is operated on QqQ instruments. The absolute quantitative measurements using stable isotope-labeled (e.g., N15 or C13) can be provided
- Peptide fractionation using different methods such as Strong Cation-Exchange and Reversed-Phase
- Proteomics data analysis including differential expression and statistical analysis using commercial and open-source software (e.g., ProteinPilot™ and Skyline).
- Molecular weight determination for small molecules using the accurate mass spectrometer.
- Analysis of impurities by HPLC or LC-MS
- Metabolites and small molecules quantification using selected reaction monitoring (SRM) operated on QqQ instruments. The absolute quantitative measurements using stable isotope-labeled (e.g., H2, N15, and C13) can be provided.
- Training on the entire analytical workflow.
- Discovery and Targeted Proteomics
- Discovery and Targeted Metabolomics
- Molecular weight determination
- Analysis of compounds for structural elucidation
- Impurity Analysis
FLOW CYTOMETRY UNIT
The unit performs the following functions:
- Cell profiling and characterization
- Cell profiling and characterization (short specific panels)
- Cell isolation/specific single-cell analysis
- Cytokine profiling and screening
- Cell line and primary cell subculture and differentiation/KAIMRC-KSAU stock
- Fluorescence-activated cell analysis and sorting
- BD FACS Canto II: Quantitative and qualitative analysis and characterization of cells, molecules and particles.
- MoFlo XDO Cell Sorter: Cell Analysis and Isolation from human or animal model.
- Bio-Plex® 3D Suspension Array System: High-throughput testing for nucleic acid and protein applications.
- Cell Culture: Services for the culture of different cell lines available in the Core Lab.
PROTEIN BIOCHEMISTRY, MICROBIOLOGY, AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY UNIT
This unit is devoted to providing services in protein chemistry including expression, purification, and functionality assay services.
- Plasmid/DNA/RNA/Protein Extraction and their bioanalysis (western blot, gel electrophoresis)
- PCR, PC-RFLP, qPCR
- Recombinant protein expression and purification
- Lentivirus for shRNA expression for gene knock-down
- Lentivirus for gene overexpression
- Lentivirus for cell stable-labeling
NATURAL PRODUCT RESEARCH UNIT
The Natural Product Research (NHP) unit is part of the Department of Core Facility and Platform that specializes in research related to plants, marine, and microbial. In the NHP unit, we perform drug discovery-related experiments including cell viability assays, gene and protein expression measurement, identification, and isolation/purification of natural compounds. The unit has a state-of-the-art Universal Extraction System and a Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry with the latest Mass Spectra Library database.
- Collection and authentication of natural products.
- Collection and authentication of natural products.
- Extraction of Natural Products.
- Cell viability and cytotoxicity assays.
- Gene and protein expression measurement.
- Identification and isolation/purification of natural compounds.
ANTIBODY GENERATION UNIT
The antibody generation unit in the Core Lab focuses on the generation and development of antibodies against various targets using phage display technology.
- Western Blot
- BioPlexing
- Antibody Generation and Purification Using Phage Display
3. Achievements (2017-2024)
Research Projects: Completed (40), Ongoing (25)
- Cancer: Breast, Blood, Colon, Brain
- Metabolic: Diabetes, Obesity
- Rare Diseases
- Infections: COVID19, MERS, DENGUE, AMR
- Aging
Publications: >100
Patents:
- SA 123450418
Discovery of small molecules that inhibit the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR alpha) pathway
- SA 1020243250
Discovery of Novel uPA Inhibitors of Urokinase- type Plasminogen Activator and Uses Thereof
- SA 1020244729
Discovery of Small Molecules Modulating PDL1 Gene Expression
- SA 1020247591
A novel combination of two cell death mechanisms, Paraptosis and Apoptosis
- SA12103B1
ANTICANCER 1,3-DIOXANE-4,6-DIONE DERIVATIVES AND METHOD OF COMBINATORIAL SYNTHESIS THEREOF الهيئة السعودية للملكية الفكرية, 24 January 2023
- US 2020/0290975
Anticancer 1,3-DIOXANE-4,6-DIONE DERIVATIVES AND METHOD OF COMBINATIONAL SYNTHESIS THEREOF, US 2020/0290975 A1, Patent No: US 11,161,823 B2, Date of Patent: Nov 2nd, 2021.
- US011052101B2
METHODS FOR TREATING CANCER USING PURINE ANALOGS BY DEPLETING INTRACELLULAT ATP, Pub. No. US 2020/0306285 A1 Date of Patent: 01 Oct 2020
- US010639382B2
A METHOD OF TREATING LEUKEMIA, Patent no. US 10,639,382 B2 Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
- US10253371
A METHOD OF TREATING LEUKEMIA BASED ON GENE EXPRESSION OF CLOCK GENES; Boudjelal et al. 2016: KING ABDULAZIZ MEDICAL CITY; NATIONAL GUARD HEALTH AFFAIRS; RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA US: US20180057886A1
Graduate Students:
- PhD Students (3 completed, 4 ongoing)
- Master students (10 completed, 5 ongoing)
Scientific Exchange & Collaboration
- Vitiligo Group, KSU
- King Abdullah University for Science and Technology, KSA
- King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), KSA
- King Abdulaziz University, KSA
- Princes Noora University, KSA
- King Saud University, KSA
- Scripps , USA
- Structural Genomic Constorium, UK
- Fraunhover Institute, Germany
- Chinese Academic of Science
- Northumbria University, UK
- Avignon University France
- McGill/Montreal University
- Mount Sinai, USA
- Fabrizio University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Florence, Italy
- Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, India
- Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India
- Prafulla Choudhari, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Bharati Vidyapeeth College of Pharmacy, Kolhapur, India