Cancer Cell Biology · Drug Delivery · MSc Pharmaceutical Sciences · Lab & Research Supervisor
📍 Abu Dhabi, UAE
I hold a Bachelor's in Pharmacy and a Master's in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Al Ain University, where I specialized in drug delivery and formulation development. During my master's, I worked as a Research and Laboratory Assistant — and that's when I really caught the research bug. Spending long hours with analytical instruments and cancer cell lines turned out to be more exciting than I expected.
Now I'm a Laboratory and Research Supervisor at the Health and Biomedical Research Center (HBRC), where I lead research projects in molecular oncology, cancer cell biology, and drug delivery systems. I also train and guide postgraduate students in advanced cell culture techniques and experimental design. My collaborations span institutions like UAEU, NYU Abu Dhabi, and the University of Sharjah, and I'm passionate about bridging laboratory innovation with real-world therapeutic impact as I pursue my PhD studies.
My work focuses on cancer biology, nanomedicine, and drug delivery — developing smarter ways to target and treat cancer while reducing off-target toxicity.
Selected publications:
- Sakkal M, Al Meslamani AZ — Machine learning predictions of tumor progression: How reliable are we? — Computers in Biology and Medicine 2025
- Sakkal M et al. — Inhalable nanoparticle-based drug delivery system for non-small cell lung cancer therapy — Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal 2025
- Arafat M, Sakkal M et al. — Nanomedicines: Emerging Platforms in Smart Chemotherapy Treatment — Pharmaceuticals 2024 · 17 citations
- Ghemrawi R, Sakkal M et al. — Public perceptions of AI-assisted cancer care in Abu Dhabi — Supportive Care in Cancer 2026
→ Full list on Google Scholar or the Publications page
Cell Culture Molecular Oncology Drug Delivery Systems Nanoformulations
Bioinformatics Cancer Cell Biology Experimental Design Scientific Writing
Data Interpretation Analytical Instruments Statistical Analysis
🔬 Synergistic anticancer combinations — enhancing treatment outcomes through drug–drug synergy
🧬 Gene knockout studies — unraveling molecular pathways and resistance mechanisms
💊 Novel compound screening — evaluating cytotoxic potential across cancer cell lines
🖥️ Bioinformatics for gene targets — computational identification of novel therapeutic targets
🧪 Nanoformulations — engineering targeted delivery systems for improved therapeutic efficacy
"Science is not about finding the answer — it's about asking better questions."
- Advanced bioinformatics tools for cancer genomics
- Precision nanomedicine and targeted drug delivery
- PhD-level translational cancer research methodologies
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