PPU has won the prize of the best poster for the best research project on developing a self-vaccine for treating the infectious eczema in Palestine in the 9th International Palestinian Conference of Laboratory Medicine held in the Red Crescent Society in Ramallah under the patronage of his Excellency, President Mahmoud Abbas.
The conference lasted for three days where many scientific lectures in the field of hematology and immunology and the latest modern diagnostic techniques were presented. Financial awards of seven thousand dollars (USD7.000) were offered for the best research and scientific poster.
The student: Duaa Abu Shakhdam, a graduate of the college of Graduate Studies in Biotechnology, has represented the Biotechnology Research Center at Palestine Polytechnic University (PPU) in this conference, so she has received the first place for the best poster entitled ‘ Developing a Self-Vaccine for the Treatment of the Infectious Eczema in Palestine’. In this poster, the Orff virus which causes the infectious eczema disease in Palestine has been characterized, developed and reproduced by injecting the chicken embryos in order to develop a self-vaccine to treat the infected sheep in Palestine. The research results have been the first of its kind to arrive at having a safe self-vaccine that can be used by the vets and the Palestinian farmers alike.
The University representative- Duaa - was actually working outstandingly on her project as a thesis for her Master’s degree. She have worked under the supervision of Dr. Rubin Abu Ghazalah, a researcher at the Biotechnology Center. The center operates in partnership with the National Agricultural Research Center in Qabatia and in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in addition to the EU financial support. The samples for this study were made available by Dr. Jehad Al-Ibrahim, from the Ministry of Palestinian Agriculture while the vet Dr. Basem Turman participated in the experiments on this vaccine on different farms in the West Bank.
It is noteworthy that Duaa completed her Master’s thesis without the need to make any modifications which has never happened before in the history of the Joint Master’s program between Bethlehem University and Palestine Polytechnic University (PPU). It also should be noted that this project has received the second place in the 5th Students Innovation Conference, a conference that is held annually at Palestinian Polytechnic University.
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