“The drug caused no sedative and motor impairment symptoms,” Al-Nema said. “It is possibly not going to produce such side effects. However, we need more studies” to confirm that.
Rats injected with ketamine for 10 days mimicked the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. They chose empty cages and showed signs of social withdrawal. “With the new drug, the rat started to socialize again and invite other rats to play,” Al-Nema said.
The team studied cognitive symptoms by testing the rats’ ability to recognise objects in their boxes.
“We put in identical objects like bottles. Curious rats start to explore,” Al-Nema said. “On the second day, we change one of the items, placing a cube, for example. Normally, the rat should explore the new item. If it has a cognitive problem, it will not recognise anything and might spend more time exploring the same old object. The drug also helped treat this symptom.”
In conclusion, Al-Nema found that the compound proved highly effective and much better than risperidone, a standard atypical anti-psychotic currently used to treat the disease.
Her supervisor, Anand Gaurav, an assistant professor and head of research at UCSI’s Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, agreed. When fully developed, he said, a compound that inhibits both PDE1B and PDE10A will help in overcoming the drawbacks of current medications. “The present antipsychotic drugs have minimal to no effect on negative and cognitive symptoms,” he said.
From Conflict Zones to Malaysia
After leaving war-torn Baghdad, Al-Nema studied pharmacy at the Arab International University in Syria. As she reached the programme’s fifth and final year in 2012, the security situation in Syria worsened, forcing her to move back to Iraq.
“I could not join my family that moved to Malaysia, as I would have needed to repeat my studies from zero,” she said. “In Iraq, they placed me back in the third year because of differences in the curricula. It was tragic to me. I finished pharmacy in seven years rather than five.”
She graduated from Al-Yarmok University College, a private university in Baghdad, ranking first.
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In Malaysia, she got an advanced diploma in baking from the Academy of Pastry Arts and started an online bakery in 2016. “However, I said I should not waste my degree in pharmacy,” she said. “A bursary from UCSI helped me achieve my dream.”
Al-Nema is grateful for both the financial aid and the mentorship she received.
“The project was fully funded by the university,” she said. “My supervisor also helped me improve my writing style. Now, I am a reviewer in some journals.”
Similarly, Gaurav praised Al-Nema’s abilities. “She proved to be very quick in understanding and grasping theoretical concepts, learning the elements of experimental design and learning new laboratory techniques,” he said. “Her views have always been non-conventional, involving a lot of creativity.”
Future Plans
All medicines used in schizophrenia patients only treat the symptoms and cannot cure the disease. Al-Nema hopes to conduct more research on the compound she identified in a postdoctoral position.
“We still have to do a lot of experiments, but this is not unexpected,” she said. “The two enzymes I worked on are getting a lot of attention now. In the future, maybe 10 years or more, our compound can be a target for a new drug.”
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