Cancer research forum gets underway in Jazan/node/2615687/saudi-arabia
Cancer research forum gets underway in Jazan
Jazan Gov. Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz tours an exhibition at the Cancer Research Forum at Jazan University, with the university's president, Prof. Mohammed bin Hassan Abu Rasin. (Supplied)
Gov. Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz inaugurated the two-day event at Jazan university
Series of workshops on tackling cancer looked at immunotherapy, AI in scientific research and expanding oncology services
Updated 17 September 2025
Arab News
RIYADH: Jazan Gov. Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz inaugurated on Wednesday the Cancer Research Forum at Jazan University.
The two-day forum is taking place under the theme: “Together Toward Achieving the National Targets in Combating Cancer.”
Jazan University President Prof. Mohammed bin Hassan Abu Rasin told the audience that the forum played an important role, along with joint scientific research, in tackling cancer.
He said that sustainable scientific research was a cornerstone of the Saudi Vision 2030 reform program, which aims to position Saudi Arabia among the worlds’s leading nations in science and health.
The forum seeks to open scientific cooperation between experts from universities and national research centers.
The university’s vice president for graduate studies and scientific research, Dr. Abdul Karim bin Mohammed Meraya, said that Jazan was addressing research and scientific challenges “through partnerships among the university, research centers and government sectors, locally and globally.”
The forum included a series of workshops including one on CAR T-cell therapy, which employs a form of immunotherapy that uses specially altered T-cells to fight cancer.
Dr. Mana Al-Shehri, of the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, said that Saudi Arabia was one of the region’s pioneers in developing the therapy.
Another session addressed the importance of artificial intelligence in various stages of scientific research.
A third workshop, presented by Dr. Mohammed Al-Qahtani from King Khalid University, reviewed the current state of oncology services in the Saudi Arabia’s southern region and how services would be developed and expanded in the future.
Globularia alypum is making a fragile comeback amid threats of overgrazing
Updated 07 November 2025
Haifa Alshammari
RIYADH: Once found across parts of Saudi Arabia, Globularia alypum — a delicate blue-flowered shrub — has recently been rediscovered in the Kingdom’s northwest regions.
Yet, despite this encouraging sighting, the species is now listed as critically endangered due to overgrazing and land degradation, according to environmental consultant and former adviser at the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification, Oubaid Alouni.
“The primary cause of extinction is overgrazing, as it is an excellent grazing species. The second cause is land degradation. The third cause is neglect,” he said.
Belonging to the Plantaginaceae family, Globularia alypum — locally known as “Zuraiqa” or “Aynon Kuhli” and internationally as the blue daisy — is a perennial evergreen shrub native to the Mediterranean basin. It is typically found in North Africa, southern Europe, and Southwest Asia, particularly in mountainous and rocky regions.
“This plant is highly grazing, so it is not found in plains or open areas because camels heavily graze it. Therefore, it is more commonly found in mountainous or calcareous regions,” commented Alouni.
According to Alouni, the NCVC has been intensifying its efforts to protect native plants and rehabilitate degraded lands. To preserve Globularia alypum, he recommends replanting it in its natural northwestern habitats, encouraging home cultivation, and raising public awareness about its ecological and medicinal value. Crucially, he stresses the need to preserve its seeds in the Ministry of Agriculture’s seed bank to safeguard its future.
The native habitat for The Globularia alypum is the Mediterranean area like in North African countries, southern Europe, and Southwest Asia. (SUPPLIED)
Typically growing between 30 and 80 centimeters tall, the shrub forms dense, woody bushes with leathery, oval leaves that remain green year-round. Its spherical clusters of pale blue to deep violet flowers bloom from October through June, adding vibrant color to arid landscapes.
“The advantage of this shrub, which is perennial and not annual, is that it can become an annual in some places that are very hot, so that the seeds fall into the soil, and if winter comes and the weather becomes mild and the rains come, it sprouts again,” said Alouni.
He added: “Its distinctive feature and captivating beauty is that it blooms abundantly and has branching limbs... like a beautiful dress with its lovely navy-blue color and round shape.”
FASTFACT
Did you know?
Globularia alypum has recently been rediscovered in the Kingdom’s northwest regions.
It has been used in traditional medicine in the past as a treatment for various health issues.
It is a winter-flowering plant, blooming mainly from October to June.
Beyond its striking appearance, Globularia alypum has long been valued in traditional medicine for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, and antidiabetic properties. Research published by the National Institutes of Health supports these claims, showing that extracts from the plant can help lower blood glucose levels and improve insulin sensitivity — benefits attributed to its rich polyphenolic content that aids carbohydrate metabolism and reduces oxidative stress.
“It is useful as an anti-rheumatic, antidiabetic, and anti-intermittent fever, in addition to its use as a laxative,” said Alouni.
As the interest in plants in the kingdom grows globally, Globularia alypum is one of the greate example of how ancient botanical knowledge and modern science can converge to promote human health and environmental sustainability. (SUPPLIED)
Although the plant has been observed recently in Saudi Arabia’s northern regions, Alouni noted that some specimens remain undocumented in the Kingdom’s flora classification, likely due to their rarity. He emphasized the importance of properly recording and updating plant data nationwide to preserve botanical knowledge.
“In addition to the Saudi flora, we take the scientific name… those who classify plants are few, and researchers take information from classifiers because they are the ones who write the scientific name (referring to them as a source of data),” Alouni told Arab News.
For Alouni, documenting species such as Globularia alypum is not only vital for science but also for sustaining the Kingdom’s natural heritage. The flower stands as a reminder of how traditional ecological wisdom and modern science can work hand in hand — ensuring that this once-abundant shrub, with its medicinal promise and stunning beauty, does not fade from Saudi Arabia’s landscape.
