Abstract:
Keeping with the new strategy KAUST embarked on a year ago, the KAUST Center of Excellence for Smart Health (KCSH) was officially established on July 1st, 2024. Using KAUST's world-class technology and research capabilities development, KCSH will develop smart sensors and computational biology tools (AI/machine learning) to mitigate emerging communicable health threats and extend healthy lifespan, driving efforts to address national health priorities. In this seminar, I will present a brief overview of KCSH's goals and objectives, its short-, mid-, and long-term goals, and outline how the Center creates an ecosystem where novel and revolutionary ideas are discussed, and proof-of-concepts are generated. Additionally, I will highlight the training and education programs the Center is sponsoring and those in progress and discuss how national and international partnerships are vital for their success.

In the second part of the seminar, I will highlight the ongoing research in my RNA Therapeutics lab and how the ecosystem established by KCSH plays a crucial role in its success. For the last 25 years, my lab has focused on the role of RNA Binding Proteins (RBP) in health and diseases, with a particular focus on muscle development and loss, aging and cell adaptation to various challenges. I will highlight the recent progress made since I established my laboratory at KAUST more than two years ago. We uncovered that muscle fiber formation involves novel, unexpected mechanisms and RBPs. I will outline the main findings and discuss their implication for muscle health and pathology.

Bio:
Imed Gallouzi is a world-renowned biochemist and professor whose research focuses primarily on mRNA metabolism and its regulation during the cell cycle and differentiation. He is currently a Professor of Bioscience and Chair of the KAUST Center of Excellence for Smart-Health (KCSH). Prior to this, he spent two decades at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where he was a Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology.

Prof. Gallouzi’s work is well-known for its contributions to understanding posttranscriptional regulatory mechanisms in cells, especially under stress and pathological conditions. He co-discovered cytoplasmic RNA granules, known as stress granules, which play a crucial role in the cell's response to stress. His work also includes significant findings related to the role of RNA-binding proteins, such as HuR, in cancer progression and cancer-induced muscle wasting (cachexia).

Throughout his career, Prof. Gallouzi has held several prestigious positions and received numerous elite accolades, including the Tier II Canada Research Chair in Cellular Information Systems from 2002 to 2012. He is actively involved in widely influential international scientific communities and has contributed to establishing novel research programs and facilities both in Canada and the Middle East.