The Research Ethics Committee in Dubai has approved 78 scientific research on the Covid-19 pandemic, focusing on treatments and medications available to treat infected people, and the impact of chronic diseases on disease development.
The head of the Medical Research Department, which is affiliated with the Department of Medical Education and Research at the Dubai Health Authority, Dr. Hamda Hassan Khansaheb, said that the committee developed, in cooperation with the Department of Medical Education and Research, protocols to accelerate the process of obtaining research approvals submitted to the committee, and review them according to what is universally accepted, to deal with The pandemic.
Khansaheb stated that the approved research list includes a study of the various stages of Covid-19 disease, which includes the early diagnosis of corona virus, the most important symptoms that appear on patients, and the complications they are exposed to, especially blood clots that have been proven to be among the most prominent risks to which patients are exposed in various countries of the world. And led to a high number of deaths in it.
She emphasized the adoption of other research on the available treatments, and the most important drugs for treating the injured, to contribute in the future to getting to know more about the disease, and to determine the most effective medicine for its treatment.
How much confirmed the study of the use of plasma recoverers from "Corona" to help other patients, where the preliminary results of the studies showed that some of the plasma recipients benefited from treatment to reduce the severity of the disease and avoid complications, but these results are still limited and there is an urgent need for wider research to follow the largest number of Patients to study the effectiveness of this treatment.
She pointed to other research to study the extent of the impact of chronic diseases on the development of the disease in the injured, most notably diabetes, heart and lung diseases, as they are most vulnerable to threats and complications, and to determine the extent of the disease’s impact on them and to compare their recovery rate with others.
And confirmed the adoption of a study seeking to know the extent of the psychological health of the first line of defense, and the impact of the pandemic on the occupational health of doctors and professional practitioners. She said that the authority is involved in some medical research that is conducted globally, and it has a great importance in knowing the disease through its study of patients from all over the world.
The committee also adopted clinical research, including studying the role of alternative tests for diagnosing the virus and performing laboratory analyzes to detect the presence of antibodies to the Covid-19 virus in contacts from the first line of defense.
Khansaheb pointed out that all the authority’s sectors are involved in conducting research, including hospitals and the support services sector, represented in laboratory management, noting that there is a group of research conducted in cooperation with academic institutions in the country such as the Mohammed bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, and University The UAE and Khalifa University, which strengthens the partnership between the authority and educational institutions.
She emphasized that «the research approved in the process of collecting data or analyzing it. Upon completion, the researchers will share the results and publish them in scientific journals, or present them as a scientific paper in international scientific conferences and meetings.