Al-Nesf M.A.Y, Abdesselem HB, Bensmail I, Ibrahim S, Saeed WAH, Mohammed SSI, Razok A, Alhussain H, Aly RMA Al Maslamani M, Ouararhni K, Khatib M.Y, Ait Hssain A, Omrani A.S, Al-Kaabi S, Al Khal A, Al-Thani A.A, Samsam W, Farooq A, Al-Suwaidi J, Al-Maadheedh M, Al-Siddiqi H.H, Butler A.E, Decock J.V, Mohamed-Ali V and Al-Ejeh F. Prognostic tools and candidate drugs based on plasma proteomics of patients with severe COVID-19 complications. Nature Commun. 2022 Feb 17;13(1):946.doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-28639-4.

X-ray diffraction (XRD) is a widely used nondestructive method in materials science, geology, environmental science, and biology for determining the atomic and molecular arrangements in crystalline materials. The technique involves irradiating a crystal with incident X-rays and measuring the intensities and angles of the scattered X-rays. The intensity of the scattered Xrays is then plotted as a function of the scattering angle, and the structure of the material is determined from the analysis of the location, in angle, and the intensities of scattered intensity peaks.

Optical microscopy is often the starting point for successful materials related failure and root cause analysis. It helps clients fully understand microstructure and other materials properties. The goal of optical microscopy is to produce clear and high quality images with high magnification (up to 1000X). Upright microscopes are the most common type, where the objective lens is above the stage and lighting system can be from top (reflected, bright field), bottom (transmitted) or sides (reflected, dark field).

Hmila I; Hill J; Shalaby K; Ouararhni K; Abedsselem H; Modaresi SMS; Bihaqi SW; Marques E; Sondhi A; Slitt AL. Perinatal exposure to PFOS and sustained high-fat diet promote neurodevelopmental disorders via genomic reprogramming of pathways associated with neuromotor development. Elsevier. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. Feb 2024.

Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) is an analytical technique used to study the chemical composition and molecular structure of the surfaces of materials at the nanoscale. It has become an essential tool in the fields of materials science, surface chemistry, and biomedicine, among others. In this technique, a primary ion beam is used to sputter secondary ions from the surface of the sample. These ions are then mass-analyzed based on their time of flight to a detector, providing information on their mass-to-charge ratio and abundance.

Planetary ball milling is a technique for reducing and homogenizing the average particle size of powder samples. This can also be used for mixing different powder samples into a homogenous mixture. This technique is mainly used for preparing samples for powder XRD and XRF. Our laboratory houses two (2) variant models of Retsch planetary ball mills, only differing in the number of ball jars, the volumetric capacity of each ball jar and maximum rotational speed. Both models are capable of storing 10 custom SOP’s, direction reversal and interval operation.

X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is a powerful analytical technique widely used to determine the chemical composition of a sample. XRF is based on the interaction of X-rays with the electrons of atoms in a sample, which creates a fluorescent Xray with a discrete energy characteristic of the atom and its chemical environment. The emitted X-rays are then measured by a detector, and the intensity and energy of the X-rays provide information about the elements present in the sample.

Ehtewish H, Mesleh A, Ponirakis G, Lennard K, Al Hamad H, Chandran M, Parray A, Abdesselem HA, Wijten P, Decock J, Alajez NM, Ramadan M, Khan S, RAHEEM THAZHE Kuni RAT, Own A, Elsotouhy A, Albagha O, Arredouani A, Blackburn JM, Malik RA, El-Agnaf O. Profiling the Autoantibody Repertoire Reveals Autoantibodies Associated with Mild Cognitive Impairment. 2023. Frontiers in Neurology. Accepted Oct 2023.

Smith M, Abdesselem HB, Mullins M, Tan TM, Nel AJM, Al-Nesf MAY, Bensmail I, Majbour NK, Vaikath NN, Naik A, Ouararhni K, Mohamed-Ali V, Al-Maadheed M, Schell DT, Baros-Steyl SS, Anuar ND, Ismail NH, Morris PE, Mamat RNR, Rosli NSM, Anwar A, Ellan K, Zain RM, Burgers WA, Mayne ES, El-Agnaf OMA, Blackburn JM. Age, Disease Severity and Ethnicity Influence Humoral Responses in a Multi-Ethnic COVID-19 Cohort. Viruses. 2021 Apr 28;13(5):786. doi: 10.3390/v13050786.

Mir FA, Abdesselem HB, Cyprian F, Iskandarani A, Doudin A, Samra TA, Alkasem M, Abdalhakam I, Taheri S, Abou-Samra AB. Inflammatory protein signatures in individuals with obesity and metabolic syndrome. Sci Rep. 2023 Dec 13;13(1):22185. https://doi:10.1038/s41598-023-49643-8.