Within a series of lectures and workshops offered by the Unit of Faculty Member Development at the College, a lecture was organized and delivered by Dr. Al-Jawhara Al-Quthami, the Associate Professor at the Pharmaceuticals Department, on Thursday 16 April 2018.

Dr. Al-Jawhara explained in detail the conclusion of her PhD thesis. Since there is variety of plants in KSA, a group of plants was selected, and its impact on skin cancer skills was studied.  

Dr. Al-Jawhara explained that through this study, the toxicological properties of these plants have been proven. The compounds responsible for killing cancer cells have been extracted from the plant. These include lignans extracted from the Mesika plant which caused the programed death of the apoptosis cells and were able to kill cancer cells more than normal cells. This proves that these compounds select cancer cells. Dr. Al-Jawhara also added that triterpene compounds were extracted from the capparis decidua and carissa spinarum plant that is capable of killing cancer cells through programmed death. These compounds act as the nucleus of the invention of the pharmaceuticals used for skin cancer patients.

Near the end of the lecture, Dr. Al-Jawhara answered the questions and inquiries of faculty members regarding the medical uses of plants and their role in treating cancer.