Research tackles world’s greatest disease

Research tackles world’s greatest disease

According to the World Health Organisation, cardiovascular diseases are the number one cause of death globally and it is estimated that 30% of fatalities in the UAE are attributed to cardiovascular disease. While improvements in lifestyle can support successful treatment there is much research to be done to provide better treatment options.

Dr Maria Baias, Al Jalila Foundation grant recipient from New York University Abu Dhabi, is conducting a study to determine the structure of a new polymorph of aspirin using nuclear magnetic resonance crystallography.

This project will study the crystal structure of a new form of aspirin, which could have improved pharmaceutical properties and therefore be more effective in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Experimental and computational techniques will be combined to find an accurate crystal structure for this molecule from a pool of computationally predicted structures. The methodology used could, later on, be utilised to determine the structure of other important pharmaceutical compounds.

Click here to read about Al Jalila Foundation research.