A mentorship with a Wayne State University School of Medicine professor has led to the establishment of Egypt's first lab devoted to research of inflammatory breast cancer, a disease that affects 1 percent to 5 percent of women in the United States, but makes up at least 15 percent of breast cancer cases in North Africa.
Bonnie Sloane, Ph.D., chairwoman of the Department of Pharmacology for the School of Medicine, recently flew to Egypt to attend the opening of the new lab, one result of her relationship with Mona Mostafa Mohamed, Ph.D. Dr. Mohamed is associate professor of the Physiology and Molecular Biology Department of Zoology at Cairo University. And now, because of Dr. Sloane's assistance, she is director of the Cancer Biology Research Laboratory at her university.
Dr. Sloane met Dr. Mohamed when the Egyptian mother of two daughters applied for, and was accepted into, the Avon Foundation's American Association for Cancer Research International Scholars-In-Training Program. The program, according to the foundation, "enhances the quality of cancer research internationally through competitive awards to junior faculty members who reside in and conduct breast cancer research in countries with limited opportunities for specialized training." Avon Scholars receive a two-year placement at a university or organization in the United States. They are teamed with a prominent scientist - in this case Dr. Sloane - who serves as a mentor and provides research oversight. At the end of the fellowship, the scholars are supposed to return to their countries to continue their research and improve breast cancer care.
"It is a crucial part of the Avon program that the scholars return to their home country and bring their skills back with them to improve research there and better the lives of women there," said Dr. Sloane, who also is a Distinguished Professor of the Karmanos Cancer Institute. "Some of them end up preferring to remain in the U.S., but right from the start Mona was adamant about returning to Egypt to establish her own lab."
Dr. Mohamed arrived in the U.S. in 2005, and worked with Dr. Sloane in her lab, researching inflammatory breast cancer, an aggressive form of cancer that is prevalent in North Africa, including Egypt.
Dr. Mohamed returned to Egypt in April 2007 and began working to establish her own breast cancer research lab at Cairo University. With additional assistance from the Avon Foundation, she developed her lab - the first of its kind in Egypt -- and in February 2009 invited Dr. Sloane to attend its opening.
Dr. Sloane noted that at the university she was given the "red carpet treatment" quite literally, as a red carpet was indeed rolled out to greet her. She was given the honor of cutting the ribbon for the lab's official opening at the university. The university presented her with three medals and plaques for her dedication to research and her assistance with establishing and equipping Dr. Mohamed's lab.
Dr. Sloane and Dr. Mohamed were interviewed by Egypt television, which aired an extensive 30-minute program on the lab and inflammatory breast cancer right after the national evening news.
"We could not have created this lab without Dr. Sloane's assistance. I deeply appreciate her help and everything I learned at Wayne State University," Dr. Mohamed said. "This will allow us to continue working to find a cure for inflammatory breast cancer."
The lab will now allow Dr. Mohamed to begin applying for grants of her own to fund her research.
While the two will continue research collaboration, the lab, Dr. Mohamed said, will allow her to collect and study breast cancer tissue from the primary population it affects most significantly. She noted that a cultural modesty prevents many Egyptian women from seeking medical aid for breast cancer in its early stages, a decision that often costs them their lives. However, she is working to break down those cultural barriers and educate women about breast cancer, self-examination and treatment. She has an ally in Mohamed El-Shinawi, M.D., assistant professor of General Surgery at Ain Shams University in Cairo. Dr. El-Shinawi, she said, convinces women being treated for the cancer to donate tissue samples for study in the lab.
While this was Dr. Sloane's first trip to Egypt, her collaboration with Dr. Mohamed assures it won't be her last. But no matter how many times she visits, Dr. Sloane said, she will never get over the size of Cairo University, which has an enrollment of 260,000 students.