Yasser Alraey | Infectious Diseases | Best Researcher Award

Published on by Life Science

Dr. Yasser Alraey | Infectious Diseases | Best Researcher Award

king Khalid university | Saudi Arabia

Dr. Yasser Alraey is a distinguished senior microbiologist and assistant professor of tropical medicine with over 16 years of laboratory‐based and academic experience. He has developed deep expertise in molecular diagnostics, vector-borne diseases, metagenomics, epidemiology, parasites and vectors, quality management, and lab leadership. His roles have spanned from medical lab technologist to head of flow cytometry and histopathology labs, through to his current clinical duties and academic leadership at King Khalid University and in senior specialist laboratory roles in Abha. Holding a PhD from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, along with MSc and BSc qualifications, he also earned a Clinical Laboratory Leadership & Management Certificate from AACC. Dr. Alraey has supervised and taught extensively, contributed to departmental administration, and managed multiple research projects including work on cutaneous leishmaniasis, molecular detection in stray animals, COVID-19 diagnostics, and antimicrobial resistance. He has published a substantial body of work in peer-reviewed journals, Include Scopus with 37 documents and 467 citations to his name, giving him an h-index of 12, reflecting his wide impact in tropical medicine and molecular microbiology. He is a motivational leader, methodical multitasker, and an inspiring communicator committed to high quality in laboratory services and education.

Featured Publications

Alraey, Y., Alshahrani, A., Alshahrani, T. S. M., Al Draim, N. H. A., Sumayli, A. A., Mana, A. M., Alqahtani, A. A., AlAbdullah, M. S., Mjrashi, A. M., Alqhtani, S. J., et al. (2025). Unveiling risk factors and sandfly ecology in cutaneous leishmaniasis-endemic areas of the Asir Region, Saudi Arabia. Journal of Infection and Public Health. Advance online publication.

Bharadava, K., Upadhyay, T. K., Kaushal, R. S., Ahmad, I., Alraey, Y., Siddiqui, S., & Saeed, M. (2024). Genomic insight of Leishmania parasite: In-depth review of drug resistance mechanisms and genetic mutations. ACS Omega, 9(1), Article e3C09400.

Al Shahrani, M., Gahtani, R., Abohassan, M., Alshahrani, M., Alraey, Y., Dera, A., Asiri, M. R., & Rajagopalan, P. (2024). High-throughput computational screening and in vitro evaluation identifies 5-(4-oxo-4H-3,1-benzoxazin-2-yl)-2-[3-(4-oxo-4H-3,1-benzoxazin-2-yl) phenyl]-1H-isoindole-1,3(2H)-dione (C3), as a novel EGFR-HER2 dual inhibitor in gastric tumors. Oncology Research, 32(1), Article 043139.

Siddique, S., Chaudhry, M. N., Ahmad, S. R., Nazir, R., Javed, R., Hafeez, M. R., Alraey, Y., Sivasamugham, L. A., & Mahmood, A. (2024). Risk surveillance with spatial distribution of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) from sedimentary samples of Chenab River. Science of the Total Environment, 924, 169256. x

Bajwa, A., Sadef, Y., Nazir, R., Zaheer, M., Siddique, S., Alismail, H. A., Sivasamugham, L. A., & Mahmood, A. (2024, December). Integrated risk assessment and human health hazards via dietary intake of OCPs from cereal crops cultivated across river Chenab. Emerging Contaminants.

Iwona Polak | Molecular Biology | Best Researcher Award

Published on by Life Science

Ms. Iwona Polak | Molecular Biology | Best Researcher Award

University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn | Poland

Iwona Polak, M.Sc. Eng., is a researcher at the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, specializing in the molecular biology of parasitic nematodes from the Anisakidae family. Her scientific contributions focus on unraveling the molecular and proteomic mechanisms of Anisakis simplex, a parasite of marine mammals that poses risks to human health. With 11 published journal papers indexed in Scopus and other scientific databases, she has developed a strong academic record supported by 75 citations on ResearchGate and 57 citations on Scopus, reflecting her growing influence in parasitology and molecular biology. Her h-index of 4 demonstrates the consistent impact of her research output within her field. Through advanced transcriptomic and proteomic analyses, particularly using NGS and LC-MS/MS approaches, Polak’s work provides key insights into host–parasite interactions and parasite adaptation mechanisms. She has collaborated internationally with the Marine Research Institute (IIM-CSIC) in Vigo, Spain, in proteomics research. With one ongoing research project and plans to defend her doctoral thesis in biological sciences, she continues to expand her scientific profile and contribute to developing innovative therapeutic and control strategies for anisakiasis.

Featured Publications

Polak, I., et al. (2025). Diversity, expression, and structural modeling of sugar transporters in Anisakis simplex s. s. L3 and L4 larvae: An in vitro and in silico study. BMC Genomics, 26, Article 12068.

Polak, I., et al. (2025). Coupled transcriptome and proteome analysis of L3 and L4 developmental stages of Anisakis simplex s. s.: Insights into target genes under glucose influence. BMC Genomics, 26, Article 12069.

Polak, I., et al. (2024). The response of Anisakis simplex (s. s.) to anthelmintics: Specific changes in xenobiotic metabolic processes. International Journal for Parasitology: Drugs and Drug Resistance, 19, 80–92.