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May 30, 2013

ULM pharmacy student wins second place for PharmForum presentation

University of Louisiana at Monroe pharmacy student Alaadin Al Ayoubi won second place for the graduate student poster presentation at PharmForum 2013, a meeting between south-central regional graduate schools of pharmacy attracting over 100 participants and attendants.

"This achievement brings unimaginable satisfaction and confidence in the research I am doing here at ULM," said Al Ayoubi.

"But most importantly, it means that my efforts in the past five years are paying off under the supervision of my advisor Dr. Sami Nazzal, attesting that we're on the right track."

Al Ayoubi grew up in Damascus, Syria, and obtained his Bachelor of Pharmacy from the University of Petra in Amman, Jordan.

"Growing up, I lost some family members to cancer," he said.

"This planted a passion for medical sciences in me, and I always dreamt of growing up and doing something that would contribute to humanity and ease the suffering of patients. Knowing that my work contributes to helping cancer patients in their fight against this disease keeps me motivated."

His presentation, "Preparation and Characterization of Intravenous Stealth Tocotrienol Nanoemulsions," focuses on the use of Tocotrienol as a cancer treatment.

He said, "One of the main challenges with Tocotrienol is that it is quickly eliminated from the body, making it less effective in treating cancer. In my work, I developed a well-designed nanotechnology formulation to deliver Tocotrienol into the body for much longer periods of time, making it more effective against cancer."

ULM Associate Professor of Pharmaceutics Dr. Sami Nazzal said of Al Ayoubi, "Alaadin is an outstanding student – one of our best graduate students. He is very intelligent and has a great personality. His interpersonal communication skills helped him deliver his thoughts and ideas to the panel of judges who critiqued his work. Overall, this was a great accomplishment for Alaadin. "It not only showcased his skills, but also highlighted the competitiveness of research at ULM."

PharmForum is organized by the Southern Regional Discussion Group of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists.

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