RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT: Moatasem El-Ayadi, M.D.
Moatasem El-Ayadi, M.D.
Consultant of Pediatric Neuro-Oncology, Children Cancer Hospital Egypt 57357
- Where are you from?/Where did you study?
I am from Cairo, Egypt, and I have studied there my whole life.
- What are you researching right now?
I am currently interested in pediatric High Grade Gliomas ( including DIPG). This has been my focus of research for the past year right now, with special interest in High Grade Gliomas in very young children less than 3 years of age.
- Who is your all-time favorite scientist and why?
Stephen Hawkings, although he is not a medical field scientist , yet I’ve always found him highly inspirational. His perseverance and geniality put him among the greatest people of mankind whose works are largely influential.
- What do you like to do in your spare time?
I like playing the piano. Also I love travelling in my vacations, I’ve been to more than 11 countries so far, and I am planning to go on with it.
- Favorite food?
Sea food of all kinds will remain my favorite.
- Why science?
Don’t know, I guess some people were born like this, I’ve loved science since I was a kid and never thought why.
- Who/What has inspired you to work on DIPG?
During my early career, I couldn’t easily comprehend that there’s so little to do for these poor patients. It was really frustrating to find oneself completely helpless in front of such patients. For that reason, I was determined to dedicate a major part of my career for research and work on DIPG.
- What are you reading right now?
On the medical aspect; I am reading on new concept of detection of Histone H3.3 mutations in tumor DNA isolated from blood and CSF.
On the non-medical aspect; I love to read about history, in particular ancient Egyptian and Greek history.
- If you could give one piece of advice to someone considering a research career, what would it be?
A research career is tough and requires patience and perseverance, as it takes a very long time to reach your goals. So my advice is to look for a motive, you have to be motivated in order to continue. Ask yourself before you start why you want to be a researcher, what question do you want to find an answer for? And to what extent you are curious and motivated to find that answer?