Egyptian Researcher Wins Award for Best Cancer Research in Germany

German University in Cairo alumna, Faculty of Pharmacy & Biotechnology, Egyptian researcher Sara Hegy Ahmed, was awarded the 2021 “Richtzenhain Doctoral Prize” for the best research on cancer in Germany.

The Richtzenhain Doctoral Prize is awarded for exceptional dissertations in the cancer research field at Heidelberg University.

Ahmed carried out her Ph.D. research at the German Center for Cancer Research ()’s Division of Signal Transduction in Cancer and Metabolism after obtaining her Master’s Degree at Heidelberg University.

Ahmed studied how sex hormone signaling affects the regenerative capacity of intestinal stem cells under physiological conditions, during aging, and in disease. Her research showed that non-sex organs’ stem cells, such as the gut, can be under sex-hormone control, which has implications for the development of treatments that can highly influence stem cell proliferation during diseases, and if left uncontrolled can lead to cancer.

Ahmed now works as a performance and leadership life coach to help others achieve fulfillment and success in their desired goals.