Shimaa Heikal
Shimaa en interview dans les studio de l'UM6P lors de la Summer School 2025. © 2026 EXAF-EPFL
Summary
In Egypt, neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia remain understudied, despite the population’s aging and the major public health challenges they pose. The early identification of biomarkers associated with the early stages of dementia is now a key challenge for improving diagnosis, patient monitoring, and understanding the mechanisms of neurodegeneration in populations that remain underrepresented in international research.
Her project is part of the development of the Egyptian Dementia Network (EDN), the first national dementia research registry in an Arab African country. It aims to establish a database integrating clinical, biological, and demographic information to study the prevalence, risk factors, and characteristics of dementia within the Egyptian population.
The research focuses in particular on identifying new biomarkers using proteomic and metabolomic approaches applied to biological samples collected from participants. Several candidate biomarkers have already been identified and published, paving the way for the development of predictive models for the early diagnosis of dementia.
Over the course of the research, the project has evolved from a pilot phase to a fully operational national infrastructure, supported by a network of six clinical centers across Egypt and the implementation of standardized protocols for data collection and analysis. Next steps include extending the analyses to the entire cohort, validating the identified biomarkers, and developing machine learning approaches to improve disease prediction and monitoring.
Publications / Scientific news
Othman M, Khedr E, Heikal S, et al. APOE-associated disease risk and sex-specific effects in Egyptian Alzheimer’s disease: an exploratory study. Alzheimer’s Dement. 2026;12:e70268.
Heikal SA, Fawi G, Khedr EM, Othman M, Moustafa SA, Elsheikh NG, et al. The Egyptian Dementia Network (EDN): baseline characteristics from the first dementia registry in an African Arab country. Alzheimer’s & Dementia. 2025;21(11):e70770.
Heikal SA, Khedr EM, Othman M, Elsheikh NG, Tawfik HM, Hassanin HI, et al. Proteomic profiling identifies serpin G1, ApoA II, and LBP as potential biomarkers of dementia in an Egyptian cohort. Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring. 2025;17(3):e70172.
Mowafi S, Moustafa SA, Wahdan M, Heikal S, Othman M, Salama M. Dementia in the MENA region: uncharted challenges and emerging insights – a literature review. npj Dementia. 2025;1(1):5.
Heikal SA, Moghith AA, Salama M. Perceptions of dementia and their implications on disease management in Egypt. Discover Medicine. 2025;2(1):15.
Othman M, Khedr E, Heikal S, Fawi G, Elfarrash S, Salama S, et al. Metabolomic profiling of a dementia cohort in Egypt: a step towards a neuro exposome model. npj Dementia. 2025;1(1):1–13.
Othman M, Khedr E, Heikal S, Yousef MH, Fawi G, Elfarrash S, Salama S, et al. APOE, sex, and Alzheimer’s disease: investigating their interplay in the Egyptian population. 2025.
Heikal SA, Salama M. Epidemiology of dementia of the world’s two thirds. In: Dementia Care and Provision in the Majority World. 2025:11–22.
Heikal S. A, Fawi G, Moustafa S. A, Barakat M, Ragab G, Hegazy M. T, ElFarash S, Salama M. (2024). Serum Alpha-Synuclein and Inflammatory Markers profile in an Egyptian Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases patients : A Pilot Study.