Karim Muhammad Raafat
Karim Muhammad Raafat
Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Beirut Arab University
Lebanon

Education

  1. Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Biology (Magna Cum Laude), March 2010, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, German University in Cairo (GUC), (under the channel system and joint supervision scheme between The German University in Cairo and Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University Frankfurt, Germany).
  2. Master of Pharmaceutical Science, February 2008, Thesis Grade (A+), Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, German University in Cairo (GUC).
  3. Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science, June 2004, final year (Distinction) & cumulative (Very Good with Honor), Faculty of Pharmacy. Alexandria University.

 

Biography

Karim M. Raafat Ramadan is an Associate Professor in the Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beirut Arab University (BAU). He had completed his PhD from the German University in Cairo, New Cairo, Egypt, under the channel system and joint supervision scheme between The German University in Cairo (GUC)and Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University Frankfurt, Germany. He did his postdoctoral studies from (BAU), German University in Cairo and Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany. He is the Head of Phytochemistry Research and Junior Research Teams, BAU, Lebanon. He has published more than thirty three peer reviewed journal articles, patent and presentations in scientific conferences. He has been honored with several national and international awards in the scientific field and public service.

Research Interest

  1. Ligand gated ion channelopathies (wild and mutants).
  2. Hereditary neuronal diseases.
  3. Drug discovery: Following bioactivity directed fractionation of medicinal plants.
  4. Isolation and structural elucidation of new natural compounds of promising biological activity applying the conventional method of chromatographic analysis and new techniques of spectroscopy.
  5. Isolation and structural elucidation of biologically active polyphenolics and Saponins.
  6. Quality control of herbal drugs (HPLC, LC-MS, MS and NMR).
  7. Plant and Marine Biotechnology affecting Proliferation and Differentiation of Stem Cells

 

Professional Activities:

 

Publications

Patents:

  1. H.-G. Breitinger, U. Breitinger, D. Youssef, Karim Raafat and L. Youssef "Extracts from sponge Amorphinopsis species and their use for treatment of various disorders". Brit. UK Pat. Appl. (2013), GB 2500423 A 20130925” GENEVA, Patent No. WO/2013/140364 (WO2013140364 A1) was published on
  2. September 2013. Ulrike Breitinger, Karim Raafat and Hans-Georg Breitinger "Glucose is a positive modulator for the activation of human recombinant glycine receptors", Journal of Neurochemistry, June 2015. DOI: 10.1111/jnc.13215.
  3. Karim Raafat and Abdalla El-Lakany “Acute and Subchronic in-vivo effects of Ferula hermonis L. and Sambucus nigra L. and their Potential Active Isolates in a Diabetic Mouse Model of Neuropathic Pain" “Journal of BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine”, Accepted July 2015. DOI: 10.1186/s12906-015-0780-7.
  4. Karim Raafat and Amal Omar “Phytotherapeutic activity of curcumol: Isolation, GC-MS identification, and assessing potentials against acute and subchronic hyperglycemia, tactile allodynia and hyperalgesia" “Journal of Pharmaceutical Biology”, Accepted July 2015. DOI:10.3109/13880209.2015.1077463.
  5. Assi M, Ela MA, Karim Raafat, El-Lakany "A Role of Antioxidants in the Antidiabetic Potential of Two Indigenous Lebanese Inula Species". Med Aromat Plants, June 2015 S2: 002. DOI:10.4172/2167-0412.S2-002.
  6. Karim Raafat, Hassan Jassar, Maha Aboul Ela and Abdalla El-Lakany “Protective effects of Origanum majorana L. against Neurodegeneration: Fingerprinting, Isolation and In vivo Glycine Receptors Behavioral Model"“International Journal of Phytomedicine”, May 2013.
  7. Karim Raafat, Rima Boukhary, Maha Aboul Ela and Abdalla El-Lakany"Endogenous Lebanese Plants Treating Diabetes and Related Complications".Journal of Natural Products Chemistry & Research, August 2013.
  8. Karim Raafat "Exploration of the Protective Effects of Some Natural Compounds against Neurodegeneration Exploiting Glycine Receptors In vivo Model". Journal of Natural Products Chemistry & Research, August 2013.
  9. Karim Raafat, Maha Aboul Ela and Abdalla El-Lakany "Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Thermal Hyperalgesia, Prophylaxis and Phytotherapeutic Effects of Rheum ribes L. in Mouse Model". Arch Pharmacal Researches, March 2014.
  10. Karim Raafat, Ulrike Breitinger, Laila Mahran, Nahla Ayoub and Hans-Georg Breitinger “Synergistic inhibition of glycinergic transmission in vitro and in vivo by flavonoids and strychnine" Toxicological Sciences, August 2010.
  11. Karim Raafat, Ulrike Breitinger, Laila Mahran, Nazih Noureldin and Hans- Georg Breitinger “Natural and Semisynthetic Marine Terpenoids Derived From Red Sea Sarcophyton glaucum As Modulators of In Vitro and In Vivo Glycinergic Receptors" Toxicological Sciences, under publish.
  12. Karim Raafat, Hesham Saleh, Laila Mahran and Hans-Georg Breitinger “Flavonoids and Strychnine Synergism to Inhibit Glycine Enhancement of the In Vivo Loss of the Righting Reflex by Alcohol", under publish.
  13. Karim Raafat, Karim Abbara, Ulrike Breitinger, Mahmoud El-Olemy and Hans- Georg Breitinger “Comparative Phytochemical Investigation on Ferula hermonis Root and Shoot: Isolation, Identification, and In Vitro and In Vivo Effects on the Inhibitory Glycine Receptors, “Journal of Pharmaceutical Biology”, under publish.
  14. Karim Raafat and Wael Sami "Amelioration of Diabetes and Painful Diabetic Neuropathy by Punica granatum L. Extract and its Spray Dried Bio-polymeric Dispersions". Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, accepted April 2014

Publications and presentations in scientific conferences:

  1. Karim Raafat "Drug_Nutraceuticals Interactions: An Overview", Arab Pharmacist Unit Congress 2015 (APPROPRIATE USE OF MEDICATION: A GUARANTEE FOR A SAFE SOCIETY), Oral presentation Beirut, Lebanon, June 2015.
  2. Mohamed Assi, Maha Aboul Ela, Karim Raafat and Abdalla El-Lakany "Inula viscosa and Inula vulgaris Ameliorates Peripheral Neuropathy in Mice" 21th LAAS International Science Conference, Oral presentation, Beirut, Lebanon, April 2015.
  3. Karim Raafat and Abdalla El-Lakany "Combination Phyto-Metformin Therapy to Diabetes and Related Complications" Fixed Combination 2015 International Conference, Oral presentation, Berlin, Germany, March 2015.
  4. Maha Aboul Ela, Karim Raafat and Abdalla El-Lakany "Phytotherapeutic potentials of selected Middle East natural products" Pharmaceutica-2015 International Science Conference, Oral presentation, Dubai, UAE, March 2015.
  5. Ulrike Breitinger, Rasha Radwan, Nourhan Karam, Noha Samir, Karim Raafat, Hans-Georg Breitinger" Ion channels as pharmaceutical targets – mechanistic characterization and the search for novel therapeutics" 3rd FUE International Conference on Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cairo, Egypt, February 2015.
  6. Karim Raafat, Maha Aboul Ela and Abdalla El-Lakany "Antidiabetic and Antinociceptive Potential of Selected Eastern-Mediterranean Medicinal Plants" 5th World Congress in Diabetes and Metabolism, Oral presentation, Las Vegas, USA, November 2014.
  7. Karim Raafat and Amal Omar " Curcumol "a Bioactive Natural Product of Curcuma longa L."Ameliorates Hyperglycemia and Attenuates Thermal Hyperalgesia in a Diabetic Mouse Model " 20th LAAS International Science Conference, Oral presentation, Beirut, Lebanon, March 2014.
  8. Rima Boukhary, Karim Raafat, Asser Ghoneim, Maha Aboul Ela and Abdalla El-Lakany "Salvia libanotica fruticosa, as an Important Antioxidant and Antiinflammatory Herb Indigenous to Lebanon" 20th LAAS International Science Conference, Oral presentation, Beirut, Lebanon, March 2014.
  9. Mohamed Assi, Maha Aboul Ela, Karim Raafat and Abdalla El-Lakany "Antioxidant and Antidiabetic Potential of Two Lebanese Inula species on Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Mice" 62nd International Congress and Annual Meeting of the Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research - GA2014, Guimaraes, Portugal September 2014 (Published in J Planta Medica Issue 16 • Volume 80 • October 2014).
  10. Karim Raafat, Rima Boukhary, Maha Aboul Ela and Abdalla El-Lakany " Endogenous Lebanese Plants Treating Diabetes and Related Complications" International Conference and Exhibition on Pharmacognosy, Phytochemistry & Natural Products (Pharmacognosy 2013), Oral presentation, Hyderabad, India, October 2013.
  11. Karim Raafat (2013) “Pharmacological effects of Endemic Lebanese Plants” The Second Plants in our Life International Conference, Beirut, Lebanon, May (2013).
  12. Ulrike Breitinger, Karim Raafat and Hans-Georg Breitinger (2012) “Glycine receptor modulation by sugars” Molecular Life Sciences, GBM International Conference, Bochum, Germany, (2012).
  13. Ulrike Breitinger, Karim Raafat and Hans-Georg Breitinger (2012) “Ion channels as transmembrane signaling devices- structure, function and modulation” Biomembrane Days International Conference, Potsdam-Golm, Germany, September (2012).
  14. Ulrike Breitinger, Karim Raafat and Hans-Georg Breitinger. (2011) “Glucose and related sugars are allosteric potentiators of glycine receptor-mediated signaling” Molecular Life Sciences 2011 .International Fall Meeting of the German Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Frankfurt, Germany, September (2011).
  15. Breitinger, H.-G., Raafat, K., Abd El Galil, R., Mahran, L., Youssef, D., Breitinger, U. (2010)“Novel modulators of ligand-gated ion channels –mechanism-based in vitro and in vivo approaches to identify new drugs targeting the inhibitory glycine receptor”. International Conference of Frontiers in Medicinal Chemistry (GDCh), Münster, Germany, March (2010).
  16. Karim Raafat, Laila Mahran, Ulrike Breitinger, Nahla Ayoub, Hans-GeorgBreitinger (2009) “A kinetic approach identifies target sites and synergistic effects of drugs – potentiated inhibition of glycine receptor channels by flavonoids and strychnine". International Conference SignaL transmission in health and disease, Aachen, Germany, Sept. (2009).
  17. Hans-Georg Breitinger, Karim Raafat, Nahla Ayoub, (2009) “From function to structure mechanism based approaches for the identification of drug target siteson the inhibitory glycine receptor". Journal of Neurochemistry (2009).
  18. Breitinger, H.-G.,*, Raafat, K., Abd El Galil, R., Mahran, L., Youssef, D., Breitinger, U. “New Agonists and Antagonists for the Inhibitory Glycine Receptor Identified From Marine Extracts and Combinatorial Approaches.”The 1st Euro-Mediterranean Conference on Marine Natural Products (EMCMNPI),2008, Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. (2008).
  19. Breitinger, H.-G., Raafat, K., Abd El Galil, R., Mahran, L., Becker, C.-M., Youssef, D., Breitinger, U. “Combinatorial searches reveal new modulators and suggest a novel mechanism of activation for the inhibitory glycine receptor” 6th Forum of European Neuroscience 2008, Geneva, Switzerland. (2008).
  20. Breitinger, H.-G., Raafat, K., Breitinger, U., Youssef, D., Hess, G. P. “Mechanism-based characterization of multiple drug-receptor interactions and search of new ion channel modulators” Neuronal signalling mechanisms in health and disease - Annual meeting of the Study group Neurochemistry, Hamburg, Germany (2007).

 

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