King Fahd Medical City, Boston Oncology Sign MoU for Localization of Gene and Target Cell Therapy

The MoU was signed by King Fahd Medical City Chief Executive Officer Dr. Fahad AlGhofaili and Boston Oncology Chief Executive Director Dr. Abdullah Bajaaj. SPA
The MoU was signed by King Fahd Medical City Chief Executive Officer Dr. Fahad AlGhofaili and Boston Oncology Chief Executive Director Dr. Abdullah Bajaaj. SPA
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King Fahd Medical City, Boston Oncology Sign MoU for Localization of Gene and Target Cell Therapy

The MoU was signed by King Fahd Medical City Chief Executive Officer Dr. Fahad AlGhofaili and Boston Oncology Chief Executive Director Dr. Abdullah Bajaaj. SPA
The MoU was signed by King Fahd Medical City Chief Executive Officer Dr. Fahad AlGhofaili and Boston Oncology Chief Executive Director Dr. Abdullah Bajaaj. SPA

Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd Medical City and Boston Oncology have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a project to localize gene and target cell therapy.

The project will be held at King Fahd Medical City, one of the components of the Riyadh Second Health Cluster, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported Monday.
The MoU was signed by King Fahd Medical City Chief Executive Officer Dr. Fahad AlGhofaili and Boston Oncology Chief Executive Director Dr. Abdullah Bajaaj.

The Saudi Deputy Minister for Planning and Development Eng. Abdulaziz Al-Rumaih attended the signing ceremony at the Saudi Ministry of Health.

AlGhofaili affirmed that the MoU aligns with the Medical City's plans towards the objectives of the Saudi Transformation Program in Healthcare Sector, which contributes to the enhancement of advanced healthcare services provided through the localization of modern techniques in treatment.

"The localization of therapeutic technology in the Kingdom is one of our main goals, which aligns with the Saudi Vision 2030 regarding health transformation programs,” SPA quoted AlGhofaili as saying.

“Therefore, we seek to develop local capabilities in the field of advanced medical treatment and technologies by enhancing cooperation with national and international institutions,” he added.



7-month-old Tree Kangaroo Peeks Out of Mom's Pouch at Bronx Zoo

This photo, provided by the Wildlife Conservation Society, shows a Matschie's tree kangaroo joey that made its first appearance from its mother's pouch at New York's Bronx Zoo, Thursday, July 18, 2024. (Wildlife Conservation Society/Terria Clay via AP)
This photo, provided by the Wildlife Conservation Society, shows a Matschie's tree kangaroo joey that made its first appearance from its mother's pouch at New York's Bronx Zoo, Thursday, July 18, 2024. (Wildlife Conservation Society/Terria Clay via AP)
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7-month-old Tree Kangaroo Peeks Out of Mom's Pouch at Bronx Zoo

This photo, provided by the Wildlife Conservation Society, shows a Matschie's tree kangaroo joey that made its first appearance from its mother's pouch at New York's Bronx Zoo, Thursday, July 18, 2024. (Wildlife Conservation Society/Terria Clay via AP)
This photo, provided by the Wildlife Conservation Society, shows a Matschie's tree kangaroo joey that made its first appearance from its mother's pouch at New York's Bronx Zoo, Thursday, July 18, 2024. (Wildlife Conservation Society/Terria Clay via AP)

The second baby of a tree-dwelling kangaroo made its public debut this week in New York, poking its pink head out of its mom's furry white pouch.

The tiny Matschie’s tree kangaroo, or Dendrolagus matschiei, was born in December and is the second born to the same mother since 2022. It also was the third of its kind born at the Bronx Zoo since 2008, The Associated Press reported.

The tree kangaroo species only gestate for about six weeks before they are born and immediately crawl into their marsupial moms' pouches, the zoo said in a statement. It takes around seven months for the young to start peeking out of the pouch.

There are only around 2,500 tree kangaroos in the wild and 42 in captivity, the zoo said. In a statement Friday, a Bronx Zoo spokesperson said that the kangaroo's birth was significant for the network of zoos that aims to preserve genetic diversity among endangered animals.

"It's a small population and because of that births are not very common," said Jessica Moody, curator of primates and small mammals at the Bronx Zoo. “So it's a rare and exciting event,” adding that baby tree kangaroos are “possibly one of the cutest animals to have ever lived. They look like stuffed animals, it's amazing.”

The tree kangaroos are native to the Huon Peninsula in Papua New Guinea, where they are threatened by human activities such as habitat destruction and hunting, the statement said. They live primarily in trees and are smaller than Australia’s better-known red kangaroo. An adult tree kangaroo weighs between 20 and 25 pounds (9–11 kilograms). The joeys are about the size of a human thumb when they are born, but grow to as long as 30 inches (76 centimeters).