Science and Innovation

Dr. Amal Rahmeh is a leading researcher in the field of gene editing and synthetic biology, specializing in the study of viruses such as COVID-19 and influenza. With an international career that has taken her from her hometown in southern Lebanon to cutting-edge laboratories in the United States, Dr. Rahmeh is now conducting her research in Barcelona, a city she views as the perfect place to combine science and quality of life. In this interview, she shares her passion for genetics, her early ambitions, and her insights into the future of disease control through genome editing.

Dr. Rahmeh, you work in gene editing. How would you explain this line of work to someone who is not familiar with it?

The genomes of all organisms are made of building blocks called nucleic acids: DNA or RNA (in the case of some viruses such as SARS-CoV-2). The genome encodes the function of every organism ranging from viruses that border the line of the non-living to all kingdoms of life. Each genome contains a set of genes that encode a set of proteins that serve as important enzymes or structural components of organisms and are highly synchronized and regulated. These genomes can range from a few Kilobases in the case of viruses to few Megabases in bacteria to 3.2 Gegabases in humans. The diversity in genome sequence size, arrangement and regulation in various organisms is a result of natural selection through Darwinian evolution since the beginning of life on earth.
Gene editing involves the ability to edit genomes to alter the genes they encode and subsequently the resulting proteins in a manner similar to evolution but at a much faster rate. The applications of gene editing range from designing the genomes of viruses and bacteria to perform a specific function such as oncolytic viruses that only attack cancer cells, or bacteria that can be used in the production of biofuels, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. Key applications of gene editing in human health are to develop the ability to correct genetic mutations that encode for a plethora of diseases or to supply a correct copy of a gene to substitute for missing or non-functional proteins.

What fact fascinates you more about genetics?

The combinatorial possibilities in genetics and what can be produced by rapid shuffling of genes through gene editing and synthetic biology.

What were your ambitions to become a scientist when you were young? Did you ever think you would be doing research away from home?

I was always curious about biology since I was a kid. At the time, I did not think beyond the radius of my village in South Lebanon. My bachelor took me to Beirut, my PhD and work for 18 years in the USA, then 4 years of work here in Barcelona.

Your main field is the study of viruses. In fact, you are specialized in COVID-19 and the influenza virus. What is the day-to-day life of a person currently studying this type of virus? Have we learned to control these two viruses specifically?

To study these viruses, it is not necessary to work with the full virus, I only work with a subset of viral genes and proteins which are safe to work with on daily level with standard laboratory safety. To validate my results, I have collaborators who have high biosafety level laboratories who can test my results with the full viruses.

You also work in synthetic biology and viruses design. What does it mean exactly? Why do you think it is important for?

By understanding the mechanisms of how viruses enter and replicate in cells, we can take advantage of these mechanisms for biotechnology. For synthetic biology application for example, we can re-design the genome of some viruses to produce oncolytic viruses that attack only cancer cells and spare normal cells. Also, since viruses are so good at entering specific cell types and delivering their genomes in there, synthetic biology approaches can replace the viral genome by a therapeutic gene that gets precisely delivered to specific organs and tissues by the virus that in this case serves as a targeted cargo carrier.

As a scientist, what were the main reasons for choosing Barcelona as a place to work and live?

I wanted to live in a city by the Mediterranean and Barcelona was the top choice that combines quality of life and science. I would like to thank the city of Barcelona for welcoming me and my family and offering me the opportunity to pursue my scientific interests.

How do you see Barcelona as a reference city in science? And in terms of genetic editing?

The science ecosystem in Barcelona is thriving, especially in biomedical sciences as seen by the growing network of universities, research institutions, hospitals, large pharmaceutical companies and start-ups. In terms of gene editing multiple laboratories and companies in Barcelona are pioneering innovative tools and applications.

You have been the host of the International Community Day in Barcelona. What does this position entail? How did this opportunity arise?

I have been the host of a round table discussion with a panel of 3 scientists to showcase Barcelona as a great place to do state-of-the-art science. The opportunity arose through connections with the communication department at PRBB and the international scientific community.

Are you familiar with the catalan culture? What differences do you find clearer between life in the Catalan Mediterranean and life in the Lebanese Mediterranean?

I have been living in Barcelona for 4 years during which I got to learn closely the Catalan culture and admire it. I see similarities between Barcelona and Beirut in being open cities with vibrant cultures. The key difference is in the unfortunate fact that Beirut suffers from economic struggles and geopolitical conflicts.

How do you see the future in terms of disease control? Will genetics give us the key to learn to overcome more effectively the viruses we least expect?

The future of disease control is certainly promising in general due to rapid advancements in all scientific disciplines. In case of gene editing, it has been fueled by synergistic advancements in multiple technologies, ranging from cheap and rapid abilities to sequence and to chemically synthetize large chunks sizes of nucleic acids to developments in computational biology and machine learning approaches, advances in protein structural determination, and in understanding gene regulation mechanisms. As genomes dictate the function of every organism, the ability to understand the genetics of virus will certainly help our preparedness for future emerging viruses, as well as develop our ability to use viruses for biomedical applications.

I have done some research. Amal Rahmeh means hope and mercy in Arabic, right? Do you think that these words define yourself?

That is correct. Names in Arabic typically have a meaning. There is too much responsibility in my name and I try to live up to it.