The American University of Beirut has inaugurated the first neuromuscular diagnostic laboratory in the Arab world, thanks to a donation made by neuropathologist and neurologist Mamdouha Al-Ahdab Barmada. Named after her father, businessman Muhieddine Al-Ahdab, the lab will offer Lebanon and the region some of the most sophisticated diagnostic tools in the world of neuromuscular pathology, thus sparing doctors and patients the trouble of sending samples to Europe or the United States.
Diseases such as muscular dystrophy, peripheral neuropathy, and all genetic neuromuscular diseases that show up in young children can now be diagnosed at the new Muhieddine M. Ahdab Neuromuscular Diagnostic Laboratory. The lab will be dedicated to the study and full diagnostic evaluation of muscle and nerve biopsies through the most up-to-date diagnostic protocols and equipment.
"This lab is the first of its kind in the Arab countries and will undoubtedly contribute to better healthcare for the people of Lebanon and the region," said Dr. Ghazi Zaatari, chairman of pathology and laboratory medicine, during an inaugural reception for the new lab. Zaatari added that the lab will help expand research and academic work at AUB.
"This laboratory is a fulfillment of a daughter to honor her father in a very exquisite and memorable way that shall serve fellow human beings through means that she knows best," he said.
