NYU Abu Dhabi postdoctoral researcher Nadine Hosny El Said has been awarded the L’Oréal–UNESCO For Women in Science Middle East Award, recognizing her pioneering work in epigenetics, long non-coding RNAs, and RNA-based therapies.
A Breakthrough Contribution to Understanding Nuclear Architecture and Disease
Hosny El Said’s research in NYUAD’s Percipalle Lab formed a major contribution to a landmark 2025 paper published in Nucleic Acids Research, exploring how cells regulate metabolism through interactions between structural nuclear proteins and long non-coding RNAs.
At the heart of the study is a surprising discovery: a structural protein known as nuclear actin plays a critical regulatory role in the genome. Hosny El Said uncovered how the protein helps manage the activity of MEG3, a long non-coding RNA that controls metabolic genes.
Describing the mechanism in simple terms, Hosny El Said says, “Nuclear actin is like an internal architect, opening or closing genomic regions like doors. MEG3 is the switchboard telling genes when to turn on or off.”
When nuclear actin is depleted, MEG3 becomes overly active, attaching to the wrong genomic regions and shutting down essential metabolic pathways. The finding sheds light on how cells lose metabolic balance, an insight with implications for diseases such as osteoarthritis, diabetes, and cancer.
Receiving this award affirms that years of persistence and sacrifice - juggling motherhood with late nights in the lab - has finally paid off.
Where Data Meets Discovery
Known as more of a hands-on scientist involved in lab experiments, it was challenging to master the computational side of research. Hosny El Said persevered and the result is a new framework for understanding how RNA molecules and structural proteins cooperate to regulate chromatin architecture, and how their disruption contributes to disease.
Looking ahead, Hosny El Said plans to expand her work by studying MEG3 and other lncRNAs in stem cells and in diseases, to be able to use them as diagnostic tools and to develop new RNA-based therapies.
A Journey Fueled by Persistence, Mentorship, and Purpose
Hosny El Said’s path into epigenetics was not linear. Originally drawn toward political science, she rediscovered biology through a passionate A-level teacher before pursuing pharmaceutical sciences in Egypt, teaching at Ain Shams University, and completing an MSc at The American University in Cairo. She was then accepted into KAUST, where she joined Professor Valerio Orlando’s Environmental Epigenetics program and became its first graduate.
A pivotal moment during her PhD was discovering that a supposedly non-functional RNA could reverse muscle atrophy, and this set her trajectory for life. “That moment changed my scientific life. I realized the non-coding genome holds extraordinary therapeutic promise,” Hosny El Said explains.
Today, she credits the research environment and her mentor, Professor Piergiorgio Percipalle, for pushing the boundaries of her scientific development.
What Nadine has achieved exemplifies the future of genomic science. Her work reflects clarity of thought, methodological rigor, and the ability to transform complex genomic questions into meaningful scientific insight. The L’Oréal Award affirms not only her dedication, but also the region’s growing leadership in life sciences.
Shaping the Future of Medicine and Inspiring the Next Generation of Women in Science
Hosny El Said’s work stands at the intersection of UAE’s strategic priorities and global scientific frontiers. Her research offers new strategies for treating metabolic diseases, insights into epigenetic regulation, and a foundation for next-generation RNA-based medicine.
She also earned an additional international distinction as the only scientist chosen from the Middle East to be featured in the UNESCO Virtual Science Museum. This dual recognition highlights not only Hosny El Said’s scientific achievements, but also her growing role as a regional and international voice for women in STEM.
The world needs science, and science needs women. When young girls from the region see someone like them succeed, it expands their sense of what’s possible.
And her message to future scientists is simple: “Passion, patience, and resilience. Nothing is impossible: the word itself says, ‘I’m possible.’"
