Dr. Ahmed Al-Qahtani

Professor, scientist and immunologist, Dr. Al-Qahtani is also the Founder and President of one of the world’s leading cosmeceutical skincare lines, AQ Skin Solutions.

Dr. Al-Qahtani began his work at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, where he completed a diploma in Medical Science. From here, he moved to San Francisco where he studied for his BS in Medical Science before moving to Melbourne, Australia where he completed his master’s degree in Biotechnology and Medical Microbiology.

Inspired and fascinated by the world of science and the discoveries yet to be made, Dr. Al-Qahtani further progressed his studies by completing his PhD in Immunology at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). After dedicating four years to his research, Ahmed remained at UCI where he began his training.

During this time, Dr. Al-Qahtani began working with the medical application of Growth Factors to heal wounded tissue and create artificial skin grafts. The results, he found, were extraordinary.

Unlike stem cells or platelet rich plasma procedures, growth factors are known to be specific for the area of the body and the cells to which they are going. Stem cells on the other hand, are not formed for any specific function or area of the body, until the body chooses where they need to go.

In working to harness the power of growth factors by producing them in the highest possible quality, combined with the exact quantity needed for fast and effective cellular rejuvenation, Dr. Al-Qahtani created AQ Skin Solutions. With the brand itself now holding two patents involving the use of growth factors in tissue regeneration, AQ Skin Solutions retails on all seven continents and is further accredited in over 52 countries.

As well as continuing his work for the development of AQ Skin Solutions, Dr. Al-Qahtani is a Professor at UAE University College of Medicine and Health and visiting Professor at the University of California Irvine School of Medicine. He has published and contributed to ten medical journals, and in 2014 wrote his attributing book, ‘The Real World Skin Solutions’.

In 2003 and 2011, Dr. Al-Qahtani was further recognised by Sheikh Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of the United Arab Emirates, for his services to ‘Education’, and in 2005 received an award from UC Irvine for his ‘Excellence in Teaching’.

As a National Institute of Health Scientist for numerous research and development grants, Dr. Al-Qahtani is also a longstanding member of the American Association of Immunologists, sitting on numerous advisory boards. He continues to be invited to speak at numerous conferences around the world, where he shares his learnings and visions regarding the future in modern skin care.  

 

Dr. Al-Qahtani’s Publications:

Zan, H., Shima, N., Xu, Z., Al-Qahtani, A., Evinger III, A.J., Zhong, Y., Schimenti, J.C. and Casali, P. (2005) The translesion DNA polymerase θ plays a dominant role in immunoglobulin gene somatic hypermutation.  EMBO J. 24: 3757-3769.

Xu, Z., Pone, E. J., Al-Qahtani, A., Park, S.-R., Zan, H. and Casali, P. (2007) Regulation of aicda expression and AID activity: Relevance to somatic hypermutation and class switch DNA recombination.  Crit. Rev. Immunol. 27: 367-397.

Al-Qahtani, A., Xu, Z., Pal, Z., Zan, H., Walsh, C. and Casali, P. (2008) A role for Drak2 in the germinal center reaction and the antibody response.  Autoimmunity 41: 341-352.

Park, S.-R., Pal, Z., Zhang, J., Al-Qahtani, A., Pone, E. J., Mai, T., Xu, Z., Zan, H. and Casali, P. (2009) The HoxC4 homeodomain transcription factor binds to the AICDA/Aicda promoter to induce AID expression, immunoglobulin class switch DNA recombination and somatic hypermutation. Nature Immunol. 2009 May 10:540-550.  

Vladislav Volarevic, Ahmed Al-Qahtani, Nebojsa Arsenijevic and Miodrag L.Lukic. (2010). Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist( IL-1 (IL-1Ra) and  IL-1Ra producing  mesenchymal  stem cells as modulators of diabetogenesis. Autoimmunity. 2010 Jun;43(4):255-63.

Egest J. Pone, Jinsong Zhang, Zhenming Xu, Ahmed Al-Qahtani, hong Zan, and Paolo Casali. (2009). Toll-like receptors and B-cell receptors synergize to induce immunoglobulin class-switch DNA recombination: relevance to microbial antibody responses. Crit Rev Immunol. 2010;30(1):129. Review.

Xu Z, Fulop Z, Wu G, Pone EJ, Zhang J, Mai T, Thomas LM, Al-Qahtani A, White CA, Park SR, Steinacker P, Li Z, Yates J 3rd, Herron B, Otto M, Zan H, Fu H, Casali P. (2010) 14-3-3 adaptor proteins recruit AID to 5'-AGCT-3'-rich switch regions for class switch recombination. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2010 Sep;17(9):1124-35. Epub 2010 Aug 22.

Zan H, Zhang J, Al-Qahtani A, Pone EJ, White CA, Lee D, Yel L, Mai T, Casali P. (2011) Endonuclease G plays a role in immunoglobulin class switch DNA recombination by introducing double-strand breaks in switch regions. Mol Immunol. 2011 Jan;48(4):610-22. 

White CA, Seth Hawkins J, Pone EJ, Yu ES, Al-Qahtani A, Mai T, Zan H, Casali P. (2011) AID dysregulation in   lupus-prone MRL/Fas(lpr/lpr) mice increases class switch DNA recombination and promotes interchromosomal c-Myc/IgH loci translocations: Modulation by HoxC4. Autoimmunity. 2011 May 18

Pone EJ, Zhang J, Mai T, White CA, Li G, Sakakura JK, Patel PJ, Al-Qahtani A, Zan H, Xu Z, Casali P. (2012) BCR-signalling synergizes with TLR-signalling for induction of AID and immunoglobulin class-switching through the non-canonical NF-κB pathway. Nat Commun. 2012 Apr 3;3:767. doi: 10.1038/ncomms1769.