Yousef Najajreh

Biography

Yousef Najajreh is a Palestinian medicinal chemist whose research on anticancer therapeutics has made him one of the most productive pharmaceutical scientists working within the Palestinian territories. He is an associate professor of medicinal chemistry in the Faculty of Pharmacy at Al-Quds University in Abu Dis, on the edge of East Jerusalem. Najajreh's research focuses on the design and synthesis of novel anticancer compounds, with particular emphasis on platinum-based drugs, allosteric enzyme inhibitors, and nanoparticulate drug-delivery systems. His work seeks to develop more effective and less toxic cancer treatments, contributing to a field of pharmaceutical science that requires sophisticated laboratory infrastructure rarely available in the region. Working under the severe constraints that limit Palestinian scientific research, including restrictions on the import of laboratory materials, limited funding, and the difficulties of international collaboration, Najajreh has nonetheless maintained an active research program and a strong publication and citation record. He is repeatedly listed among the more prominent researchers based in Palestine. In addition to his research, he has been a dedicated educator, training pharmacists and graduate students at Al-Quds University and contributing to the development of pharmaceutical sciences capacity in Palestinian higher education. His career illustrates the persistence required to sustain advanced laboratory science under occupation. Najajreh represents the resilience of homegrown Palestinian science, advancing cutting-edge medicinal chemistry from within the West Bank and mentoring a new generation of Palestinian pharmaceutical researchers.

Why This Person Matters

A leading Palestinian medicinal chemist developing anticancer drugs from within the West Bank, sustaining advanced laboratory science under severe constraints.

Historical Context

Born in 1967 in Hebron, the year the West Bank fell under Israeli military occupation, Najajreh belongs to the first generation of Palestinians to grow up entirely under that occupation. He built a career in medicinal chemistry, one of the most infrastructure-dependent of sciences, and chose to base it at Al-Quds University in Abu Dis, on the edge of an East Jerusalem cut off by the separation wall. His research has had to contend with restrictions on importing laboratory materials, chronic underfunding, and the obstacles the occupation places on international collaboration. His career is a study in sustaining advanced laboratory science from within the constrained space of the occupied West Bank.

Historical Context

1. 1967 — Born in Hebron, Palestine

Legacy & Influence

Najajreh has become one of the most productive pharmaceutical scientists working inside the Palestinian territories, with research on platinum-based anticancer drugs, allosteric enzyme inhibitors, and nanoparticulate drug-delivery systems that aims at more effective, less toxic cancer treatments. Despite the severe constraints of working under occupation, he has maintained an active research program and strong publication record, and is repeatedly listed among the more prominent researchers based in Palestine. As an associate professor in Al-Quds University's Faculty of Pharmacy, he has trained pharmacists and graduate students, building the country's pharmaceutical-sciences capacity from within. He stands as an example of homegrown Palestinian science persisting and advancing under occupation, mentoring the next generation of researchers.

Topics & Themes

• Nakba Generation
• West Bank

References & Sources

1. Yousef Najajreh, Google Scholar profile — https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Y-ZRmaUAAAAJ&hl=en
2. Yousef Najajreh, Al-Quds University research profile — https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Yousef-Najajreh
3. How Israel stifles Palestinian education and scientific research — https://mondoweiss.net/2021/10/how-apartheid-israel-stifles-palestinian-education-and-scientific-research/