SAUDI SCIENTIST PROFESSOR NAJLA AL-RADADI RECOGNISED AMONG THE WORLD’s TOP 2% SCIENTISTS IN 2026
A Saudi Arabian chemistry professor is attracting attention for her scientific contributions, including research exploring how natural date extracts can help produce platinum nanoparticles for laboratory studies of cancer cells. Professor Najlaa Saad Oudah Al-Radadi, a faculty member at Taibah University in Madinah, has been reported to have achieved recognition among the world's top 2% of scientists for the fifth consecutive year.
Her research highlights an interesting connection between traditional natural resources, modern nanotechnology and the search for new approaches to cancer research. It also demonstrates how locally available materials, such as Saudi Arabian dates, can become valuable subjects of advanced scientific investigation.
Who Is Professor Najla Al-Radadi?
Professor Najlaa Saad Oudah Al-Radadi is a Saudi academic and chemistry researcher affiliated with the Faculty of Science at Taibah University in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. The university's official faculty profile identifies her academic rank as professor.
Her scientific work includes research into nanomaterials, the preparation of metal nanoparticles and their potential biological applications. She has also been associated with patented research involving environmentally friendly methods of preparing platinum nanoparticles using Saudi date extracts.
Her work brings together chemistry, nanoscience and biomedical research, areas that are increasingly important in the development of new technologies and potential medical applications.
Official faculty profile: https://www.taibahu.edu.sa/en/the-university/about-taibah-university/faculty-members/1679
What Does It Mean to Be Among the World's Top 2% of Scientists?
The world's top 2% scientists database is associated with research by Stanford University scientists and published through Elsevier. It uses standardised scientific citation indicators to assess researchers' influence within the scientific literature.
The 2026 edition was released in October 2026 and is based on a Scopus data snapshot dated 1 August 2026. It includes two broad assessments: career-long scientific impact and impact during a single recent year.
The database considers several indicators, including:
- Scientific citations: How frequently other researchers cite a scientist's published work.
- h-index: A measure combining publication output and citation performance.
- Co-authorship-adjusted indicators: Measures that account for collaboration and authorship patterns.
- C-score: A composite indicator that considers citation impact and factors such as authorship position.
- Field-specific performance: Researchers can qualify through a high overall c-score or by reaching the top 2% within their scientific subfield.
Importantly, this database is not simply a list of the scientists who have published the largest number of papers. It focuses substantially on the influence of their research within the scientific literature.
However, citation-based recognition should not be interpreted as a complete measure of a scientist's overall quality or the practical impact of every individual study. Citation patterns differ across disciplines, and the database itself cautions against treating its indicators as absolute evidence of excellence.
Official database: https://elsevier.digitalcommonsdata.com/datasets/btchxktzyw/9/
Her Research: Preparing Platinum Nanoparticles Using Saudi Dates
One of Professor Al-Radadi's notable publications is titled “Green Synthesis of Platinum Nanoparticles Using Saudi’s Dates Extract and Their Usage on the Cancer Cell Treatment.”
The research was published in the Arabian Journal of Chemistry and investigated whether extracts from two Saudi date varieties, Ajwa and Barni, could help produce platinum nanoparticles and whether the resulting materials showed activity against selected cancer cell lines under laboratory conditions.
This study is particularly interesting because it combines a familiar agricultural product with an advanced field of materials science.
What Are Nanoparticles?
Nanoparticles are extremely small particles, generally described as having dimensions between approximately 1 and 100 nanometres in at least one dimension.
A nanometre is one-billionth of a metre. For perspective, a human hair is typically tens of thousands of nanometres wide.
At this scale, materials can exhibit distinctive physical, chemical and biological properties. Their behaviour may depend on their size, shape, surface chemistry and the surrounding environment.
Researchers investigate nanoparticles for potential applications in medicine, electronics, environmental technologies, sensors and other fields.
In medical research, some nanoparticles are studied for their possible roles in delivering therapeutic substances, interacting with biological cells or supporting diagnostic technologies. However, their usefulness and safety depend on the specific material and application.
What Is Green Nanotechnology?
Green nanotechnology involves developing nanomaterials and nanotechnology processes with greater attention to environmental impact, resource efficiency and potentially hazardous chemicals.
Conventional nanoparticle production may involve chemical reducing agents, stabilising agents or other substances that require careful handling and waste management.
In green synthesis, researchers investigate whether biological materials such as plant extracts, microorganisms or naturally occurring compounds can perform some of these functions.
Plant extracts contain mixtures of substances that may help convert metal ions into nanoparticles or stabilise the resulting particles. The effectiveness of these processes depends on the plant material, extraction method, reaction conditions and the metal involved.
The aim is to explore potentially more sustainable production methods, although a process must still be evaluated for its toxicity, waste generation, energy consumption and overall environmental impact.
How Can Saudi Dates Help Produce Platinum Nanoparticles?
Dates are an important agricultural crop in Saudi Arabia, and varieties such as Ajwa and Barni are valued for their nutritional characteristics.
For Professor Al-Radadi's research, the scientific interest lies not only in dates as food but also in the complex mixture of compounds found in date extracts.
The published study investigated aqueous extracts of Ajwa and Barni dates as part of the process of preparing platinum nanoparticles.
The research process involved several stages:
1. Preparing the date extracts: The selected date varieties were processed to obtain aqueous extracts containing naturally occurring compounds.
2. Producing the nanoparticles: The extracts were combined with a platinum-containing solution under controlled experimental conditions.
3. Adjusting the reaction: Researchers investigated how factors such as pH and the proportions of the ingredients affected nanoparticle formation.
4. Characterising the material: Laboratory techniques were used to examine the particles' structure, composition and other properties.
5. Testing biological activity: The resulting platinum nanoparticles were evaluated against selected cancer cell lines in laboratory experiments.
The study explored the potential of compounds in the date extracts to assist in nanoparticle synthesis, rather than simply applying ordinary date juice as a cancer treatment.
This distinction is essential: the research concerns specially prepared nanomaterials created through a controlled chemical process.
What Did the Cancer Cell Research Investigate?
The published study evaluated the prepared platinum nanoparticles against three cancer cell lines:
- HCT-116: A human colorectal cancer cell line.
- MCF-7: A human breast cancer cell line.
- HepG2: A cell line commonly used in liver cancer research.
The researchers also used doxorubicin hydrochloride, an established anticancer drug, as a comparison in their experimental work.
Testing cancer cell lines allows scientists to investigate how a material behaves in a controlled laboratory environment. Researchers can assess biological responses, compare experimental conditions and identify questions that warrant further investigation.
Such experiments can be useful in the early stages of drug discovery and materials research. Nevertheless, activity against cells in a laboratory dish does not automatically mean that the same material will safely or effectively treat cancer in a human being.
A substance that affects cancer cells may also damage healthy cells. Its behaviour in the human body can be influenced by absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination, dosage and many other factors.
Consequently, further research is necessary to determine whether a laboratory finding can eventually translate into a safe and effective medical application.
Read the original research paper: https://arabjchem.org/green-synthesis-of-platinum-nanoparticles-using-saudis-dates-extract-and-their-usage-on-the-cancer-cell-treatment/
Why Is Platinum Important in Cancer Research?
Platinum is a metal with established importance in modern medicine. Certain platinum-based medicines, including cisplatin, carboplatin and oxaliplatin, are used in the treatment of specific cancers.
These medicines work through chemical interactions that can damage cancer-cell DNA and interfere with cell division.
However, platinum nanoparticles are not the same as conventional platinum-based chemotherapy drugs. Their biological behaviour can vary according to their size, surface properties, chemical form and how they interact with cells.
Researchers therefore investigate platinum nanomaterials to better understand their potential applications, including possible approaches to targeted delivery and other biomedical technologies.
It is important not to assume that every platinum-containing material has the same therapeutic effects as an approved platinum-based medicine. Each formulation requires its own evidence of effectiveness and safety.
Why Is This Research Environmentally Interesting?
The use of Saudi date extracts in nanoparticle synthesis offers an example of how agricultural resources can be investigated for purposes beyond food production.
This approach raises several interesting scientific and environmental questions.
Using biological materials: Plant extracts may help perform chemical functions that would otherwise require other reagents.
Exploring locally available resources: Agricultural products can provide researchers with accessible materials for investigating new production techniques.
Developing alternative manufacturing processes: Scientists can compare biological and conventional synthesis methods to determine which processes offer practical environmental or economic advantages.
Connecting different scientific disciplines: The research combines plant chemistry, inorganic chemistry, nanotechnology and biological testing.
However, describing a method as green does not automatically establish that it is completely harmless or environmentally superior in every respect. Researchers must evaluate the full production process, including the materials used, energy requirements, purification stages and waste generated.
The value of this research lies in investigating whether natural extracts can contribute to useful and potentially more sustainable nanomaterial production.
Patents and Scientific Innovation at Taibah University
Professor Al-Radadi's work has also been recognised through university reporting about patented research.
In a university announcement, Taibah University described a patent involving the environmentally friendly preparation of platinum nanoparticles using Saudi date extracts and their investigation for cancer-cell applications. The university also reported an earlier patent associated with her research.
Patents can protect qualifying inventions and may support the development of technologies with potential practical applications. However, receiving a patent does not, by itself, establish that a technology is clinically effective, commercially successful or approved for medical use.
The combination of academic publications and patented research demonstrates how laboratory investigations can contribute to the broader process of scientific innovation.
University announcement: https://www.taibahu.edu.sa/media-center/news/3286
The Importance of Recognising Women in Science
Professor Al-Radadi's reported achievement also provides an opportunity to recognise the contributions of women working in scientific research and higher education.
Scientists contribute to society in many ways: by training future researchers, developing new methods, publishing findings, collaborating across disciplines and investigating problems that may eventually lead to practical solutions.
Recognition in a citation-based scientific database can increase the visibility of a researcher's published work. At the same time, meaningful scientific progress depends on continued investigation, careful evaluation, reproducibility and collaboration within the research community.
Her work provides an educational example of how a researcher can investigate a question rooted in local resources while contributing to internationally relevant areas of science.
What Is the Future of Green Nanotechnology in Medicine?
Green nanotechnology remains an active area of scientific investigation. Researchers are exploring ways to produce nanomaterials using biological resources while improving control over particle size, stability, purity and biological behaviour.
Before a laboratory-developed nanomaterial can be used as a medical treatment, it generally requires extensive evaluation. Depending on the intended application, this can include:
- Further laboratory experiments and independent replication.
- Tests examining effects on healthy cells and potential toxicity.
- Preclinical studies assessing safety, distribution and biological activity.
- Carefully designed clinical trials in humans.
- Regulatory review of the evidence supporting its safety, quality and effectiveness.
Only after the appropriate evidence and regulatory requirements have been satisfied can a product be considered for authorised medical use.
Research involving date-derived platinum nanoparticles is therefore best understood as part of the scientific effort to investigate new materials and potential biomedical applications, not as proof that dates or these nanoparticles can cure cancer.
Professor Najlaa Saad Oudah Al-Radadi's research offers an interesting example of how traditional natural resources can inspire modern scientific investigation. By studying Saudi date extracts as part of a method for preparing platinum nanoparticles, her work connects agricultural materials with nanotechnology and laboratory cancer research.
Her reported recognition among the world's top 2% of scientists for the fifth consecutive year is an encouraging milestone, while the scientific questions explored in her research illustrate the importance of continued experimentation and evidence-based innovation.
For students, educators and readers interested in chemistry, nanotechnology and medical research, this work offers an important lesson: scientific progress often begins by asking new questions about familiar materials and then testing those ideas carefully through research.
This article discusses scientific research and is not medical advice. Date extracts and experimental platinum nanoparticles should not be considered established cancer treatments. Patients should consult qualified healthcare professionals about cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Research sources
Taibah University — Official faculty profile of Professor Al-Radadi.
Elsevier — 2026 scientific citation indicators database and methodology.
Arabian Journal of Chemistry — Original research paper on platinum nanoparticles and Saudi date extracts.
Taibah University — University announcement about the patented research.
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