In a new scientific achievement added to the academic excellence of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Nineveh, faculty member Haneen Ithar Hashim has been awarded a PhD degree from the Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Mosul, following the successful defense of her doctoral dissertation entitled:
“Molecular and Biochemical Evaluation of Y Chromosome Microdeletion in Infertile Male Patients”
The dissertation was defended on Thursday, 10 September 2026.
The dissertation aimed to conduct a molecular and biochemical evaluation of several factors associated with male fertility by investigating the levels of a number of fertility-related hormones. It also included the molecular analysis of six single-nucleotide mutations in three genes, namely GNAO1, AGTPBP1, and SPATA5, and examined the association of these mutations with sperm quality and the expression levels of the corresponding genes.
The study findings revealed statistically significant changes in the levels of several hormones among infertile men compared with the control group. At the molecular level, the findings also identified single-nucleotide mutations in the AGTPBP1 and SPATA5 genes, suggesting their association with abnormalities in spermatogenesis and sperm function.
The study further demonstrated that the effects of the AGTPBP1 gene may extend beyond flagellar abnormalities and impaired sperm motility to potentially affect sperm count. The mutation in this gene was associated with germ-cell arrest during the stages of spermatogenesis, which may contribute to cases of azoospermia, in addition to its association with sperm motility.
On this occasion, the Deanship of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Nineveh, represented by its Dean, Prof. Dr. Maysar Mohammed Ali Al-Qutji, together with all its academic and administrative staff, extends its warmest congratulations and sincere wishes to Dr. Haneen Ithar Hashim on the occasion of earning her PhD degree. The College wishes her continued success and excellence in her academic and scientific career, in service of the College of Pharmacy and the University of Nineveh.
