Dr. Rami Aqeilan

Department of Immunology and Cancer Research, IMRIC , Immunology and Cancer Research, IMRIC

Why I became a researcher:

I'm interested in fighting cancer and my IMRIC research is bringing me closer to understanding how tumors grow and how we can reverse or prevent that growth.
At IMRIC, I am researching cancer as a genetic disease, focusing on tumor suppressor genes, genes that prevent the spread of tumors by preventing cell division. I am studying the function of several genes to define the signal pathways used in both normal and cancer cells.
My hope is that this IMRIC research will help scientists understand how signal pathways of fragile genes, that have been lost in cancer cells, may be reactivated in tumors to cause prevention or reversal of tumor growth.

Education:

Ph.D., Cellular Biochemistry and Human Genetics, the Hebrew University

Publications:

Role of the WWOX tumor suppressor gene in bone homeostasis and the pathogenesis of osteosarcoma.

WW domain interactions regulate the Hippo tumor suppressor pathway.

Wwox inactivation enhances mammary tumorigenesis.

Common fragile site tumor suppressor genes and corresponding mouse models of cancer.

Negative regulation of the Hippo pathway by E3 ubiquitin ligase ITCH is sufficient to promote tumorigenicity.

The tumor suppressor gene WWOX links the canonical and noncanonical NF-κB pathways in HTLV-I Tax-mediated tumorigenesis.

Downregulation of p53-inducible microRNAs 192, 194, and 215 impairs the p53/MDM2 autoregulatory loop in multiple myeloma development.

Cell death or survival promoted by alternative isoforms of ErbB4.

Frequent attenuation of the WWOX tumor suppressor in osteosarcoma is associated with increased tumorigenicity and aberrant RUNX2 expression.