Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology
Bio
Dr. Abukhdeir moved to Rush University Medical Center in 2012, where he is an assistant professor of Medicine and Pharmacology. After completing his PhD at Loyola University, he finished a postdoctoral fellowship at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University. Following his fellowship, he collaborated with the Stand Up to Cancer Epigenetic Dream Team to identify molecular predictors of response to epigenetic therapies.
Dr. Abukhdeir and his research team focus on the molecular variants that lead or contribute to drug resistance in breast cancer. These molecular variants have the potential to serve as predictive biomarkers. His laboratory’s initial success was identifying a group of genes whose expression predict which patients will respond to trastuzumab therapy. More recently his team has repurposed drugs that block key growth signaling pathways for use in breast cancer.
As a Lynn Sage Scholar, Dr. Abukhdeir is investigating genetic mutations found in sub-types of breast cancer. His goal is to identify more effective treatments against those mutations and expedite the use in clinical practice, by focusing on FDA approved therapies. His ultimate goal is to improve treatment for those grappling with a breast cancer diagnosis.
Abde Abukhdeir, PhD
Rush University Medical Center
Newly funded researchers pursuing high-risk, high-reward breast cancer studies in their first or second academic positions.
Past
Early Investigator
Nan Chen, MD
Discovering novel biomarkers of therapy response and resistance in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer patients
Past
Early Investigator
Peiwen Chen, PhD
Targeting macrophage reprogramming in brain metastatic breast cancer
Past
Early Investigator
Dr. Chonghui Cheng
Alternative Splicing and Breast Cancer Metastasis
Why your gift matters
Your gift helps researchers test bold ideas, generate critical data, and take the first steps toward the next major advancement in breast cancer treatment and care.Together, we can accelerate discoveries that save lives.
