Immuno-Oncology
Source: https://www.sharjah.ac.ae/en/Research/RIMHS/IO Parent: https://www.sharjah.ac.ae/en/Research/RIMHS
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Overview
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Goals and Objectives
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Our Team
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Publications
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Collaborations
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Lines of Research
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Awards
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Projects
The “Immuno-Oncology" group is a unique research group in the UAE that focuses on understanding the cancer microenvironment and in particular, the crosstalk between immune and tumor cells. Additionally, our group focuses on the epigenetic regulation of carcinogenesis, as well as the therapeutic targeting of autoimmune diseases.
- Understanding the communication between the innate immune cells and cancer and their role in tumorigenesis.
- Utilizing the knowledge in order to develop novel biomarkers for cancer, could aid in early diagnosis and predict the prognosis of various cancer types.
- Identifying new targets for therapeutic modalities that could aid in cancer immunotherapy.
- Recognizing the role of epigenetics, molecular and cellular pathways that are associated with cancer initiation and progression.
Prof. Iman M. Talaat
Research Group Coordinator
Dr. Noha Elemam
Research Group Member
Prof. Riyad Bendardaf
Research Group Member
Prof. Rifat Hamoudi
Research Group Member
Prof. Amr A Amin
Research Group Member
Research Publications
No Record Found
List of institutions and organizations collaborating with us to achieve our research and community goal:
- Mohammed Bin Rashid University, Dubai, UAE
- Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Sheikh Khalifa Specialty Hospital, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE
- Al Qassimi Hospital, Sharjah, UAE
- RAK Medical and Health Sciences University, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE
- University of Hertfordshire, Cairo, Egypt
- German International University, Cairo, Egypt
- Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Egypt
- Faculty of Dentistry, Alexandria University, Egypt
- Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Tanta University, Egypt
- University College London, United Kingdom
- Universität zu Lübeck, Germany
- The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Ohio, USA
- National Institutes of Health, USA
- University of Toyama, Japan
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Russia
*Below are the key lines of research that guide our work and reflect our strategic research priorities:*
- Checkpoint Inhibitors and Immunotherapy Resistance: Investigate the mechanisms behind resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors (such as PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors) and develop strategies to overcome this resistance. This might involve studying the tumor microenvironment, T-cell exhaustion, or alternative checkpoint pathways.
- Immunomodulatory Agents: Investigate the potential of small molecules, antibodies, or other immunomodulatory agents to enhance the antitumor immune response.
- Immune Cell Dysregulation: Characterize the aberrant function of immune cells, such as T cells, B cells, and antigen-presenting cells, in immune-mediated and autoimmune diseases. Explore their roles in disease pathogenesis and potential targets for immunomodulation.
- Immunogenetics and Biomarkers: Investigate the genetic susceptibility to autoimmune diseases, including the identification of disease-associated genes and the development of biomarkers for early diagnosis and prognosis.
- Biomarker Discovery: Identify predictive, diagnostic, and prognostic biomarkers that can guide patient selection for immunotherapy and monitor treatment responses. This could involve genomics, transcriptomics, or proteomics studies.
- Tumor Microenvironment: Investigate the role of the tumor microenvironment in immune evasion and resistance to therapy. Explore strategies to modify the tumor microenvironment to make it more conducive to immune-mediated tumor destruction.
- Preclinical Studies and Personalized Medicine Approaches: Create and refine preclinical animal models that accurately mimic human tumor-immune interactions for testing new immunotherapies and studying their mechanisms of action. This will eventually lead to tailoring personalized therapeutic approaches to patients.
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Artificial Intelligence and Bioinformatics: Use machine learning and bioinformatics approaches to analyze large datasets, predict treatment responses, identify novel drug targets, and optimize treatment strategies.
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Stanford University Top 2% Scientists 2025: Prof. Iman Talaat, Dr. Noha Elemam, Prof. Amr Amin.
- Prof. Iman Talaat, Ms. Manal Hussein and Dr. Noha Elemam won the best poster presentation prize at the International Academy of Pathology (Arab Division), 2025.
- The Immuno-oncology Research Group was awarded Second Place for Best Research Group Booth at the Research Gateway Event, recognizing the team's excellence in scientific communication and research presentation. The booth showcased the group’s innovative work in cancer immunology, engaging attendees through interactive displays and highlighting ongoing projects and achievements. This recognition reflects the group’s dedication to impactful research and public outreach.
- Master student, Fatima Abdullah, supervised by Prof. Iman Talaat and Dr. Noha Elemam, won first place in the Emirates Surgical Pathology Conference 2023 for the best poster presentation.
- Master student, Fatima Abdullah, supervised by Prof. Iman Talaat and Dr. Noha Elemam, won the 3M Competition for the Postgraduate Section.
- Dr. Noha M. Elemam was selected to be a Winner of the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Middle East Regional Young Talents 2023 Program-Postdoctoral Category, September 2023.
Internal Projects
- The Effect of KRAS Mutations in Controlling Ferroptosis in Colorectal Cancer. University of Sharjah- AED 120,000
- Understanding the Crosstalk Among Immune Cells in The Microenvironment of Breast Cancer. Collaborative Grant: Sharjah Research Academy and University of Sharjah- AED 168,000.
- Investigating the Effects of Dimethyl fumarate and Monomethyl fumarate in Eradicating Hepatic Metastases - Roles of Natural Killer Cells and Chemokines – University of Sharjah- AED 196,000
- The Role of Obesity in Breast Cancer in a Cohort of Middle Eastern Population. University of Sharjah-AED 80,000
- Deciphering the Molecular Mechanisms of Intratumoural Heterogeneity in Renal Cell Carcinoma: New Approach for Prognostic Stratification and Discovery of Therapeutic Targets. University of Sharjah- AED 80,000
- Integrative meta-analysis and bioinformatics approach identify microRNA-21 and its targets as diagnostic biomarkers for colorectal and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. University of Sharjah- AED 80,000
- Epigenetic modulation of metabolism in colorectal carcinogenesis. University of Sharjah- AED 120,000
- Targeting the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) to Prevent Brain Metastasis in Triple Negative Breast Cancer. University of Sharjah- AED 80,000
- Mitochondrial genome and gut microbiota crosstalk and their impact on metabolic dysfunction and chronic inflammation. University of Sharjah- AED 80,000
External Projects
- Deciphering the Molecular Pathogenesis of Breast Cancer-based on the Application of Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning to Digital Histopathological Images and OMICs data from Different Breast Cancer Subtypes. UoS-Lubeck COLAI Grant Award- AED 160,000
- Deciphering the molecular mechanism and causes of colorectal cancer through the application of spatiotemporal multi-OMICs analysis from histopathology slides using artificial intelligence and non-linear mathematics approaches. Artificial Intelligence for Life (AIfoL)- AED 130,000
- Epigenetic sensitization of liver cancer towards chemotherapeutic drug treatment. King Hussein Promising Grant, Jordan – USD 100,000
- Stimulus-responsive nanoparticles for intraoperative NIR imaging and treatment of pancreatic cancer. EPSRC- AED 300,000
- The role and therapeutic implications of cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 in colorectal cancer patients in the UAE. Al Jalila Foundation-AED 300,000
- Deciphering the immunological mechanism involved in early lung cancer in the UAE population. Al Jalila Foundation- AED 300,000
- Deciphering the mechanism of triple-negative breast cancer resistance to PI3K inhibitors. Al Jalila Foundation- AED 300,000
- To elucidate relevant biomarkers as per VRI program focusing on cancer and brain aging. Virtual Research Institutes Program, Abu Dhabi- AED 7,865,000.
- Construction of Interpretable AI and Deep Learning models based on integrative neuroimaging and genetic data for predicting abnormal emotional and cognitive development. Skolkovo Institute of Technology, Russia - AED 260,000
- Genetic and molecular characterization of recurrent triple-negative breast cancer. Sheikh Hamdan- AED 200,000