Adam M Sonabend Worthalter

Dr. Adam M Sonabend Worthalter is an Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, where he leads the Sonabend Lab at the Robert Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center. A native of Mexico City, he graduated at the top of his class from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) Medical School, receiving the prestigious Gabino Barreda Medal, and completed his neurosurgical residency at Columbia University Medical Center / New York Presbyterian Hospital.

Dr. Sonabend's research focuses on Topoisomerase II-mediated transcriptional regulation in gliomas and developing personalized approaches to TOP2-targeting chemotherapy for malignant brain cancer. His lab is pioneering ultrasound-based blood-brain barrier disruption techniques to enhance chemotherapy delivery to brain tumors, with ongoing clinical trials using implantable ultrasound devices to deliver paclitaxel for recurrent glioblastoma. He also investigates how the immune system shapes glioma genomes and implications for immunotherapy.

His publication record spans over 160 articles in high-impact journals, with recent work emphasizing blood-brain barrier disruption, immunotherapy combinations, and biomarker identification. His research has demonstrated how ultrasound-mediated blood-brain barrier opening can facilitate chemotherapy delivery and enhance immune responses against gliomas, with multiple publications in 2024-2025 focusing on novel immunotherapy combinations and resistance mechanisms.

• NIH Director's Early Independence Award (DP5) valued at over $2 million (2015)
• Diversity Recruitment Award from Columbia University ($1.5 million) (2015)
• Society of Neurological Surgeons Research Award (2009)
• Neurosurgery Research and Education Fellowship Award (2012)
• Gabino Barreda Medal from UNAM (2008)

Dr. Sonabend serves as Associate Editor for Frontiers in Neurology/Neurosurgery and sits on scientific advisory boards for Carthera and Enclear Therapies. His lab actively mentors postdoctoral fellows and medical students, fostering an interdisciplinary environment focused on translational neuro-oncology. Clinically, he specializes in surgical management of brain and skull base tumors, integrating advanced techniques including laser ablation, radiosurgery, and awake brain mapping to achieve safe and effective tumor resections.