Amira Mahdi

Amira Mahdi serves as an Assistant Professor in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Limerick's School of Medicine, where she joined in September 2023. She is an active member of the Limerick Digital Cancer Research Centre and currently accepts PhD students. Her work bridges molecular oncology and translational cancer research with focus on therapeutic resistance mechanisms.

Her academic foundation includes a BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Science from the National University of Ireland, Galway (2016) and a PhD in Microenvironmental Regulation of Breast Cancer Progression from the University of Limerick (awarded August 2020). Her doctoral work examined newly synthesised proteins in breast cancer progression.

Dr. Mahdi's research centers on two critical frontiers: (1) how tumor microenvironments drive therapeutic resistance in breast cancer, and (2) interactions between cancer treatments and the blood-brain barrier for brain metastasis management. Key investigations include Annexin A2 regulation, HER2+/ER+ breast cancer subtypes, and novel combination therapies targeting resistance pathways. Her fingerprint reveals strong expertise in Breast Cancer (66%), Brain Metastasis (50%), and Cancer Cell Biology (91%).

Analysis of her 16 research outputs (2018-2025) shows escalating focus on targeted breast cancer therapies, with 75% of recent publications (2023-2025) examining drug combinations for HER2+ disease. Her work consistently explores resistance mechanisms through molecular profiling and preclinical modeling, increasingly incorporating brain metastasis contexts.

Her major scientific recognitions include:

• Irish Research Council Post-graduate Scholarship (PhD funding)
• Science Foundation Ireland Strategic Partnerships Award (postdoctoral research with Puma Biotechnology)

Dr. Mahdi secured significant grant support through the SFI Strategic Partnerships Award during her DCU postdoc, where she developed novel combination strategies for HER2+ breast cancer. She maintains active mentorship through PhD student supervision at UL and participates in the Irish Association for Cancer Research council. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes research-led, student-centered environments fostering critical thinking and scientific communication.

She operates within the Limerick Digital Cancer Research Centre ecosystem, collaborating with NICB (DCU) and international partners as evidenced by her publication networks. Current work focuses on translating microenvironmental findings into clinical strategies for treatment-resistant breast cancer.