معرفی
Issam Ben-Sahra, PhD, serves as the Thomas D. Spies Professor of Genetic Metabolism and Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. His research centers on metabolic reprogramming in physiological and pathological cell growth contexts, with particular emphasis on cancer metabolism and circadian regulation.
Dr. Ben-Sahra's educational background includes:
- MS from University of Sophia-Antipolis (Nice, France) in 2007
- PhD from University of Sophia-Antipolis (Nice, France) in 2010
- Postdoctoral Fellowship at Harvard School of Public Health, Genetics (2016)
His laboratory investigates mTOR pathway-mediated metabolic control, focusing on nucleotide synthesis (pyrimidines and purines) during cell division. Using mass spectrometry, chemical genetics, and in vivo models, the team identifies metabolic vulnerabilities in cancer cells. Key research domains include:
- Metabolic drivers of oncogenic transformation
- Serine/glutamine metabolism in renal carcinoma
- Circadian regulation of muscle glucose metabolism
- Mitochondrial metabolism-nucleotide synthesis crosstalk
- Metabolic adaptation in chemotherapy resistance
Recent publications (2025) demonstrate an integrated approach examining metabolic vulnerabilities across cancer types, circadian-metabolic interfaces in obesity, and nucleotide synthesis mechanisms. These studies employ multi-omics profiling and metabolic flux analysis to identify therapeutic targets in renal cell carcinoma, obesity-related metabolic disorders, and tumor metabolism.
Dr. Ben-Sahra directs the Ben-Sahra Lab within the Simpson Querrey Institute, collaborating extensively with the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center. His work leverages institutional resources including epigenetics cores and metabolomics platforms, though specific grant details remain undisclosed in available materials. The laboratory maintains active partnerships with clinical oncology teams for translational validation.
The research program operates at the Simpson Querrey Institute (Room 7-520), utilizing advanced mass spectrometry facilities and organoid modeling systems. Current initiatives focus on metabolic biomarker discovery and therapeutic targeting of nucleotide synthesis pathways in tumor syndromes, with strong ties to Northwestern's cancer epigenetics initiatives.
