Manish Aghi

Dr. Manish Aghi is a Professor of Neurological Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and a neurosurgeon specializing in brain tumors at UCSF Medical Center. He serves as principal investigator at the UCSF Brain Tumor Research Center and is affiliated with the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences. His clinical practice focuses on surgical management of brain and skull base tumors, including gliomas, meningiomas, and pituitary adenomas, with special expertise in intraoperative brain mapping for glioma surgery, pituitary tumor surgery, and minimally invasive endoscopic skull base surgery.

Dr. Aghi earned his medical degree and doctoral degree in neurosciences from Harvard Medical School through the MSTP program. He completed his neurosurgery residency and postdoctoral training at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is board-certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery.

His research program investigates tumor-microenvironment interactions that drive aggressive biology and therapeutic resistance in brain tumors. His laboratory work encompasses glioblastoma angiogenesis, mechanisms of resistance to anti-angiogenic therapy, tumor-associated macrophages, whole genome sequencing of pituitary adenomas, metabolic adaptations following therapy, and tyrosine kinase-integrin receptor complexes in driving invasive resistance. His research integrates genomic, proteomic, and cellular approaches to identify novel therapeutic targets, with a clear trajectory toward developing more personalized treatment approaches for brain tumor patients.

• Preuss Award from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons
• Mahaley Award from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons
• Ronald L. Bittner Award from the Congress of Neurological Surgeons
• Synthes Skull Base Award from the Congress of Neurological Surgeons
• Integra Foundation Award from the Congress of Neurological Surgeons

As principal investigator, Dr. Aghi has secured significant NIH funding (R01CA227136, R01NS079697, K02NS064167) focused on glioblastoma invasion, tumor microenvironment interactions, and therapeutic resistance mechanisms. He serves as PI on multiple industry-sponsored and investigator-initiated phase I-II clinical trials comparing immunotherapy versus anti-angiogenic therapy for recurrent glioblastoma, as well as investigating convection-enhanced delivery of oncolytic viruses and nanoliposomal chemotherapy. His laboratory employs advanced biomaterials systems, CRISPR screening, and multi-omic approaches to study brain tumor biology and develop novel therapeutic strategies.