Najla El Jurdi

Najla El Jurdi is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, specifically within the Hematology, Oncology, and Transplant division at the University of Minnesota. She is actively engaged in clinical and translational research focused on improving outcomes for patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Her primary research interests lie in graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), immune tolerance, biomarker discovery, and the long-term health of cancer and transplant survivors, particularly in the context of frailty and accelerated aging. Her work significantly contributes to the understanding of chronic and acute GvHD, aiming to develop better predictive models and therapeutic strategies.

The trends in her recent publications show a strong emphasis on identifying and validating biomarkers (such as amphiregulin, ST2, and REG3α) to predict non-relapse mortality and monitor disease severity in GvHD. She is also deeply involved in large-scale, multicenter clinical trials and collaborative research networks, focusing on interventions and patient outcomes.

While no specific scientific awards are listed in the provided text, her leadership as a Principal Investigator on multiple NIH-funded grants, including a major trial with the National Marrow Donor Program, highlights her significant contributions and recognition in the field. She has secured substantial grant funding for projects such as the "Predicting Quality of Response to Specific Treatments (PQRST)" and a Phase III trial on transplantation regimens.

Dr. El Jurdi is a key collaborator in major research consortia like the Immune Tolerance Network and works closely with institutions such as Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and Benaroya Research Institute. Her research team is involved in generating high-impact publications and contributing to the global understanding of transplant immunology and survivorship.