Shoukat Dedhar

Dr. Shoukat Dedhar is a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia. He is also a Senior Scientist at the British Columbia Cancer Agency / British Columbia Cancer Research Centre and affiliated with the Genetics Graduate Program. His extensive research focuses on cellular and molecular mechanisms in cancer biology, particularly in the areas of cell-extracellular matrix interactions and tumor microenvironment.

Dr. Dedhar received his BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1975, followed by his PhD in Pathology from the University of British Columbia in 1985. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship at the La Jolla Cancer Research Centre in 1987.

Dr. Dedhar's research primarily centers on cell-extracellular matrix interactions, with a focus on the role of integrins and their associated proteins in cell signaling and cancer progression. His laboratory pioneered the discovery of Integrin-Linked Kinase (ILK), which plays a critical role in integrin function and signal transduction. More recently, his work has focused on Carbonic Anhydrases IX and XII (CAIX/XII) as therapeutic targets for solid tumors with significant hypoxic regions. His research has demonstrated that CAIX/XII play major roles in tumor cell invasion and metastasis through localization within invadopodia, where CAIX "activates" the matrix metalloprotease MMP-14. The Dedhar lab has developed potent and specific inhibitors of CAIX/XII, with significant efficacy demonstrated in pre-clinical models of breast, pancreatic, and melanoma cancers.

Analysis of Dr. Dedhar's recent publications reveals a strong focus on tumor hypoxia, pH regulation, and the role of Carbonic Anhydrase IX in cancer progression and metastasis. His work spans multiple cancer types including pancreatic cancer, glioblastoma, and breast cancer, with an emphasis on understanding the molecular mechanisms that drive therapeutic resistance. A significant portion of his recent work explores combination therapies targeting hypoxic tumor microenvironments, with several studies examining how CAIX inhibition can enhance immune checkpoint blockade and overcome resistance to targeted therapies.

Dr. Dedhar has received numerous prestigious awards for his contributions to cancer research:

• Distinguished Scholar award from the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research
• Terry Fox Cancer Research Scientist award of the National Cancer Institute of Canada
• UBC Distinguished Medical Research lecturer Award
• Canadian Cancer Society Robert L Noble Prize (2013) for "Outstanding achievement in Cancer Research"
• 2018 UBC Killam Research Prize
• Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2018
• Nobel Forum Lecture, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden, 1995
• National Cancer Institute Terry Fox Cancer Scientist Award, 1996
• Distinguished Scholar, Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, 2001

Dr. Dedhar has supervised numerous graduate students and postdoctoral fellows throughout his career, contributing significantly to the training of the next generation of cancer researchers. His laboratory has been consistently funded by major research agencies including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Canadian Cancer Society, and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research. He is also the co-founder of SignalChem Lifesciences Corp (SLC), a biotechnology company developing novel therapeutics targeting protein kinases, tumor hypoxia, and metabolism.

Dr. Dedhar leads a vibrant research team at the BC Cancer Research Centre that focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms of cancer metastasis. His laboratory has developed novel mouse models of cancer metastasis that have provided significant insights into the roles of tumor microenvironment and hypoxic stress as driving forces for metastatic potential. The lab has been instrumental in advancing CAIX inhibitors into clinical trials, with Phase 1/2 clinical trials currently being carried out in Vancouver and Toronto.