Hind Rafei, M.D., M.S.
Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, Division of Cancer Medicine
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Associate Faculty Member, Division of Cancer Medicine, GSBS UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Assistant Professor, Department of Stem Cell Transplantation, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment
Associate Faculty Member, GSBS UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Assistant Professor, Department of Stem Cell Transplantation, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2021 | MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School, Houston, Texas, US, M.S. in Cancer Biology |
| 2014 | American University of Beirut, Beirut, LB, MD |
| 2010 | American University of Beirut, Beirut, LB, BS in Biology |
Postgraduate Training
| 2019-2021 | Research Fellowship, Cellular therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas |
| 2018-2021 | Clinical Fellowship, Hematology/Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas |
| 2016-2018 | Postdoctoral Volunteer in Research, Laboratory and Translational Research in GATA2 Deficiency Bone Marrow Failure Syndrome, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD |
| 2015-2018 | Clinical Residency, Internal Medicine, The George Washington University, Washington, DC |
| 2014-2015 | Research Fellowship, Translational Research in Thoracic and Breast Oncology and Cancer Genetics, American University of Beirut, Beirut |
Board Certifications
| 2021 | ABIM Medical Oncology |
| 2021 | ABIM Hematology |
| 2018 | ABIM Internal Medicine |
Experience & Service
Administrative Appointments/Responsibilities
Associate Director of Education and Fellowship, Department of Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery and Innovation, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 2024 - 2025
Honors & Awards
| 2024 | Ovarian SPORE Career Enhancement Program Award, MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| 2022 | Institutional Research Grant Award, MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| 2020 | ASCO Conquer Cancer Foundation Young Investigator Award, American Society of Clinical Oncology |
| 2019 | Clifton D. Howe Award, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| 2019 | The Shannon Timmins Endowed Fellowship in Leukemia Research Award, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| 2019 | Joseph E. Johnson Leadership National Award, American College of Physicians ACP |
| 2019 | ASCO Conquer Cancer Foundation Bristol-Myers Squibb Endowed Merit Award, American Society of Clinical Oncology |
| 2018 | Jorge C. Rios, MD Award for Excellence in Internal Medicine, The George Washington University |
| 2017 | Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, The George Washington University Chapter |
| 2017 | Resident Research Award, The George Washington University |
| 2016 | Intern of the Year, The George Washington University |
| 2016 | Special Volunteer in Research Award, The National Institutes of Health |
| 2014 | Medical Doctorate with Distinction, American University of Beirut |
| 2014 | Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, American University of Beirut Chapter |
| 2011 | Merit Scholarship, Medical School, American University of Beirut Faculty of Medicine |
| 2011 | Faculty of Medicine Dean’s Honor List, American University of Beirut |
| 2010 | Bachelor of Science with High Distinction, American University of Beirut |
| 2008 | Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Honor List, American University of Beirut |
| 2008 | Merit Scholarship, Undergraduate Studies, American University of Beirut |
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Nieto Y, Banerjee P, Kaur I, Basar R, Li Y, Daher M, Rafei H, Kerbauy LN, Kaplan M, Marin D, Griffin L, Barnett M, Bassett R, Uprety N, Shrestha R, Silva FR, Islam S, Ganesh C, Borneo Z, Ramdial J, Ramirez A, Hosing C, Alousi A, Popat U, Qazilbash M, Ahmed S, Iyer S, Sainz TP, Vega F, Fowlkes NW, Alexis K, Emig M, Harstrick A, Overesch A, Shpall EJ, Rezvani K. Allogeneic NK cells with a bispecific innate cell engager in refractory relapsed lymphoma: a phase 1 trial. Nat Med, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 40186077.
- He S, Tan Y, Ye Q, Gubin M, Rafei H, Peng W, Rezvani K, Mohanty V, Chen K. Literature-scaled immunological gene set annotation using AI-powered immune cell knowledge graph (ICKG). bioRxiv, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 40060525.
- Melo Garcia L, Gangadharan A, Banerjee P, Li Y, Zeng AGX, Rafei H, Lin P, Kumar B, Acharya S, Daher M, Muniz-Feliciano L, Deyter GM, Dominguez G, Park JM, Reyes Silva F, Nunez Cortes AK, Basar R, Uprety N, Shanley M, Kaplan M, Liu E, Shpall EJ, Rezvani K. Overcoming CD226-related immune evasion in acute myeloid leukemia with CD38 CAR-engineered NK cells. Cell Rep 44(1):115122, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 39754720.
- Manzar GS, Dudzinski SO, Yoder AK, Seo A, Nasr LF, Rafei H, Becnel MR, Patel KK, Lee HC, Kaufman GP, Gaballa MM, Ye JC, Saini N, Thomas SK, Amini B, Orlowski RZ, Dabaja BS, Pinnix CC, Gunther JR, Wu SY, Fang PQ. Outcome of Patients With Central Nervous System Multiple Myeloma (CNS-MM) Treated With CNS-Directed Radiation Therapy. Clin Lymphoma Myeloma Leuk 25(4):271-284, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 39709251.
- Acharya S, Basar R, Daher M, Rafei H, Li P, Uprety N, Ensley E, Shanley M, Kumar B, Banerjee PP, Melo Garcia L, Lin P, Mohanty V, Kim KH, Jiang X, Pan Y, Li Y, Liu B, Nunez Cortes AK, Zhang C, Fathi M, Rezvan A, Montalvo MJ, Cha SL, Reyes-Silva F, Shrestha R, Guo X, Kundu K, Biederstadt A, Muniz-Feliciano L, Deyter GM, Kaplan M, Jiang XR, Liu E, Jain A, Roszik J, Fowlkes NW, Solis Soto LM, Raso MG, Khoury JD, Lin P, Vega F, Varadarajan N, Chen K, Marin D, Shpall EJ, Rezvani K. CD28 Costimulation Augments CAR Signaling in NK Cells via the LCK/CD3zeta/ZAP70 Signaling Axis. Cancer Discov 14(10):1879-1900, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38900051.
- Kumar B, Singh A, Basar R, Uprety N, Li Y, Fan H, Cortes AKN, Kaplan M, Acharya S, Shaim H, Xu AC, Wu M, Ensley E, Fang D, Banerjee PP, Garcia LM, Tiberti S, Lin P, Rafei H, Munir MN, Moore M, Shanley M, Mendt M, Kerbauy LN, Liu B, Biederstadt A, Gokdemir E, Ghosh S, Kundu K, Reyes-Silva F, Jiang XR, Wan X, Gilbert AL, Dede M, Mohanty V, Dou J, Zhang P, Liu E, Muniz-Feliciano L, Deyter GM, Jain AK, Rodriguez-Sevilla JJ, Colla S, Garcia-Manero G, Shpall EJ, Chen K, Abbas HA, Rai K, Rezvani K, Daher M. BATF is a major driver of NK cell epigenetic reprogramming and dysfunction in AML. Sci Transl Med 16(764):eadp0004, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 39259809.
- Shanley, M, Daher, M, Dou, J, Li, S, Basar, R, Rafei, H, Dede, M, Gumin, J, Pantaleόn Garcίa, J, Nunez Cortes, AK, He, S, Jones, C, Acharya, S, Fowlkes, NW, Xiong, D, Singh, S, Shaim, H, Hicks, SC, Liu, B, Jain, A, Zaman, MF, Miao, Q, Li, YE, Uprety, N, Liu, E, Muniz-Feliciano, L, Deyter, GM, Mohanty, V, Zhang, P, Evans, S, Shpall, EJ, Lang Jr, FF, Chen, K, Rezvani, K. Interleukin-21 engineering enhances NK cell activity against glioblastoma via CEBPD. Cancer cell 42(8):1450-1466.e11, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 39137729.
- He, S, Gubin, M, Rafei, H, Basar, R, Dede, M, Jiang, XL, Liang, Q, Tan, Y, Kim, KH, Gillison, M, Rezvani, K, Peng, W, Haymaker, CL, Hernandez, S, Solis Soto, LM, Mohanty, V, Chen, K. Elucidating immune-related gene transcriptional programs via factorization of large-scale RNA-profiles. iScience 27(6), 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38957791.
- He S, Gubin MM, Rafei H, Basar R, Dede M, Jiang X, Liang Q, Tan Y, Kim K, Gillison ML, Rezvani K, Peng W, Haymaker C, Hernandez S, Solis LM, Mohanty V, Chen K. Elucidating immune-related gene transcriptional programs via factorization of large-scale RNA-profiles. bioRxiv, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38798470.
- Khouri, IF, Alzahrani, K, Kantarjian, HM, Milton, D, Gulbis, A, Sasaki, K, Jain, N, Short, NJ, Kadia, TM, Daher, M, Rafei, H, Im, JS, Marin, D, Olson, AL, Popat, UR, Qazilbash, MH, Ramdial, JL, Rondon, G, Srour, S, Kebriaei, P, Shpall, E, Champlin, RE, Jabbour, EJ. Safety and long-term survival results of the addition of inotuzumab ozogamicin to the conditioning regimen of allogeneic stem cell transplantation. American journal of hematology 99(5):836-843, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38400519.
- Marin, D, Li, Y, Basar, R, Rafei, H, Daher, M, Dou, J, Mohanty, V, Dede, M, Nieto, Y, Uprety, N, Acharya, S, Liu, E, Wilson, JM, Banerjee, PP, Macapinlac, HA, Ganesh, C, Thall, PF, Bassett Jr, R, Ammari, M, Rao, SS, Cao, K, Shanley, M, Kaplan, M, Hosing, C, Kebriaei, P, Nastoupil, L, Flowers, CR, Moseley, SM, Lin, P, Ang, O, Popat, UR, Qazilbash, MH, Champlin, RE, Chen, K, Shpall, E, Rezvani, K. Safety, efficacy and determinants of response of allogeneic CD19-specific CAR-NK cells in CD19+ B cell tumors. Nat Med 30(3):772-784, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38238616.
- Li L, Mohanty V, Dou J, Huang Y, Banerjee PP, Miao Q, Lohr JG, Vijaykumar T, Frede J, Knoechel B, Muniz-Feliciano L, Laskowski TJ, Liang S, Moyes JS, Nandivada V, Basar R, Kaplan M, Daher M, Liu E, Li Y, Acharya S, Lin P, Shanley M, Rafei H, Marin D, Mielke S, Champlin RE, Shpall EJ, Chen K, Rezvani K. Loss of metabolic fitness drives tumor resistance after CAR-NK cell therapy and can be overcome by cytokine engineering. Sci Adv 9(30):eadd6997, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37494448.
- Li Y, Basar R, Wang G, Liu E, Moyes JS, Li L, Kerbauy LN, Uprety N, Fathi M, Rezvan A, Banerjee PP, Muniz-Feliciano L, Laskowski TJ, Ensley E, Daher M, Shanley M, Mendt M, Acharya S, Liu B, Biederstädt A, Rafei H, Guo X, Melo Garcia L, Lin P, Ang S, Marin D, Chen K, Bover L, Champlin RE, Varadarajan N, Shpall EJ, Rezvani K. KIR-based inhibitory CARs overcome CAR-NK cell trogocytosis-mediated fratricide and tumor escape. Nat Med 28(10):2133-2144, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 36175679.
- Kumar B, Afshar-Kharghan V, Mendt M, Sackstein R, Tanner MR, Popat U, Ramdial J, Daher M, Jimenez J, Basar R, Melo Garcia L, Shanley M, Kaplan M, Wan X, Nandivada V, Reyes Silva F, Woods V, Gilbert A, Gonzalez-Delgado R, Acharya S, Lin P, Rafei H, Banerjee PP, Shpall EJ. Engineered cord blood megakaryocytes evade killing by allogeneic T-cells for refractory thrombocytopenia. Front Immunol 13:1018047, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 36203567.
- Olson A, Lin R, Marin D, Rafei H, Bdaiwi MH, Thall PF, Basar R, Abudayyeh A, Banerjee P, Aung FM, Kaur I, Abueg G, Rao S, Chemaly R, Mulanovich V, Al-Atrash G, Alousi AM, Andersson BS, Anderlini P, Bashir Q, Castro KM, Daher M, Galvan IM, Hosing C, Im JS, Jones RB, Kebriaei P, Khouri I, Mehta R, Molldrem J, Nieto Y, Oran B, Popat U, Qazilbash M, Rondon G, Saini N, Spencer B, Srour S, Washington D, Barnett M, Champlin RE, Shpall EJ, Rezvani K. Third-Party BK Virus-Specific Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Therapy for Hemorrhagic Cystitis Following Allotransplantation. J Clin Oncol 39(24):2710-2719, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 33929874.
- Saberian C, Abdel-Wahab N, Abudayyeh A, Rafei H, Joseph J, Rondon G, Whited L, Gruschkus S, Fa'ak F, Daher M, Knape C, Safa H, Shoukier M, Suarez-Almazor ME, Marcotulli M, Ludford K, Gulbis AM, Konopleva M, Ohanian M, Ravandi F, Garcia-Manero G, Oran B, Popat UR, Mehta R, Alousi AM, Daver N, Champlin R, Diab A, Al-Atrash G. Post-transplantation cyclophosphamide reduces the incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease in patients with acute myeloid leukemia/myelodysplastic syndromes who receive immune checkpoint inhibitors after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. J Immunother Cancer 9(2), 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 33637601.
- Short NJ, Rafei H, Daver N, Hwang H, Ning J, Jorgensen JL, Kadia TM, DiNardo CD, Wang SA, Jabbour E, Popat U, Oran B, Cortes J, Konopleva M, Yilmaz M, Issa GC, Kantarjian H, Ravandi F. Prognostic impact of complete remission with MRD negativity in patients with relapsed or refractory AML. Blood Adv 4(24):6117-6126, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 33351107.
- Lumley CJ, Kaffenberger TM, Desale S, Tefera E, Han CJ, Rafei H, Maxwell JH. Post-diagnosis aspirin use and survival in veterans with head and neck cancer. Head Neck 41(5):1220-1226, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 30537085.
- Parta M, Shah NN, Baird K, Rafei H, Calvo KR, Hughes T, Cole K, Kenyon M, Schuver BB, Cuellar-Rodriguez J, Zerbe CS, Holland SM, Hickstein DD. Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for GATA2 Deficiency Using a Busulfan-Based Regimen. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 24(6):1250-1259, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 29412158.
- Tfayli A, Rafei H, Mina A, Khalil M, Fakhreddin N, Mahfouz R, Hamouri S, Farhat F, Salem Z, Dbouk H, Rabee H, Saghir N, Shamseddine A, Makarem J, Bitar N, Mougharbil A, Assi H, Temraz S, Mukherji D, Matalka I, Zaatari G. Prevalence of EGFR and ALK Mutations in Lung Adenocarcinomas in the Levant Area - a Prospective Analysis. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev 18(1):107-114, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28240017.
- Rafei H, Khalil M, Hassoun Y, Mina A, Nasser Z, Tfayli A. Perspective of Lebanese oncologists on the symptom burden among adult cancer patients. J Med Liban 64(4):200-4, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 29845844.
Other Articles
- Rafei H, Rezvani K Advances and challenges in chimeric antigen receptor-natural killer cell immunotherapy for cancer. Br J Haematol 206(2):443-446, 2024. PMID: 39622255.
- Rafei H, Rezvani K Mitigating infection risks: The promise and challenge of bispecific antibodies in haematological malignancies. Br J Haematol 205(3):764-766, 2024. PMID: 39039831.
- Li Y, Rezvani K, Rafei H Next-generation chimeric antigen receptors for T- and natural killer-cell therapies against cancer. Immunol Rev 320(1):217-235, 2023. PMID: 37548050.
- Sanchez-Petitto G, Rezvani K, Daher M, Rafei H, Kebriaei P, Shpall EJ, Olson A Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation: Connecting Its Origin to Its Future. Stem Cells Transl Med 12(2):55-71, 2023. PMID: 36779789.
- Rafei H, Daher M, Rezvani K Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) natural killer (NK)-cell therapy: leveraging the power of innate immunity. Br J Haematol 193(2):216-230, 2021. PMID: 33216984.
- Ravindranathan D, Alhalabi O, Rafei H, Shah AY, Bilen MA Landscape of Immunotherapy in Genitourinary Malignancies. Adv Exp Med Biol 1342:143-192, 2021. PMID: 34972965.
- Rafei H, Jenq RR Microbiome-intestine cross talk during acute graft-versus-host disease. Blood 136(4):401-409, 2020. PMID: 32526029.
- Rafei H, Kantarjian HM, Jabbour EJ Targeted therapy paves the way for the cure of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Br J Haematol 188(2):207-223, 2020. PMID: 31566728.
- Rafei H, Jabbour EJ, Kantarjian H, Sinicrope KD, Kamiya-Matsuoka C, Mehta RS, Daver NG, Kadia TM, Naqvi K, Cortes J, Konopleva M Neurotoxic events associated with BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors: a case series. Leuk Lymphoma 60(13):3292-3295, 2019. PMID: 31246142.
- Rafei H, Kantarjian HM, Jabbour EJ Recent advances in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Leuk Lymphoma 60(11):2606-2621, 2019. PMID: 31092071.
- Rafei H, DiNardo CD Hereditary myeloid malignancies. Best Pract Res Clin Haematol 32(2):163-176, 2019. PMID: 31203998.
- Alhalabi O, Rafei H, Shah A, Siefker-Radtke A, Campbell M, Gao J Targeting advanced urothelial carcinoma-developing strategies. Curr Opin Oncol 31(3):207-215, 2019. PMID: 30844889.
- Rafei H, Haroun F, Tabbara IA Novel Immunotherapeutic Agents for the Treatment of Multiple Myeloma. Am J Clin Oncol 42(3):317-329, 2019. PMID: 30557165.
- Rafei H, Kharfan-Dabaja MA Treatment of Del17p and/or aberrant TP53 chronic lymphocytic leukemia in the era of novel therapies. Hematol Oncol Stem Cell Ther 11(1):1-12, 2018. PMID: 28549767.
- Shah NN, Parta M, Baird K, Rafei H, Cole K, Holland SM, Hickstein DD Monozygotic twins with GATA2 deficiency: same haploidentical-related donor, different severity of GvHD. Bone Marrow Transplant 52(11):1580-1582, 2017. PMID: 28825694.
- Rafei H, Kharfan-Dabaja MA, Nishihori T A Critical Appraisal of Extracorporeal Photopheresis as a Treatment Modality for Acute and Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease. Biomedicines 5(4), 2017. PMID: 29019937.
- Jose A, Rafei H, Ahari J Combination targeted pulmonary hypertension therapy in the resolution of Dasatinib-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension. Pulm Circ 7(4):803-807, 2017. PMID: 28644066.
- DeStefano CB, Malkovska V, Rafei H, Shenoy A, Fitzpatrick K, Aggarwal A, Catlett JP DA-EPOCH-R for post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders. Eur J Haematol 99(3):283-285, 2017. PMID: 28509395.
- Rafei H, Yunus R, Nassereddine S Post-Transfusion Purpura: A Case Report of an Underdiagnosed Phenomenon. Cureus 9(5):e1207, 2017. PMID: 28580204.
- Nassereddine S, Rafei H, Elbahesh E, Tabbara I Acute Graft Versus Host Disease: A Comprehensive Review. Anticancer Res 37(4):1547-1555, 2017. PMID: 28373413.
- Rafei H, Nassereddine S, Garcia IF Disseminated intravascular coagulation-like reaction following rituximab infusion. BMJ Case Rep 2017, 2017. PMID: 28179388.
- Rafei H, El-Bahesh E, Finianos A, Nassereddine S, Tabbara I Immune-based Therapies for Non-small Cell Lung Cancer. Anticancer Res 37(2):377-387, 2017. PMID: 28179283.
- Rafei H, El-Bahesh E, Finianos A, Liu ML, Schechter GP Plasmablastic Lymphoma: Case Report of Prolonged Survival of an Advanced Human Immunodeficiency Patient and Literature Review. Case Rep Hematol 2017:9561013, 2017. PMID: 29090101.
- Hossain A, Rafei H, Jariwala A, El-Shami K A rare breed: Wild-type braf and ighv expression in a 29 year old lady with classical hairy cell leukemia. Leuk Res Rep 7:20-22, 2017. PMID: 28275540.
Editorials
- Rafei H, Mehta RS, Rezvani K. Editorial: Cellular Therapies in Cancer. Front Immunol 10:2788, 2019. PMID: 31827476.
Book Chapters
- Rafei H, Basar R, Rezvani K, Daher M. Chimeric Antigen Receptor-Modified Cells for the Treatment of Solid Tumors: First Steps in a Thousand-Mile March. In: Adoptive Immune Cell Therapy for Cancer: Successes and Challenges. Elsevier/Academic Press, 97-131, 2022.
- Rafei H, Mehta RS, Oran B, Rezvani K, Shpall EJ, Olson A. Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation. In: Manual of Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapies. ELSEVIER, 2022.
- Alhalabi O, Rafei H, Bilen MA, Shah AY. Current Landscape of Immunotherapy in Genitourinary Malignancies. In: Immunotherapy. 3rd Edition. Springer, 2020.
- Rafei H, Olson A, Mehta RS, Oran B, Rezvani K, Shpall EJ. Alternative Donor Transplants: Cord Blood Transplant. In: The MD Anderson Manual of Medical Oncology. 4th Edition. McGraw Hill Professional, 2020.
- Rafei H, Konoplev SN, Wang S, Short NJ, Kantarjian HM, Jabbour EJ. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. In: The MD Anderson Manual of Medical Oncology. 4th Edition. McGraw Hill Professional, 2020.
Selected Presentations & Talks
Local Presentations
- 2024. Ovarian Cancer SPORE Project 2 Updates, Next-Generation Engineered NK Cell Immunotherapy for Ovarian Cancer. Invited. Ovarian Cancer SPORE, MD Anderson Cancer Center. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2024. Targeting an epigenetic checkpoint of CAR-NK cell activation. Invited. Inaugural symposium, Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery and Innovation. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2024. Research Opportunities in the Department of Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapy. Invited. Introduction to Research Series, Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program, Division of Cancer Medicine. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2024. Adoptive Cell Therapy Platform updates. Invited. TDD Presentations, MD Anderson Cancer Center. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2023. Research Opportunities in the Department of Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapy. Invited. Introduction to Research Series, Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program, Division of Cancer Medicine. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2022. Research Opportunities in the Department of Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapy. Invited. Introduction to Research Series, Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program, Division of Cancer Medicine. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2022. Next-Generation Engineered NK Cell Immunotherapy for Pancreatic Cancer. Invited. Moon Shots Scientifc Seminar, PDAC Moon Shot Update. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2021. Research Opportunities in the Department of Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapy. Invited. Introduction to Research Series, Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program, Division of Cancer Medicine. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2020. Modulating Immunometabolism to Improve the Activity of CAR-NK Cells Targeting CD70. Invited. Gallick Lab Meeting, Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, MD Anderson Cancer Center. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2020. Use of CAR-transduced natural killer cells in CD19-positive lymphoid tumors. Invited. Hong’s Journal Club Conference, Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program, Division of Cancer Medicine. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2019. Clonal Hematopoiesis. Invited. Hematology Tumor Boards, Memorial Hermann Hospital- LBJ. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2019. Off-the-shelf virus specific T-cells for therapy of adenovirus disease in immunosuppressed patients. Invited. Grand Rounds, Division of Cancer Medicine. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2019. Breast Implant-Associated Lymphoma. Invited. Hong’s Case Conference, Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program, Division of Cancer Medicine. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2018. TKI-Associated Neurotoxicity. Invited. Leukemia Inpatient Conference, Leukemia Department. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2018. Patient Safety Conference: A Case of Respiratory Failure. Invited. Patient Safety Conference. Washington, DC, US.
- 2017. Triple-Hit” Lymphoma: Therapeutic Challenges. Invited. Grand Rounds, The George Washington University Cancer Center. Washington, DC, US.
- 2017. GATA2 Deficiency: a Journey through Phenotype, Genotype and Bone Marrow Transplantation. Invited. Chairman’s Rounds. Washington, DC, US.
- 2017. Phase II Study: Induction Chemotherapy and Transoral Surgery as Definitive Treatment (Tx) for Locally Advanced Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OPSCC): a Novel Approach. Poster. The George Washington University Research Day 2017. Washington, DC, US.
- 2017. A Meager Marrow”- an intriguing presentation of vitamin B12 deficiency. Invited. Clinico-Pathologic Conference. Washington, DC, US.
- 2016. Thrombocytopenia in the Critically Ill Patient. Invited. Weekly Life Conference, Veterans Affairs Medical Center of Washington DC. Washington, DC, US.
- 2016. Fungal Infections in Primary Immunodeficiencies: Challenges, Pathophysiology and Novel Therapy. Invited. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Grand Rounds, National Institutes of Health. Bethesda, MD, US.
- 2016. Is the Force Awakened? Publication Trends in Oncology Big Data as Phase II CancerLinQ® is launched. Poster. The George Washington University Research Day 2016. Washington, DC, US.
Regional Presentations
- 2025. NK-Cell based CAR Therapy: Current Status and Future Directions. Invited. Advanced Breast Cancer Conference, MD Anderson Cancer Center, US.
- 2019. Averting a Catastrophe: Asherson’s Syndrome. Invited. Citywide Hematology Grand Rounds, Houston Methodist Hospital, US.
- 2017. Post-Transfusion Purpura: A Case Report of a Rare Phenomenon. Conference. American College of Physicians Virginia Chapter 2017 Annual Meeting. Washington, DC, US.
- 2016. Double Thromboembolism Threat. Poster. American College of Physicians DC Chapter 2016. Washington, DC, US.
National Presentations
- 2025. CREM is a regulatory checkpoint of CAR and IL-15 signaling in NK cells. Conference. AACR Annual Meeting 2025. Chicago, IL, US.
- 2025. NK-Cell based CAR Therapy: Current Status and Future Directions. Invited. AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research- Translating Targeted Therapies in Combination with Radiotherapy. San Diego, CA, US.
- 2024. Epigenetic Reprogramming of CAR-NK cells to Enhance their Efficacy in the Acidic Tumor Microenvironment of Ovarian Cancer. Conference. 2024 Gynecologic cancers SPORE Workshop, NCI/NIH. Bethesda, MD, US.
- 2024. NK-Cell based CAR Therapy: Current Status and Future Directions. Invited. Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center Second Annual Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapy Symposium. Phoenix, AZ, US.
- 2024. Targeting T-Cell Lymphoma Using CD70-Directed Cord Blood-Derived CAR-NK Cells. Poster. Keystone Symposium on Emerging Cellular Therapies 2024. Santa Fe, NM, US.
- 2023. Targeting T-Cell Lymphoma Using CD70-Directed Cord Blood-Derived CAR-NK Cells. Poster. American Society of Hematology 2023 Annual Meeting. San Diego, CA, US.
- 2023. NK Cells vs. T cells: What is Ideal Cell for Allogeneic Immune Effector Cellular Therapy?. Invited. American Society of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics 49th Annual Meeting. San Antonio, Texas, US.
- 2023. NK Cells: Next Generation Cell Therapies for Cancer. Invited. AAPM 65th Annual Meeting & Exhibition. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2022. Next-Generation Engineered NK Cells for Cancer Immunotherapy. Invited. The Leo and Anne Albert Institute for Bladder Cancer Care and Research 8th Annual Symposium. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2020. Impact of Cytogenetic Abnormalities (CA) on Outcome of Patients (Pts) with Relapsed/Refractory (R-R) Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) Treated with Inotuzumab Ozogamicin (INO) in Combination with Low-Intensity Chemotherapy (mini-hyper-CVD) with or without Blinatumomab: Results from a Phase 2 Study. Poster. American Society of Hematology 2020 Annual Meeting. Virtual, US.
- 2020. Sequential Combination of Inotuzumab Ozogamicin (InO) with Low-Intensity Chemotherapy (mini-hyper-CVD) with or without Blinatumomab (Blina) as Salvage Therapy for Patients (Pts) with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in First Relapse. Poster. American Society of Hematology 2020 Annual Meeting. Virtual, US.
- 2020. Role of Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant (ASCT) in Patients (Pts) with Relapsed/Refractory (R-R) Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) Treated with Inotuzumab Ozogamicin (INO) in Combination with Low-Intensity Chemotherapy (mini-hyper-CVD) with or without Blinatumomab (Blina): Results from a Phase 2 Study. Poster. American Society of Hematology 2020 Annual Meeting. Virtual, US.
- 2020. CD22 Expression Level as a Predictor of Survival in Patients (Pts) with Relapsed/Refractory (R-R) Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) Treated with Inotuzumab Ozogamicin (INO) in Combination with Low-Intensity Chemotherapy (mini-hyper-CVD) with or without Blinatumomab: Results from a Phase 2 Study. Poster. American Society of Hematology 2020 Annual Meeting. Virtual, US.
- 2020. Modulating immunometabolism to improve the activity of chimeric antigen receptor-natural killer (CAR-NK) cells targeting CD70. Conference. 6th annual Immuno-Oncology Young Investigators’ Forum 2020. Virtual, US.
- 2019. Prognostic Impact of Full Hematologic Recovery and Achievement of Measurable Residual Disease (MRD) Negativity in Patients with Relapsed or Refractory (R/R) Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) After First Salvage Therapy. Poster. Society of Hematologic Oncology 2019 Annual Meeting. Houston, TX, US.
- 2019. Role of killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR)-ligand interactions to prevent relapse in patients (pts) receiving matched unrelated stem cell transplant (SCT) for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Poster. American Society of Clinical Oncology 2019 Annual Meeting. Chicago, IL, US.
- 2019. Off-the-shelf virus specific T-cells for therapy of adenovirus disease in immunosuppressed patients. Conference. American Society of Clinical Oncology 2019 Annual Meeting. Chicago, IL, US.
- 2017. Aspirin Use and Survival in Head and Neck Cancer Patients. Conference. American Society of Clinical Oncology 2017 Annual Meeting. Chicago, IL, US.
- 2017. Pulmonary hypertension following dasatinib treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Poster. American Thoracic Society Annual Meeting. Washington, DC, US.
- 2017. An Essential Vitamin for Effective Hematopoiesis: A Simple Cure for Bone Marrow Failure. Poster. Society of General Internal Medicine Annual Meeting. Washington, DC, US.
- 2016. Prevalence of Inherited and Acquired Thrombophilia in Females Post Multiple Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Attempts. Poster. American Society of Hematology 2016 Annual Meeting. San Diego, CA, US.
- 2016. Chimerism with Coagulopathy; the Risks of Rituximab. Poster. Society of Hematologic Oncology 2016 Annual Meeting. Houston, TX, US.
International Presentations
- 2024. NK-Cell based CAR Therapy: Current Status and Future Directions. Invited. 9th Kaunas/ Lithuania International Hematology/ Oncology Colloquium, Kaunas, Lithuania, US.
- 2023. Targeting T-Cell Lymphoma Using CD70-Directed Cord Blood-Derived CAR-NK Cells. Poster. Society for Natural immunity NK2023 20th meeting. Oslo, NO.
- 2015. Screening for the Prevalence of EGFR and ALK Mutations in Lung Adenocarcinoma Patients in the Levant Area, a Prospective Analysis. Poster. 47th Middle East Medical Assembly. Beirut, LB.
Grant & Contract Support
| Date: | 2025 - 2027 |
| Title: | Combining TROP2-Directed CAR-NK Cells With HIF2a Inhibition for the Immunotherapy of Pancreatic Cancer |
| Funding Source: | Department of Defense U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs Fiscal Year 2024 Pancreatic Cancer Research Program Translational Research Partnership Award - Pilot Clinical Trial PA240287 |
| Role: | Co-PI |
| Date: | 2024 - 2029 |
| Title: | TROP2-Directed CAR-NK Cells for the Immunotherapy of Pancreatic Cancer |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Co-PI |
| ID: | R01CA288617 |
| Date: | 2024 - 2026 |
| Title: | Next-generation, TROP2-targeting CAR NK cells for treating solid tumors |
| Funding Source: | Marcus Foundation |
| Role: | Co-I |
| Date: | 2024 - 2025 |
| Title: | Targeting acidosis-induced epigenetic reprogramming to enhance CAR-NK cell efficacy in the ovarian cancer tumor microenvironment |
| Funding Source: | Ovarian Cancer SPORE Career Enhancement Program |
| Role: | PI |
| Date: | 2024 - Present |
| Title: | Stem Cell Biology and Cellular Therapy, NK-cell biology and therapeutic targeting program |
| Funding Source: | CCSG |
| Role: | Primary Member |
| Date: | 2023 - 2028 |
| Title: | Next Generation Engineered NK cells for Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Co-I |
| ID: | P50 CA281701-01 |
| Date: | 2022 - 2023 |
| Title: | Next-Generation Engineered NK Cell Immunotherapy for Pancreatic Cancer |
| Funding Source: | Pancreatic Cancer MoonShot- MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| Role: | Project Leader |
| Date: | 2022 - 2023 |
| Title: | UTMDACC Institutional Research Grant (IRG) |
| Funding Source: | MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| Role: | PI |
| ID: | 2022-00061329-Y1 |
| Date: | 2022 - 2023 |
| Title: | Next-Generation Engineered NK Cell Immunotherapy for Ovarian Cancer |
| Funding Source: | MD Anderson Cancer Center, Blanton-Davis Ovarian Cancer Research Program |
| Role: | Co-I |
| Date: | 2020 - 2021 |
| Title: | Modulating Immunometabolism to Improve the Activity of CAR-NK Cells Targeting CD70 in Renal Cell Carcinoma |
| Funding Source: | American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) |
| Role: | PI |
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified April 13, 2025