Mohd Mughees, MSc, PhD
Department of Breast Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Instructor, Department of Breast Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2019 | Jamia Hamdard University, IN, Biotechnology, PhD |
| 2011 | C. C. S. University, IN, Biotechnology, MSc |
| 2009 | C. C. S. University, IN, Biotechnology, BSc |
Postgraduate Training
| 2011-2011 | Micropropagation and Agrobacterium-mediated transformation in Bacopa monniera L, Medicinal plant research, Jamia Hamdard |
Experience & Service
Faculty Academic Appointments
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Breast Medical Oncology Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 2020 - 2025
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Biotechnology, Jamia Hamdard University, 2019 - 2020
Senior Research Fellow, Department of Biotechnology, Jamia Hamdard University, 2018 - 2019
Research Scholar, Department of Biotechnology, Jamia Hamdard University, 2014 - 2019
Project Fellow in UGC-SAP sponsored project, Department of Botany, Jamia Hamdard University, 2013 - 2014
Other Professional Positions
Member of Institutional Innovation Committee, Jamia Hamdard, 2017
Representative of the School of Chemical and Life Sciences in the University Student Council, Jamia Hamdard, 2014 - 2018
Editorial Activities
Review Editor on the Editorial Board of Precision Medicine (specialty section of Frontiers in medicine ), Frontiers in medicine, 2024 - Present
Honors & Awards
| 2025 | Inflammatory Breast Cancer Network Foundation Abstract Merit Award, American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) |
| 2025 | 14th Annual Zeta Tau Alpha Houston Alumnae Association Fellowship Award in Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) Research, Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Program and Clinic, USA |
| 2025 | 3rd place in Flash Talk competition, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA |
| 2024 | People Choice Poster Award, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA |
| 2023 | 12th Annual Zeta Tau Alpha Houston Alumnae Association Fellowship Award in Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) Research, Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Program and Clinic, USA |
| 2023 | First Place in Oral Competition in the category of Translational Research on Trainee Research Day-2023, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA |
| 2021 - 2022 | High Impact Research Paper Award, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India |
| 2021 | ICMR Centenary Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, Indian Council of Medical Research, Govt. of India, India |
| 2019 | Merit Award, ESMO (European Society for Medical Oncology) |
| 2019 | Travel Award from CSIR (Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, Govt. of India), CSIR (Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, Govt. of India) , India |
| 2019 | Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Indian Council of Medical Research, India |
| 2018 | Senior Research Fellowship, Indian Council of Medical Research, Govt. of India, India |
| 2018 | Travel Award, ESMO (European Society for Medical Oncology) |
| 2014 - 2015 | Hamdard National Fellowship (HNF), Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India |
| 2014 | Best Poster Presenter, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India |
| 2014 | Travel Award, DBT (Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India), India |
| 2012 | Qualified state-level Common Eligibility Test (UP-CET-2012) for Ph.D, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University |
Professional Memberships
Selected Presentations & Talks
Local Presentations
- 2026. Combination of novel MELK inhibitor with standard of care treatment results in tumor regression and improved survival in a triple-negative inflammatory breast cancer xenograft model. Invited. IBC research Seminar meeting. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2025. Insights into a Research Career Journey. Invited. Alumni Interaction Session. New Delhi, Delhi, IN.
- 2025. Combination of a novel MELK inhibitor with standard of care treatment results in tumor regression and improved survival in a triple-negative inflammatory breast cancer xenograft model. Poster. CRO-Aviano & MD Anderson Cancer Center 2nd Joint Symposium on Cancer Biology & Precision Oncology. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2025. Breaking barriers: the promise of MELK inhibitor in targeting highly aggressive breast cancers. Invited. Flash talk competition on Trainee Research Day-2025. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2024. Targeted therapy for highly aggressive breast cancer patients. Invited. Oral presentation during Lab tour of the members of the Advanced Breast Cancer program. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2024. Therapeutic potential of second-generation MELK-selective inhibitor in Triple negative IBC. Panelist. IBC-Retreat. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2024. Combined inhibition of MCL-1 and MEK reduces tumor growth in triple-negative/inflammatory breast cancer, MEK-resistant xenograft mouse model. Poster. Trainee Research Day-2024. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2023. Overcoming MEK inhibitor resistance in highly aggressive breast cancer by targeting MCL1, an anti-apoptotic protein. Invited. Translational Breast Cancer Research program meeting. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2023. Novel second-generation selective MELK inhibitor reduces tumor growth in a triple-negative inflammatory breast cancer xenograft model. Invited. Trainee Research Day-2023. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2023. Therapeutic potential of second-generation MELK-selective inhibitor in aggressive breast cancer. Invited. Translational Breast Cancer Research program meeting. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2022. Combination treatment with a MCL1 Inhibitor AZD5991 overcomes resistance to MEK inhibitor in TNBC cells. Poster. Trainee Research Day-2022. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2021. MCL-1 Inhibition enhances the activity of MEK inhibitor in TNBC cells. Invited. Translational Breast Cancer Research program meeting. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2021. Evaluation of Therapeutic Potential of Herbal Based Nano Formulation on Breast Cancer Cell Lines. Invited. Translational Breast Cancer Research program meeting. Houston, Texas, US.
Regional Presentations
- 2023. Trial Pipelines discussion. Invited. IBC Research Seminar meeting. Houston, TX, US.
National Presentations
- 2023. Lightning talk- Therapeutic potential of second-generation MELK-selective inhibitor in aggressive breast cancers. Invited. MDACC & UT Austin Collaborative Research Summit. Houston, TX, US.
- 2019. Evaluation of cytotoxic potential of Artemisia absinthium extract loaded nanoparticles against breast cancer cells. Invited. Biotechnology Research in India-Current Status and Future Prospects. New Delhi, IN.
- 2019. Comparative analysis of the cytotoxic activity of extracts from different parts of A. absinthium L. on breast cancer cell lines and correlation with active compounds concentration. Poster. Trends in Biochemical and Biomedical Sciences. Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, IN.
- 2017. Molecular markers for the authentication of the medicinal plants. Poster. Current Regulations on Herbal Drugs & Food Supplements. New Delhi, IN.
- 2017. Herbal based high efficacy nanoparticles for the treatment of breast cancer. Poster. Biotechnology In Health Care: Challenges And Opportunities. New Delhi, IN.
- 2015. Micropropagation of some rare and endangered medicinal plants and development of molecular markers for their authentication. Invited. National Seminar on Medicinal Plants: Markets to Produce. New Delhi, IN.
- 2014. Study of effect of two different growth regulators on micropropagation of Bacopa monniera (L.). Poster. Medicinal Plants: Retrospects and Prospects. New Delhi, IN.
- 2013. Micropropagation of some rare and endangered medicinal plants and development of molecular markers for their authentication. Poster. Climate change, Environment and Sustainable Development. New Delhi, IN.
- 2013. Micropropagation and Agrobacterium mediated transformation in Bacopa monniera (L.). Poster. Medicinal Plants and their Characterization. New Delhi, IN.
International Presentations
- 2025. Combination of a novel MELK inhibitor with standard of care treatment results in tumor regression and improved survival in a triple-negative inflammatory breast cancer xenograft model. Poster. San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium-2025. San Antonio, US.
- 2024. MELK controls stromal components through Fibronectin modulation in highly aggressive breast cancers. Poster. San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium-2024. San Antonio, US.
- 2024. Combined inhibition of MCL-1 and MEK reduces tumor growth in a triple-negative/inflammatory breast cancer, MEK-resistant xenograft mouse model. Poster. AACR Annual Meeting-2024. San Diego, US.
- 2023. A selective MCL-1 inhibitor AZD5991 showed tumor regression in a triple-negative inflammatory breast cancer xenograft model. Poster. San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium-2023. San Antonio, US.
- 2022. Therapeutic potential of second-generation MELK-selective inhibitor in aggressive breast cancers. Poster. 7th International Inflammatory Breast Cancer Symposium: Understanding and Managing Aggressive Breast Cancer-2022. Houston, US.
- 2022. Evaluation of potent novel second-generation MELK-selective inhibitor in aggressive breast cancers. Poster. San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium-2022. San Antonio, US.
- 2022. Combination treatment with a MCL1 Inhibitor AZD5991 overcomes resistance to MEK inhibitor in TNBC cells. Poster. AACR annual meeting-2022. New Orleans, US.
- 2019. Artemisia absinthium extract loaded polymeric nanoparticles as the therapeutic remedy for breast cancer. Poster. Molecular Analysis for Personalized Therapy Congress (MAP-2019). London, GB.
- 2019. Artemisia absinthium extract loaded nanoparticles induce apoptosis in breast cancer cells via inhibiting vesicular trafficking related proteins. Poster. 17th International Congress of Immunology (IUIS-2019). Beijing, CN.
- 2019. Artemisia absinthium nanoparticles induce apoptosis in breast cancer cells via inhibiting vesicular trafficking related proteins. Poster. Targated Anticancer Therapies-2019. Paris, FR.
- 2018. Evaluation of therapeutic potential of herbal based nanoparticles on MCF-7 cells. Poster. International Conference on Nano-Biotechnology. New Delhi, IN.
- 2018. Effect of herbal polymeric nanoparticles on breast cancer. Poster. International conference on challenges for the global competitiveness of AYUSH and natural products. New Delhi, IN.
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Mughees M, Tacam M, Tan A, Pitner MK, Iles L, White M, Xiaoding H, Villodre ES, Debeb BG, Kogawa T, Lim B, Layman R, Woodward WA, Ueno N, Tripathy D, Krishnamurthy S, Qi Y, Pusztai L, Wang J, Gandhi V, Bartholomeusz G, Bartholomeusz C. Inhibition of MCL-1 and MEK overcomes MEK inhibitor resistance in triple-negative and inflammatory breast cancers. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics 24(9):1453-1465, 2025. PMID: 40358476.
- Swami S, Mughees M, Mangangcha IR, Kauser S, Wajid S. Secretome analysis of breast cancer cells to identify potential target proteins of Ipomoea turpethum extract-loaded nanoparticles in the tumor microenvironment. Front. Cell Dev. Biol(11):1247632, 2023. PMID: 37900279.
- Kauser S, Mughees M, Mangangcha IR, Swami S, Wajid S. Secretome profiling of Artemisia absinthium extract-loaded polymeric nanoparticle-treated MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 revealed perturbation in microtubule assembly and cell migration. Front Oncol(13):1209168, 2023. PMID: 37719007.
- Kauser S, Mughees M, Swami S, Wajid S. Pre-clinical toxicity assessment of Artemisia absinthium extract-loaded polymeric nanoparticles associated with their oral administration. Front Pharmacol(14):1196842, 2023. PMID: 37492095.
- Xie X, Chauhan GB, Edupuganti R, Kogawa T, Park J, Tacam M, Tan AW, Mughees M, Vidhu F, Liu DD, Taliaferro JM. Maternal embryonic leucine zipper kinase is associated with metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer. Cancer Res Commun 3(6):1078-1092, 2023. PMID: 37377604.
- Swami S, Mughees M, Kauser S, Wajid S. Evaluation of acute oral toxicity of Ipomoea turpethum extract loaded polymeric nanoparticles in Wistar rats. Front Pharmacol(14):1086581, 2023. PMID: 37007000.
- Gupta N, Sahar T, Khowal S, Ganaie IA, Mughees M, Khullar D, Jain SK, Wajid S. Differential levels of CHMP2B, LLPH, and SLC25A51 proteins in secondary renal amyloidosis. Expert Rev Proteomics 18(1):65-73, 2021. PMID: 33583303.
- Mughees M, Wajid S, Samim M. Cytotoxic potential of Artemisia absinthium extract loaded polymeric nanoparticles against breast cancer cells: Insight into the protein targets. Int J Pharm(586):119583, 2020. PMID: 32603837.
- Mughees M, Wajid S. Evaluation of cytotoxicity of different part extracts of Ipomoea turpethum against breast cancer cell lines. J Environ Pathol Toxicol Oncol 39(1):51-60, 2020. PMID: 32479012.
- Mughees M, Samim M, Ahmad S, Wajid S. Comparative analysis of the cytotoxic activity of extracts from different parts of A. absinthium L. on breast cancer cell lines and correlation with active compounds concentration. Plant Biosystems 153(4):569-579, 2019.
- Mughees M, Samim M, Sharma Y, Wajid S. Identification of protein targets and the mechanism of the cytotoxic action of Ipomoea turpethum extract loaded nanoparticles against breast cancer cells. J Mater Chem B 7(39):6048-6063, 2019. PMID: 31549130.
- Mughees M, Jha SR, Ahmad J, Ahmad A. SCAR marker development for the correct identification of Iris ensata. International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. International Journal of Pharma and Bio Sciences 9(12), 2017.
- Akhtar S, Jha SR, Mughees M, Ahmad J, Ahmad A. Simultaneous effect on metabolic profiling of terpene indole alkaloid pathway in leaves and roots of Catharanthus roseus under drought stress. Int J Pharm Biol Sci 7(3):10-20, 2017.
- Jha RS, Mughees M, Akhtar S, Ahmad J, Ahmad A. In vitro regeneration and RAPD-SCAR development of Artemisa absinthium L. International Journal of Pharma and Bio Sciences 8(2):90-99, 2017.
- Mughees M, Sharma Y, Ahmad J, Ahmad A. Comparative Analysis of Anticancer Activity of Rubia cordifolia L. & Adulterant on MCF-7 Cells and SCAR Marker Development. Int. J. Plant, Animal Envir. Sci 7(1):72-79, 2017.
- Mughees M, Jha RS, Akhtar S, Ahmad J, Ahmad A. Quantitative determination of rubiadin in different accessions of Rubia cordifolia Linn. by Isocratic RP-HPLC. International Journal of Advanced Research 5(1):181-186, 2016.
- Anjum L, Ahmad J, Mughees M, Ahmad A. A Validated quantitative Determination of alizarin in Rubia cordifolia Linn. by isocratic RP-HPLC. International Journal of Pharma and Bio Sciences 5(3):1 – 6, 2014.
- Anjum L, Ansari ZA, Yadav A, Mughees M, Ahmad J, Ahmad A. Validated quantitative HPTLC method for analysis of swertiamarin in Swertia chirayita (Roxb. Ex Fleming) H. Karst. collected from different locations of Himalayas. Int Eng Res Gen Sci 2(6):86 – 92, 2014.
Review Articles
- Hasan MR, Mughees M, Shaikh S, Choudhary F, Nizam A, Rizwan A, Ansari O, Iqbal Y, Pilloton R, Wajid S, Narang J. From Biosensors to Robotics: Pioneering Advances in Breast Cancer Management. Sensors 24(18):6149, 2024. PMID: 39338894.
- Mughees M, Kaushal JB, Sharma G, Wajid S, Batra SK, Siddiqui JA. Chemokines and cytokines: Axis and allies in prostate cancer pathogenesis. Semin Cancer Biol (86):497-512, 2022. PMID: 35181471.
- Mughees M, Chugh H, Wajid S. Mechanism of phthalate esters in the progression and development of breast cancer. Drug Chem Toxicol 45(3):1021-5, 2022. PMID: 32752895.
- Mughees M, Bano F, Wajid S. Mechanism of WASP and WAVE family proteins in the progression of prostate cancer. Protoplasma 258(4):683-693, 2021. PMID: 33471226.
- Mughees M, Wajid S. Herbal based polymeric nanoparticles as a therapeutic remedy for breast cancer. Anticancer Agents Med Chem 21(4):433-444, 2021. PMID: 32560619.
- Mughees M, Kumar K, Wajid S. Exosome vesicle as a nano-therapeutic carrier for breast cancer. Journal of Drug Targeting 29(2):121-130, 2021. PMID: 32787592.
- Mughees M, Sengupta A, Khowal S, Wajid S. Mechanism of tumour microenvironment in the progression and development of oral cancer. Mol Biol Rep 48(2):1773-1786, 2021. PMID: 33492572.
- Mughees M, Chugh H, Naqvi SH, Wajid S. COVID19 threat to the world: Current and possible diagnostic/treatment strategies for COVID19 49(1):21-33, 2021. PMID: 34347985.
- Mughees M, Chugh H, Wajid S. Vesicular trafficking–related proteins as the potential therapeutic target for breast cancer. Protoplasma 257(2):345-352, 2020. PMID: 31828433.
Abstracts
- Mughees M, Pathania R, Fowlkes N, Wang J, Krishnamurthy S, Damodaran S, Woodward W, Hunt K, Sahin A, Dalby K, Chandra B. Combination of a novel MELK inhibitor with standard of care treatment results in tumor regression and improved survival in a triple-negative inflammatory breast cancer xenograft model. Clinical Cancer Research:PS2-09-30, 2026.
- Mughees M, Tan A, Wang J, Krishnamurthy S, Damodaran S, Tripathy D, Woodward WA, Dalby K, Bartholomeusz C. MELK controls stromal components through fibronectin modulation in highly aggressive breast cancers. Clinical Cancer Research 31(12_Supplement):P3-01-23, 2025.
- Mughees M, Tacam M, Tan A, White M, Debeb B, Villodre E, Hu X, Tripathy D, Woodward W, Layman R, Bartholomeusz G. A selective MCL-1 inhibitor AZD5991 showed tumor regression in a triple-negative inflammatory breast cancer xenograft model. Cancer Res 84(9_Supplement):PO2-14-10-PO2-14-10, 2024.
- Tan AW, Mughees M, Woodward WA, Tripathy D, Fowlkes N, Bartholomeusz C. PEA-15 phosphorylation mediates pro-tumor effects by promoting β-catenin activity in TNBC. Cancer Res 84(7_Supplement):LB188-LB188, 2024.
- Mughees M, Tan A, Iles L, White M, Tripathy D, Krishnamurthy S, Wang J, Woodward WA, Bartholomeusz G, Bartholomeusz C. Combined inhibition of MCL-1 and MEK reduces tumor growth in a triple-negative/inflammatory breast cancer, MEK-resistant xenograft mouse model. Cancer Res 84(6_Supplement):4652-4652, 2024.
- Mughees M, Tacam M, Tan A, Gonzalez H, Villodre ES, Debeb B, Tripathy D, Bartholomeusz G, Lee J, Dalby K, Bartholomeusz C. Evaluation of potent novel second-generation MELK-selective inhibitor in aggressive breast cancers 83(5_Supplement):P6-10-08, 2023.
- Mughees M, Tacam M, Tan A, Iles L, White M, Tripathy D, Bartholomeusz G, Bartholomeusz C. Combination treatment with a MCL1 Inhibitor AZD5991 overcomes resistance to MEK inhibitor in TNBC cells. Cancer Res 82(12_Supplement):1793-1793, 2022.
- Mughees M, Wajid S. Artemisia absinthium nanoparticles induce apoptosis in breast cancer cells via inhibiting vesicular trafficking related proteins. Annals of Oncology(30):vii9, 2019.
- Mughees M, Samim M, Wajid S. Artemisia absinthium extract loaded polymeric nanoparticles as the therapeutic remedy for breast cancer. Annals of Oncology(29):iii18, 2018.
Book Chapters
- Jha SR, Mughees M. Tools for Safety Evaluation and Conservation of Medicinal Plants. In: Omics Studies of Medicinal Plants. CRC Press, 263-278, 2023.
- Sengupta A, Bano F, Arora N, Wajid S, Mughees M. An Overview of Genomics, Transcriptomics and Proteomics Approaches for Medicinal Plants Research. In: Omics Studies of Medicinal Plants. CRC Press, 89-97, 2023.
Books (edited and written)
- Mughees M. Bacopa monnieri (L.) - Micropropagation & Transforamtion. Lambert Academic Publishing.
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified March 26, 2026