On Thursday, January 16th, 2025, Dr. Mohammad Askandar Iqbal, Assistant Professor at the Thumbay Research Institute for Precision Medicine (TRIPM), Gulf Medical University, delivered a research seminar attended by students from the Master’s in Drug Discovery and Development program, TRIPM researchers, and faculty members from various colleges.
The seminar, titled “Metabolic Landscape of Breast Cancer”, provided an in-depth exploration of the intricate metabolic pathways in breast tumors. Dr. Iqbal, holds a PhD in Biochemistry from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India, and completed postdoctoral training at MD Anderson Cancer Center in the United States. He is a received the INSPIRE Faculty Grant and the INSA Young Scientist Medal in 2016.
During the session, Dr. Iqbal highlighted the extensive metabolic heterogeneity in breast cancers, which has posed challenges for deploying metabolic therapies. To address this, the study identified three metabolic subtypes (M1, M2, and M3), each associated with specific metabolic dependencies. These subtypes, characterized by increasing degrees of metabolic deregulation, are strongly correlated with tumor aggressiveness and patient outcomes, offering promising avenues for personalized metabolic therapies.
The seminar concluded with a stimulating discussion among attendees, reflecting the significance of Dr. Iqbal’s work in cancer research and treatment strategies.