Ashraf Imam

Principal Investigator, Ph.D.

S. Ashraf Imam received a Ph.D. degree in cancer biology from the Royal Institute of Cancer Research; Royal Marsden Hospital, University of London, London, U.K., in 1980. For the postgraduate studies, he received a full merit scholarship from the Medical Research Council, U.K. He identified and extensively characterized and sequenced several differentiation-associated membrane glycoproteins from human breast epithelial cells, the precursor of breast cancer. Subsequently, he generated monoclonal antibodies to those glycoproteins which were utilized as probes for the identification of molecular changes in epithelial cells in the progression of human breast cancer. Recently, Dr. Imam has focused his research activity to improve the methods for the identification, based on the phenotypic/genetic profile of the cancer cells, of the individual high-risk patients with breast ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) for early recurrence and/or progression to the invasive breast caner which is life-threatening. The pre-screening for the low- vs. high-risk, based on the above test, would likely to be helpful for the selection of the individual patients who are likely to benefit from an appropriate and timely adjuvant therapy, and those who do not need treatment beyond the local excision of the DCIS lesions. This is the subject of presently funded research project by the Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Dr. Imam has received numerous peer-reviewed grants to support his research activities that have resulted in over 60 peer-reviewed publications on basic as well as pre-clinical aspects of research on human breast cancer.