Shoukat Dedhar
PhD
UBC, BC Cancer Research Institute
Dr. Dedhar received his Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia. He moved to La Jolla California to complete his postdoctoral fellowship at the Burnham Institute in the lab of Dr. Erkki Ruoslahti. Dr. Dedhar is a Distinguished Scientist at BC Cancer Research Institute and Professor in the department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at the University of British Columbia. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
Why do you study metabolism?
As tumours grow, the tumour cells adapt to a changing microenvironment. One of the major changes is in vascularization and oxygenation, which leads to re-wiring of the tumour cell metabolism in lower oxygen levels (hypoxia). I study the re-wiring of metabolism as tumours evolve to identify vulnerabilities that could be exploited towards more durable therapeutics.
Why it fascinates you?
I am fascinated by the adaptability of tumour cells as the tumour evolves, and metabolic re-wiring is at the heart of this adaptation. The rewiring not only applies to the tumour cells themselves but also to other cell types that make up the tumour microenvironment.
Research Focus
CAIX – A Therapeutic Target
CAIX expression is induced in cells to regulate pH in hypoxic environments. Using our novel CAIX inhibitor, we have discovered that blocking the function of CAIX results in death of metastatic cells in hypoxic environments and tumor regression. A lead CAIX inhibitor, SLC-0111 is currently being evaluated in PhaseI/II clinical trials.
Overcoming tumour recurrence by targeting Anastasis
Chemotherapy targets and kills cancer cells, however some cancer cells are able to recover from death, a process called anastasis. Our group is interested in uncovering the mechanism that supports anastasis in hope to develop promising targets to overcome tumor recurrence.