Arefeh Rouhi | Terry Fox Laboratory

Research Interests:

Drug resistance is one of the main treatment barriers in cancer therapy. Understanding how resistance emerges and how to overcome it are crucial to the development of new therapeutics. I am interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms of drug resistance as well as relapse in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and multiple myeloma (MM). Factors such as tumor heterogeneity as well as cell intrinsic and microenvironmental changes lead to drug refraction. Understanding these mechanisms and creating novel drug combinations targeting multiple tumorigenic pathways, will result in a more specific, efficient and sustained therapy with potentially less side-effects.

Education

PhD, Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia and Terry Fox Laboratory, BC Cancer, Vancouver, BC, Canada. (Supervisor: Dixie Mager)
BSc, Genetics (Honours), Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia and Terry Fox Laboratory, BC Cancer Vancouver, BC, Canada. (Supervisor: Dixie Mager)

Post-doctoral Training

Internal Medicine III, Clinical Comprehensive Centre, University Hospital Ulm and DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany (Mentors: Claudia Scholl and Stefan Fröhling)
Institute for Experimental Cancer Research, Clinical Comprehensive Centre, University Hospital Ulm, Germany (Mentor: Christian Buske)
Terry Fox Laboratory, BC Cancer, Vancouver, BC, Canada (Mentor: Dixie Mager)

Professional Experience

Staff Scientist, Terry Fox Laboratory, BC Cancer (2018 - present)
Principal Investigator, Collaborative Research Center (SFB 1074, project A5), University Hospital, Ulm, Germany (2012-2018)
Principal Investigator, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), Institute for Experimental Cancer Research, Clinical Comprehensive Centre, University Hospital Ulm (2011-2014)
Young Principal Investigator, Start-up grant (Baustein), Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Ulm (2011-2012)

Affiliations

Adjunct Professor, Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia (2021 - present)

Staff Scientist, Terry Fox Laboratory, BC Cancer (2018 - present)

Lecturer, University Hospital Ulm, Master Online Advanced Oncology (2010-ongoing)

Credentials

PhD, Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia

BSc, Genetics (Honours), Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia

Selected Publications

Elucidating the importance and regulation of key enhancers for human MEIS1 expression.

Leukemia, 2022

Xiang, Ping, Yang, Xining, Escano, Leo, Dhillon, Ishpreet, Schneider, Edith, Clemans-Gibbon, Jack, Wei, Wei, Wong, Jasper, Wang, Simon Xufeng, Tam, Derek, Deng, Yu, Yung, Eric, Morin, Gregg B, Hoodless, Pamela A, Hirst, Martin, Karsan, Aly, Kuchenbauer, Florian, Humphries, R Keith, Rouhi, Arefeh

miR-148a-3p and DDX6 functional link promotes survival of myeloid leukemia cells.

Blood advances, 2023

Ghashghaei, Maryam, Le, Cong Truc, Shaalan, Haya, Escano, Leo, Yue, Marty, Arsalan, Aaremish, Rouhi, Arefeh, Nguyen, Tuan Anh, Vu, Ly P

The retinoic acid receptor co-factor NRIP1 is uniquely upregulated and represents a therapeutic target in acute myeloid leukemia with chromosome 3q rearrangements.

Haematologica, 2022

Grasedieck, Sarah, Cabantog, Ariene, MacPhee, Liam, Im, Junbum, Ruess, Christoph, Demir, Burcu, Sperb, Nadine, Rücker, Frank G, Döhner, Konstanze, Herold, Tobias, Pollack, Jonathan R, Bullinger, Lars, Rouhi, Arefeh, Kuchenbauer, Florian

Targeting AXL kinase sensitizes leukemic stem and progenitor cells to venetoclax treatment in acute myeloid leukemia.

Blood, 2021

Niu, Xiaojia, Rothe, Katharina, Chen, Min, Grasedieck, Sarah, Li, Rick, Nam, Sung-Eun, Zhang, Xiuyan, Novakovskiy, German E, Ahn, Ye-Hyeon, Maksakova, Irina, Lai, Shenshen, Zhang, Hong, Yan, Jun, Liu, Hong, Zhao, Yun, Wu, Depei, Ge, Yubin, Wasserman, Wyeth W, Rouhi, Arefeh, Kuchenbauer, Florian, Yip, Calvin K, Zhang, Zaihui, Jiang, Xiaoyan

Mitochondrial metabolism: powering new directions in acute myeloid leukemia.

Leukemia & lymphoma, 2021

Stubbins, Ryan J, Maksakova, Irina A, Sanford, David S, Rouhi, Arefeh, Kuchenbauer, Florian

The long non-coding RNA () is induced by isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutations and maintains an immature phenotype in adult acute myeloid leukemia.

Haematologica, 2020

Grasedieck, Sarah, Ruess, Christoph, Krowiorz, Kathrin, Lux, Susanne, Pochert, Nicole, Schwarzer, Adrian, Klusmann, Jan-Henning, Jongen-Lavrencic, Mojca, Herold, Tobias, Bullinger, Lars, Pollack, Jonathan R, Rouhi, Arefeh, Kuchenbauer, Florian

Comprehensive microRNA expression profiling in cerebrospinal fluid distinguishes between neurological disease classes.

Neuropathology and applied neurobiology, 2019

Grasedieck, Sarah, Mulaw, Medhanie, Sperb, Nadine, Wessinger, Katja, Rouhi, Arefeh, Bommer, Martin, Bromberg, Jacoline E C, Otto, Markus, Tumani, Hayrettin, von Arnim, Christine A F, Mertens, Daniel, Kuchenbauer, Florian

Endogenous Tumor Suppressor microRNA-193b: Therapeutic and Prognostic Value in Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, 2018

Bhayadia, Raj, Krowiorz, Kathrin, Haetscher, Nadine, Jammal, Razan, Emmrich, Stephan, Obulkasim, Askar, Fiedler, Jan, Schwarzer, Adrian, Rouhi, Arefeh, Heuser, Michael, Wingert, Susanne, Bothur, Sabrina, Döhner, Konstanze, Mätzig, Tobias, Ng, Michelle, Reinhardt, Dirk, Döhner, Hartmut, Zwaan, C Michel, van den Heuvel Eibrink, Marry, Heckl, Dirk, Fornerod, Maarten, Thum, Thomas, Humphries, R Keith, Rieger, Michael A, Kuchenbauer, Florian, Klusmann, Jan-Henning

Micro-ribonucleic acid-155 is a direct target of Meis1, but not a driver in acute myeloid leukemia.

Haematologica, 2018

Schneider, Edith, Staffas, Anna, Röhner, Linda, Malmberg, Erik D, Ashouri, Arghavan, Krowiorz, Kathrin, Pochert, Nicole, Miller, Christina, Wei, Stella Yuan, Arabanian, Laleh, Buske, Christian, Döhner, Hartmut, Bullinger, Lars, Fogelstrand, Linda, Heuser, Michael, Döhner, Konstanze, Xiang, Ping, Ruschmann, Jens, Petriv, Oleh I, Heravi-Moussavi, Alireza, Hansen, Carl L, Hirst, Martin, Humphries, R Keith, Rouhi, Arefeh, Palmqvist, Lars, Kuchenbauer, Florian

MicroRNA-708 is a novel regulator of the Hoxa9 program in myeloid cells.

Leukemia, 2020

Schneider, Edith, Pochert, Nicole, Ruess, Christoph, MacPhee, Liam, Escano, Leo, Miller, Christina, Krowiorz, Kathrin, Delsing Malmberg, Erik, Heravi-Moussavi, Alireza, Lorzadeh, Alireza, Ashouri, Arghavan, Grasedieck, Sarah, Sperb, Nadine, Kumar Kopparapu, Pradeep, Iben, Sebastian, Staffas, Anna, Xiang, Ping, Rösler, Reinhild, Kanduri, Meena, Larsson, Erik, Fogelstrand, Linda, Döhner, Hartmut, Döhner, Konstanze, Wiese, Sebastian, Hirst, Martin, Keith Humphries, R, Palmqvist, Lars, Kuchenbauer, Florian, Rouhi, Arefeh

NFATC1 activation by DNA hypomethylation in chronic lymphocytic leukemia correlates with clinical staging and can be inhibited by ibrutinib.

International journal of cancer, 2018

Wolf, Christine, Garding, Angela, Filarsky, Katharina, Bahlo, Jasmin, Robrecht, Sandra, Becker, Natalia, Zucknick, Manuela, Rouhi, Arefeh, Weigel, Anja, Claus, Rainer, Weichenhan, Dieter, Eichhorst, Barbara, Fischer, Kirsten, Hallek, Michael, Kuchenbauer, Florian, Plass, Christoph, Döhner, Hartmut, Stilgenbauer, Stephan, Lichter, Peter, Mertens, Daniel

Prospective identification of resistance mechanisms to HSP90 inhibition in KRAS mutant cancer cells.

Oncotarget, 2017

Rouhi, Arefeh, Miller, Christina, Grasedieck, Sarah, Reinhart, Stefanie, Stolze, Britta, Döhner, Hartmut, Kuchenbauer, Florian, Bullinger, Lars, Fröhling, Stefan, Scholl, Claudia

Hoxa9 and Meis1 Cooperatively Induce Addiction to Syk Signaling by Suppressing miR-146a in Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Cancer cell, 2017

Mohr, Sebastian, Doebele, Carmen, Comoglio, Federico, Berg, Tobias, Beck, Julia, Bohnenberger, Hanibal, Alexe, Gabriela, Corso, Jasmin, Ströbel, Philipp, Wachter, Astrid, Beissbarth, Tim, Schnütgen, Frank, Cremer, Anjali, Haetscher, Nadine, Göllner, Stefanie, Rouhi, Arefeh, Palmqvist, Lars, Rieger, Michael A, Schroeder, Timm, Bönig, Halvard, Müller-Tidow, Carsten, Kuchenbauer, Florian, Schütz, Ekkehard, Green, Anthony R, Urlaub, Henning, Stegmaier, Kimberly, Humphries, R Keith, Serve, Hubert, Oellerich, Thomas

PKM2 promotes tumor angiogenesis by regulating HIF-1α through NF-κB activation.

Molecular cancer, 2016

Azoitei, Ninel, Becher, Alexander, Steinestel, Konrad, Rouhi, Arefeh, Diepold, Kristina, Genze, Felicitas, Simmet, Thomas, Seufferlein, Thomas

Expression of the leukemic prognostic marker CD7 is linked to epigenetic modifications in chronic myeloid leukemia.

Molecular cancer, 2010

Rogers, Sally L, Zhao, Yun, Jiang, Xiaoyan, Eaves, Connie J, Mager, Dixie L, Rouhi, Arefeh

HSP90 supports tumor growth and angiogenesis through PRKD2 protein stabilization.

Cancer research, 2014

Azoitei, Ninel, Diepold, Kristina, Brunner, Cornelia, Rouhi, Arefeh, Genze, Felicitas, Becher, Alexander, Kestler, Hans, van Lint, Johan, Chiosis, Gabriela, Koren, John, Fröhling, Stefan, Scholl, Claudia, Seufferlein, Thomas

Meis1 disrupts the genomic imprint of Dlk1 in a NUP98-HOXD13 leukemia model.

Leukemia, 2010

Argiropoulos, B, Palmqvist, L, Imren, S, Miller, M, Rouhi, A, Mager, D L, Humphries, R K

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