Irene Ghobrial

Irene Ghobrial
Born
Egypt
EducationWayne State University
Cairo University
Scientific career
FieldsMyeloma
WorkplacesMayo Clinic
Dana–Farber Cancer Institute
Harvard Medical School
Websitewww.dfhcc.harvard.edu/insider/member-detail/member/irene-m-ghobrial-md/ Edit this at Wikidata

Irene Ghobrial is an American-Egyptian physician who is a professor at the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute[1] and Harvard Medical School, where her research investigates early detection, mechanisms of disease progression and early interception of multiple myeloma. Her research is focused on why certain patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM) develop multiple myeloma.

Ghobrial is the Senior Vice President for Experimental Medicine, Director of the Center for Early Detection and Interception of Blood Cancers, Co-Leader of the Lymphoma/Myeloma Cancer Center Program.

Early life and education

Ghobrial lived in Nigeria for 13 years during her childhood and moved to Egypt and studied medicine at Cairo University.[2] After graduating, she moved to Detroit, where she completed her specialist training at Wayne State University.[3][4] In 2000, she moved to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where she worked with Robert A. Kyle as a fellow in hematology and oncology.[3]

Research and career

Ghobrial is a physician-scientist who specializes in multiple myeloma and Waldenström macroglobulinemia, specifically in the precursor conditions of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and smoldering myeloma.

She developed an observational study for precursor conditions (PCROWD study) that recruited over 4,000 patients with samples acquired at several time points during disease progression. Her efforts in the precursor field enabled a screening study for MGUS/SMM in the US. This study, named PROMISE, is currently screening 30,000 individuals at high risk of developing myeloma, including African Americans and first-degree relatives of patients with myeloma.[5]

In January 2024, The Harvard Crimson reported that Ghobrial, as well as three scientists at the Dana Faber Cancer Institute, have been accused of research misconduct and data falsification.[6]  However, corrections have been made to her publications with no retractions and the errata did not affect the scientific integrity of the research conducted in those studies.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] She continues to focus her work on the area of early detection and interception in myeloma.

In April 2024, she was featured in an ebook published by The Scientist, entitled "The Sequencing Revolution", about monitoring multiple myeloma progression through sequencing. She developed with Gad Getz a new method[15] termed MinimuMM-seq that can replace the use of bone marrow biopsies and FISH technology for the diagnosis and prognosis of multiple myeloma.

Awards

  • In 2010, she received the Robert A. Kyle Award for research in WM. In 2011,
  • Ghobrial was elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation.
  • In 2017, she received the Ken Anderson Basic and Translational Research Award from the International Myeloma Society for an outstanding investigator under the age of 40.[16]
  • In 2018, she was awarded $10 million from Stand Up to Cancer to establish the Multiple Myeloma Dream Team, which aimed to understand the precursors that indicate a risk of developing myeloma.[17] 
  • Ghobrial was awarded the William Dameshek Prize from the American Society of Hematology for her scientific contribution to the field of early detection and interception of hematological malignancies.[18]

References

  1. ↑ www.dfhcc.harvard.edu/insider/member-detail/member/irene-m-ghobrial-md/ Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ↑ Gatta, Frances (2023). "How my training helps me to address health disparities in multiple myeloma: Irene Ghobrial's research on early detection of this type of bone-marrow cancer aims to improve patient outcomes, especially among African Americans". Nature. doi:10.1038/d41586-023-01587-9. PMID 37165230.
  3. 1 2 "Irene Ghobrial, MD". aacr.org. American Association for Cancer Research. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  4. ↑ "Director, Clinical Investigator Research Program – Dana-Farber". physicianresources.dana-farber.org. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  5. ↑ El-Khoury, Habib; Lee, David J.; Alberge, Jean-Baptiste; Redd, Robert; Cea-Curry, Christian J.; Perry, Jacqueline; Barr, Hadley; Murphy, Ciara; Sakrikar, Dhananjay; Barnidge, David; Bustoros, Mark; Leblebjian, Houry; Cowan, Anna; Davis, Maya I.; Amstutz, Julia (May 2022). "Prevalence of monoclonal gammopathies and clinical outcomes in a high-risk US population screened by mass spectrometry: A prospective cohort study". The Lancet. Haematology. 9 (5): e340–e349. doi:10.1016/S2352-3026(22)00069-2. ISSN 2352-3026. PMC 9067621. PMID 35344689.
  6. ↑ "Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Researchers Accused of Manipulating Data". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  7. ↑ Sahin, I.; Kawano, Y.; Sklavenitis-Pistofidis, R.; et al. (2024-04-23). "Citron Rho-interacting kinase silencing causes cytokinesis failure and reduces tumor growth in multiple myeloma. Blood Adv. 2019;3(7):995-1002". Blood Advances. 8 (8): 1958. doi:10.1182/bloodadvances.2024013092. ISSN 2473-9529. PMC 11033686. PMID 38619855.
  8. ↑ "Targeting Akt and Heat Shock Protein 90 Produces Synergistic Multiple Myeloma Cell Cytotoxicity in the Bone Marrow Microenvironment". February 16, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Eph-B2/Ephrin-B2 Interaction Plays a Major Role in the Adhesion and Proliferation of Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia". February 16, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Mechanisms of Activity of the TORC1 Inhibitor Everolimus in Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia". February 16, 2024.
  11. ↑ "CXCR4 inhibitor AMD3100 disrupts the interaction of multiple myeloma cells with the bone marrow microenvironment and enhances their sensitivity to therapy". Blood. 143 (25): 2673. 2024-06-20. doi:10.1182/blood.2024025275. ISSN 0006-4971. PMC 11267799. PMID 38900482.
  12. ↑ "Pyk2 promotes tumor progression in multiple myeloma". Blood. 144 (1): 124. 2024-07-04. doi:10.1182/blood.2024025297. ISSN 0006-4971. PMC 11267802. PMID 38963667.
  13. ↑ "P-selectin glycoprotein ligand regulates the interaction of multiple myeloma cells with the bone marrow microenvironment". Blood. 143 (25): 2675. 2024-06-20. doi:10.1182/blood.2024024988. ISSN 0006-4971. PMC 11267798. PMID 38900471.
  14. ↑ "RhoA and Rac1 GTPases play major and differential roles in stromal cell–derived factor-1–induced cell adhesion and chemotaxis in multiple myeloma". Blood. 143 (25): 2674. 2024-06-20. doi:10.1182/blood.2024025276. ISSN 0006-4971. PMC 11267801. PMID 38900475.
  15. ↑ "MinimuMM-seq: Genome Sequencing of Circulating Tumor Cells for Minimally Invasive Molecular Characterization of Multiple Myeloma Pathology".
  16. ↑ https://www.myelomasociety.org/awards/ken-anderson-young-investigator-award/
  17. ↑ Chen, Angus (2022-04-21). "Multiple myeloma is usually detected late. Some researchers think a precursor could help catch it early". STAT. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  18. ↑ "Dana-Farber professor receives William Dameshek Prize for multiple myeloma research". www.healio.com. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
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