Personal Details/Academic Background

 

Born on 15th September 1969, Dr. Samir Attoub is an Algerian national with Permanent Residence in France. He is married with two children.

He is an Associate Professor of Pharmacology in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) at the United Arab Emirates University in Al Ain.

He obtained his Veterinary Doctor Degree from Constantine University in 1993 and his Master Degree and PhD in physio-pharmacology from Paris VII University, France in 1995 and 1998, respectively. He then moved to the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), Paris, for a postdoctoral fellowship in Molecular and Clinical Oncology of Human Solid Tumors and obtained his Habilitation to Supervise PhD students in 2002 from the René Descartes-Paris V University in Paris, France. Later, he served as a Senior Research Scientist, INSERM, Pierre & Marie Curie-Paris VI University in Paris.

 

In November 2004, he joined the UAE University as an Assistant Professor and was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor in 2009. In 1999, he was the International Visiting Scientist at the Institute of Biochemistry, Fribourg, Switzerland.

 

 

 

Professional Milestones

 

Dr. Attoub has a long-term interest in investigating molecular mechanisms of colon and lung cancer progression with a recent focus on the role of PI3K/Akt/NF..pathway as a driving force behind cancer progression (survival, invasion, tumor growth and metastasis), using siRNA technology. He has also an interest in drug discovery of new anti-cancer drugs. He has published 30 research articles in high-ranking international journals including Nature, Gastroenterology, FASEB J, Cancer Research, Oncogene, Gut and Molecular Cancer Therapeutic with a cumulative impact factor of 184 and total citation of > 1220. In addition, he had 60 referred abstracts and oral presentations in international conferences and has been consistent in getting research grant from various sources including UAE University grants, Terry Fox Foundation for Cancer Research, and Sheikh Hamdan Award for Medical Sciences.

 

 

 

Professional Memberships

 

Dr. Attoub is an Ad hoc reviewer of research articles for Gastroenterology, Gut, Molecular Biology of the Cell, Expert Opinion on Emerging Drugs, BMC Biochemistry, Mini Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry, Experimental Brain Research, Recent Patents on Inflammation & Allergy Drug Discovery, Journal of Medical Sciences, Emirates Medical Journal, Expert Opinion On Therapeutic Targets, Cancer Letters and International Journal of Cancer.

He is also Ad hoc reviewer of grant’s application for the Scottish Hospital Endowments Research Trust (SHERT), Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Department of Health and Medical Services, Government of Dubai, UAE University. He is a member of the Editorial Board of Journal of Medical Sciences, UAE, since 2008.

 

 

 

Research Portfolio

 

He has been consistent in getting all his research grant proposals awarded by Research Committee Funds since 2003. In addition, he was successful in attracting extramural funds for Cancer Research from Terry Fox Research Funds, a Canadian Government Managed Fund, for research in UAE. There are altogether 17 grants out of which 16 are directly out of his laboratory as a principal investigator. The total amount is over US$421,000 His current research is focused on the role of PI3K/Akt/NF.. pathway as a driving force behind breast, lung and colon cancer progression (apoptosis, invasion and metastasis) using siRNA technology and in parallel screening of potential anti-cancer drugs.

1. Identification of Akt isoforms involved in colon cancer survival and invasion

2. Screening of potential anti-cancer compounds using in vitro and in vivo assays

 

 

 

Awards and Recognitions

 

• Award of Appert Institute of Nutrition, Paris, France, 1999

• Award of the French National Academy of Medicine, Paris, France,1999

• Award of United Arabs Emirates University (best research project), 2006

 

 

The title of the paper

 

The NF-KB Inhibitor IKB-negates colon cancer cell migration, invasion, proliferation and tumor growth 

The research study by Dr. Samir Attoub et al. was published in the Journal of Medical Sciences (JMS) in 2010. The work was conducted by researchers in the UAE in collaboration with researchers from France.

Cancer is the third leading cause of death in United Arab Emirates. Despite recent progresses in treatment of human tumors, new therapeutic modalities are still needed to improve cancer patient survival. NF-kB is a nuclear protein involved in normal tissue development, inflammatory responses and cancer progression. In many tumors, including colon cancer NF-kB is constitutively activated. NF-kB can be inhibited by IkB- protein. Dr. Attoub and co-workers show IkB- inhibits NF-kB promoter activity. This effect is associated with reduced tumor cell migration, invasion and proliferation.

Furthermore, inhibiting NF-kB hampered colon cancer growth in the mouse model. The data provide a rationale for further preclinical cancer studies, targeting the NF-kB pathway. The research study is being recognised through the Hamdan Award for Original Research Papers Published in the Journal of Medical Sciences.