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Translational Oncology Scientist · Toronto, Canada

Connecting tumor biology to clinically meaningful discovery.

PhD-trained cancer biologist with 10+ years across tumor immunology, cancer stem cells, preclinical models, and biomarker-driven research. I translate complex biology into rigorous experiments, clear evidence, and actionable direction.

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10+years in cancer biology and translational research
9selected peer-reviewed papers below
3research environments across Canada and the U.S.
PhDApplied Cell Sciences

Selected Research

From biological questions to translational evidence.

02

Doctoral research · Immunotherapy

NK-cell therapy in a preclinical GBM model

Developed and applied an induced rat glioblastoma model to investigate ex vivo expanded, HSP70/IL-2–treated NK cells, combining immune-cell therapy with tumor imaging and tissue-level analysis.

Illustration titled Death Kiss showing a GBM brain section and red NK cells targeting green GBM tumor cells
Conceptual illustration of NK-cell interactions with GBM cells.
  • In vivo stereotactic GBM modeling
  • NK-cell expansion and immune phenotyping
  • Confocal and live-cell imaging
NK cellsIn vivoGBM
Read the published study
03

Postdoctoral research · Breast cancer

Extracellular vesicles and breast cancer stemness

Investigated mushroom-derived interventions and mesenchymal stromal-cell extracellular vesicles in MCF-7 and doxorubicin-resistant breast cancer models, including tumorsphere and microRNA analyses.

Graphical summary of AHCC-treated mesenchymal stromal cell extracellular vesicles and their effects in MCF-7 and MCF-7/DOX breast cancer models
Open the figure to view its details at full size.
  • Stem-cell enriched tumorsphere models
  • miR-155, miR-34a, Let-7a and miR-200c analysis
  • In vitro and in vivo experimental design
Breast CSCsEVsmiRNA
Read the published study
04

Postdoctoral research · Translational immunology

Immune regulation and epigenetic dysfunction in chronic inflammation

Read the published study

At Northwestern University, investigated T-cell and cytokine biology in chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome using human biospecimens and a preclinical model. The work connected immune dysregulation, IL-10–related epigenetic mechanisms, and treatment response.

Graphical overview of patient immune analysis, IL-10 and FOXP3 methylation, and preclinical studies in chronic prostatitis and chronic pelvic pain syndrome
Open the graphical abstract to view its details at full size.

Selected publications

Full record on Google Scholar

Published science, from mechanism to translation.

Peer-reviewed research and reviews across cancer biology, extracellular vesicles, immune regulation, and neurodegeneration.

9 selected publications

Experience

A research path spanning mechanistic discovery, preclinical models, and clinical context.

2024—Present

Scientific Writing & Research Collaboration

Collaborative academic projects

Literature synthesis, manuscript development, grant support, and cross-disciplinary scientific communication.
2022—2024

Postdoctoral Fellow

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Human-subject translational immunology, preclinical disease models, flow cytometry, cytokine profiling, molecular assays, and tissue analysis.
2020—2021

Postdoctoral Fellow

University of Ottawa

Breast cancer stem cells, extracellular vesicles, drug-resistant models, microRNA biology, and in vivo/in vitro study design.
2013—2019

PhD Researcher

Applied Cell Sciences

GBM modeling, NK-cell immunotherapy, immune phenotyping, confocal imaging, molecular assays, and translational oncology research.

Capabilities

Experimental depth, analytical range, and clear scientific communication.

01

Models & assays

Cell culture, tumorspheres, animal models, flow cytometry, ELISA, qPCR, Western blot, immunohistochemistry, ELISpot, FACS and MACS.

02

Translational research

Biomarker discovery, biospecimen workflows, immune profiling, preclinical study design, clinical data context, REB/IRB and ICH-GCP familiarity.

03

Data & bioinformatics

GraphPad Prism, FlowJo, SPSS, Excel, Galaxy, iDEP, UCSC Xena, TCGA exploration, RNA-seq fundamentals, and data visualization.

04

Scientific leadership

Independent project ownership, multidisciplinary collaboration, mentoring, publication development, peer review, grant support, and conference presentation.

Training

Experimental rigor strengthened by clinical bioinformatics.

Clinical BioinformaticsOntario Graduate Certificate program · Durham College · Coursework completed, 2026
PhD, Applied Cell SciencesKashan University of Medical Sciences · 2019
MSc, VirologyRazi Vaccine & Serum Research Institute · 2001
BSc, Medical Laboratory TechnologyShiraz University of Medical Sciences · 1999

Contact

Let’s turn complex biology into a clear research path.

Open to translational oncology and cancer biology opportunities in Canada and U.S. roles compatible with TN status.

fsharifzad@gmail.com LinkedIn