Islam Elkholi - العربية

Dr. Islam Elkholi's innovation is a pioneering preclinical research discovery identifying the protein PIK3C3 as a potential therapeutic target to blunt breast cancer metastatic relapses. Inspired by the concept of targeted therapy, his work addresses the leading cause of cancer death: metastasis arising from dormant breast cancer cells that hide, undetected, for long periods before "waking up." Using genome-wide genetic screens, his team discovered that these dormancy-prone cells rely on the PIK3C3 protein for survival. Mechanistically, PIK3C3 localizes lysosomes to the cell periphery, which, in turn, activates the protein complex mTORC1, known to promote cell survival and growth. Crucially, treating breast cancer cells with a PIK3C3 inhibitor reversed these phenotypes and reduced the number of dormant cells in mouse models. This discovery is vital because currently, no gold standard drugs are approved to eliminate dormant cells. Dr. Elkholi plans to leverage this finding to accelerate the transition of PIK3C3 pharmacological inhibitors to Phase I clinical trials and develop potent new inhibitors through drug screens, ultimately aiming to create effective therapies against metastasis.