Principal Investigator
Issam Ben-Sahra, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
Issam received his Master's research degree in Genetics, Development, and Immunity from the Côte d'Azur University in France in 2007. He obtained his Ph.D. from the same university in December 2010, where he studied the molecular and cellular effects of metabolic perturbators on cancer cells and tumor growth under the supervision of Dr. Frederic Bost. In 2011, Issam joined the laboratory of Prof. Brendan D. Manning in the department of Genetics and Complex Diseases at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. There, he combined his knowledge in metabolism and signaling pathways to understand how mTORC1 drives anabolic cell growth and proliferation. In January 2017, Issam joined Northwestern University/Feinberg School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics. In September 2023, Issam was granted tenure and promoted to Associate Professor.
Lab Manager
Heather Carr, Ph.D.
Lab Manager
Heather completed her Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin. She then pursued a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Utah, focusing on metal metabolism in yeast. Later, she joined Dr. Jeffrey Frost’s team at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, where she investigated the mechanisms of breast cancer cell migration and invasion. Heather also explored protein-protein interactions in GPCR signaling in neuroendocrine tumor cell lines. In June 2023, Heather joined the Ben-Sahra lab as the Research Lab Manager. Heather brings her expertise in lab management and organization to her current role. She is interested in studying the alterations in cellular metabolism in physiological and pathological states.
Education:
Ph.D., 2000, University of Wisconsin--Madison, U.S.A.
Postdocs
Eunus S. Ali, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral fellow
After obtaining his Master degree in medicinal & protein chemistry at Stockholm University Arrhenius Laboratory, Eunus earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry & cell biology at Flinders University School of Medicine (Adelaide, Australia) where he identified and proposed a model where low cellular Ca2+ levels help synthesize more lipids in fatty liver cells. In the Ben-Sahra laboratory, Eunus is interested in the molecular interface between signal transduction pathways and cellular metabolism in cancer.
Education:
Ph.D., 2016, Flinders University School of Medicine, Australia
M.S., 2010, Stockholm University, Sweden
Umakant Sahu, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral fellow
Umakant did his M. Sc. in Biotechnology at the University of Allahabad (Allahabad, India). He earned his Ph.D. degree from the Indian Institute of Science (Bangalore, India) where he studied the transcriptional metabolic regulation of non-fermentable carbon compounds in a methylotrophic yeast, Pichia pastoris. In the Ben-Sahra laboratory, Umakant is interested in understanding the regulation of nucleotide metabolism in cancer cells.
Education:
Ph.D., 2017, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
Mushtaq Nengroo, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral fellow
Mushtaq obtained his Ph.D. degree at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India. His doctoral studies at the Central Drug Research Institute (CSIR) focused on the role of CXCR4 in tumor growth and metastasis in the context of chemotherapy resistance. In the Ben-Sahra and Mendillo labs, Mushtaq is using CRISPR-Cas9 screening to untangle the metabolic reprogramming and vulnerabilities of tumor cells
Education:
Ph.D., Nov 2021, (CSIR-SRF), Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
Olivia Vidal-Cruchez, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral fellow
Olivia obtained her Ph.D. degree at Côte d'Azur University in Nice, France. Her doctoral studies at the Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging (IRCAN) enabled the identification a novel mechanism of drug tolerance to MEK inhibitors (MEKi) that involves Processing Bodies (PBs). In the Ben-Sahra laboratory, Olivia is interested in understanding how signaling and cellular metabolism control cell biomass production and contribute to oncogenic transformation.
Education:
Ph.D., Dec 2021, Côte d'Azur University, Nice, France
Konrad T. Sawicki, M.D./Ph.D.
Postdoctoral fellow, Physician Scientist Training Program
Konrad received his bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry with Honors from the University of Michigan in 2010. He subsequently obtained his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees at Northwestern University, where he studied cellular and mitochondrial iron regulation in the heart and post-transcriptional regulation of hepatic metabolism under Dr. Hossein Ardehali. In 2017, Konrad joined the Physician Scientist Training Program at Northwestern University and has completed his internal medicine residency and the majority of his clinical cardiology fellowship. Konrad is conducting his post-doctoral research in the laboratory of Dr. Elizabeth McNally, in close collaboration with the Ben-Sahra laboratory. Konrad is interested in understanding how mitochondrial membrane proteins regulate cardiac metabolism and the regulation of myocardial substrate utilization in cardiovascular health and disease.
Education:
M.D., Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine
Ph.D., Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine
Students
Hunter Hsu
Undergraduate Student
Hunter is a Northwestern University student interested in biochemistry and medicine. Hunter studies cancer signaling in the Ben-Sahra Lab under Dr. Olivia Vidal-Cruchez's guidance.
Former Lab Members
Michael D. Torno
Michael Torno was the Research lab Manager of the Ben-Sahra lab from January 2022 to January 2023.
His research was geared towards understanding the regulation of cellular metabolism in proliferating cells
Education: B.S.L.A.S., 1999, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Chicago, U.S.A.
Elodie Villa, Ph.D.
Elodie was a postdoctoral fellow in the Ben-Sahra Lab from September 2018 to October 2022.
Elodie has joined Frontier Medicines as a Scientist 1.
Education:
Ph.D., Dec 2017, Côte d'Azur University, Nice, France
Zied Djabari
Zied Djabari was the Research lab Manager of the Ben-Sahra lab from April 2017 to May 2019.
His research was geared towards understanding the regulation of cellular metabolism in cancer cells.
Current position: Research Engineer at the Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging (IRCAN), Nice, France
Education:
B.S., 2004, University of Nice – Sophia-Antipolis, France.
Sandy Giuliano, Ph.D.
Visiting scientist from the Scientific Center of Monaco
Aug-2017 - Dec 2017
http://www.centrescientifique.mc/en/
Current position: Principal Investigator at the Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging (IRCAN), Nice, France