Shahrzad Shirazi Fard

Shahrzad Shirazi Fard

Affiliated to Research
Visiting address: Widerströmska huset, hiss 1, plan 8 Tomtebodavägen 18A, 17177 Stockholm
Postal address: K6 Kvinnors och barns hälsa, K6 Barnonkologi och Barnkirurgi Herold, 171 77 Stockholm

About me

  • My research set out to investigate consequences of intra tumour cellular
    heterogeneity for the progression into refractory disease, with the objective
    to target residual disease and prevent metastasis
    I obtained my PhD in 2014 from Uppsala University in developmental
    neuroscience. In my PhD-thesis I demonstrated that subpopulations of neuronal
    progenitor cells have innate properties that make them sensitive to tumor
    development. This illustrates the importance of understanding the heterogenic
    properties of developing tissues and relation to neoplastic formation.
    Following my PhD, I started a dual Post doc training in the group of prof.
    Lars Ährlund-Richter at Karolinska Institutet and in the group of Dr. Jan
    Mulder at SciLifeLab Karolinska Institutet. The research focused on a novel
    transplantation model for studying pediatric solid tumors together with a
    novel MULTIPLEX technique for enhanced correlation analysis of multiple
    cellular markers at the site of tumour metastasis. In September 2019 I
    obtained an Assistant Professorship at Karolinska Institutet.

Research

  • Our research aims to decipher the complicated spatial interplay between
    tumour cells and the tumour microenvironment using MULTIPLEX genomic,
    transcriptomic and proteomic profiles in order to investigate consequences of
    tumour heterogeneity for the progression into refractory disease.
    Neuroblastoma is the most common extra cranial solid tumor in pediatrics and
    accounts for 15% of cancer related deaths in children. Even though the
    overall survival has increased following implementation of novel
    therapeutics
  • one third of high-risk patients will experience treatment
    failure. An outcome most likely influenced by the tumour microenvironment.
    Spatial multi-omics techniques enables better dissection of the tumour
    microenvironment through investigation of the spatial architecture. A
    combination of several novel multiparameter immunofluorescence analysis
    techniques is being used on patient biopsies. The single-cell approach allows
    us to investigate cell-cell interactions that might contributing to
    resistance. This is combined by targeted treatment in matched in vivo cell
    lines of neuroblastoma, in order to re-sensitize resistant tumour cells to
    therapy. An enhanced understanding of the intra-tumour heterogeneity and
    asynchronous therapy responsiveness are among the most important areas in
    tumour research and our work is anticipated to produce novel biological
    discoveries and encourage further development of therapies.

Teaching

  • * Current teaching
    2022 (Course Leader)* *KI PhD course* - *Translational Paediatric Oncology
    in the Era of Immunotherapy and Omics
    2021* *KI PhD course* - *Translational Paediatric Oncology in the Era of
    Immunotherapy and Omics
    2020-2021* *KI Biomedicine - Molecular Medicine & Oncology
    2019-2020 KI Medicine program – DFM 1 course, course module Development –
    from egg to embryo
    * Supervisor
    2021 - ongoing (Co-supervisor) Ioanna Tsea PhD-student
    2022 Master thesis, Maja Lundström, MSc, KTH
    2021 Master thesis, Mani Devaraj, MSc, KI
    2021 Master thesis, Agnes Sorteberg, MSc, KTH
    2021 Master thesis, Vesa Halipi, MSc, LTH
    2020 Master thesis, Maryam Sahi, MSc, KTH
    2020 Master thesis, Ximena Lopez Lorenzo, MSc, KTH
    2019 Master thesis, Linnéa Ödborn Jönsson MSc, KTH
    2018 Master thesis, Faye Keller MSc, Uppsala University

Articles

All other publications

Employments

  • Affiliated to Research, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, 2024-2025
  • Assistant Professor, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, 2019-2024

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