Amina Zoubeidi
{{short description|Canadian research scientist and urologist}}
{{Infobox academic
| name = Amina Zoubeidi
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| education =Bsc, Mohammed V University
M.Sc. Université du Québec à Montréal
PhD, Université de Montréal
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| workplaces = University of British Columbia
Vancouver Coastal Health
}}
Amina Zoubeidi is a Canadian research scientist and prostate cancer researcher. She's a scientist at the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute and a professor in the Department of Urologic Sciences at the University of British Columbia. During her tenure at UBC, Zoubeidi and her research team developed the first drug that targets and blocks BRN2, thus stopping Neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) tumours and creating a possible treatment for the previously thought incurable disease.{{cite journal |title=The Master Neural Transcription Factor BRN2 Is an Androgen Receptor–Suppressed Driver of Neuroendocrine Differentiation in Prostate Cancer |journal=Cancer Discovery |date=January 2017 |volume=7 |issue=1 |doi=10.1158/2159-8290.CD-15-1263 |url=https://cancerdiscovery.aacrjournals.org/content/7/1/54 |access-date=December 20, 2020 |last1=Bishop |first1=Jennifer L. |last2=Thaper |first2=Daksh |last3=Vahid |first3=Sepideh |last4=Davies |first4=Alastair |last5=Ketola |first5=Kirsi |last6=Kuruma |first6=Hidetoshi |last7=Jama |first7=Randy |last8=Nip |first8=Ka Mun |last9=Angeles |first9=Arkhjamil |last10=Johnson |first10=Fraser |last11=Wyatt |first11=Alexander W. |last12=Fazli |first12=Ladan |last13=Gleave |first13=Martin E. |last14=Lin |first14=Dong |last15=Rubin |first15=Mark A. |last16=Collins |first16=Colin C. |last17=Wang |first17=Yuzhuo |last18=Beltran |first18=Himisha |last19=Zoubeidi |first19=Amina |pages=54–71 |pmid=27784708 |url-access=subscription }}{{cite journal |title=Abstract 1295: First-in-field small molecule inhibitors targeting BRN2 as a therapeutic strategy for small cell prostate cancer |journal=Cancer Research |date=July 2019 |volume=79 |issue=13 |doi=10.1158/1538-7445.AM2019-1295 |url=https://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/79/13_Supplement/1295 |access-date=December 20, 2020 |last1=Thaper |first1=Daksh |last2=Munuganti |first2=Ravi |last3=Nouruzi |first3=Shaghayegh |last4=Kumar |first4=Sahil |last5=Kim |first5=Soojin |last6=Sivak |first6=Olena |last7=Aguda |first7=Adeleke |last8=Ganguli |first8=Dwaipayan |last9=Vahid |first9=Sepideh |last10=Puca |first10=Loredana |last11=Beltran |first11=Himisha |last12=Zoubeidi |first12=Amina |page=1295 |url-access=subscription }}
Early life and education
Zoubeidi earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the Mohammed V University before moving to Montreal to earn her graduate degrees from the Université du Québec à Montréal and Université de Montréal.{{cite web |title=Dr. Amina Zoubeidi |url=https://www.prostatecentre.com/about-us/people/dr-amina-zoubeidi |website=prostatecentre.com |access-date=December 19, 2020}}
Career
Zoubeidi joined the Department of Urologic Sciences at the University of British Columbia as an assistant professor in 2010.{{cite web |title=New Faculty Profile—Dr. Amina Zoubeidi |url=https://urology.med.ubc.ca/files/2007/02/2010-summer-revised.pdf&sa=U&ei=u0BuU5Y_0uKwBNTsgtgB&ved=0CDIQFjAE&usg=AFQjCNFP2lHMmoFAxYzn5bcOw9P9gD8QTg |website=urology.med.ubc.ca |access-date=December 19, 2020 |page=6 |date=2010}} In the same year, she was also the recipient of a Prostate Cancer Foundation Durden Foundation Young Investigator Award to fund her research on determining the function of Hsp27 in cancer treatment.{{cite web |title=Prostate Cancer Foundation Young Investigator Awards |url=https://www.prostatecentre.com/news/prostate-cancer-foundation-young-investigator-awards |website=prostatecentre.com |publisher=Prostate Cancer Foundation |access-date=December 19, 2020 |date=April 13, 2010}} She continued her research into Hsp27 and received funding from the Michael Smith Career Investigator Award for her project Adaptive Stress Response Signaling Driving Treatment Resistance and Metastasis in Cancer.{{cite web |title=Faculty of Medicine wins large share of Michael Smith Career Investigator Awards |url=https://www.med.ubc.ca/awards-honours/faculty-of-medicine-wins-large-share-of-michael-smith-career-investigator-awards/ |website=med.ubc.ca |access-date=December 19, 2020 |date=July 6, 2012}}
While serving in her role as an assistant professor, in collaboration with Vancouver Coastal Health, Zoubeidi continued to search for a cure for prostate cancer and led her research team to numerous discoveries. Zoubeidi and her research team designed a mouse model of Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer (NEPC) to identify that BRN2 was essential for NEPC to develop.{{cite web |title=UBC-Vancouver Coastal Health researchers find gene linked to growth of aggressive prostate cancer |url=https://www.med.ubc.ca/news/ubc-vancouver-coastal-health-researchers-find-gene-linked-to-growth-of-aggressive-prostate-cancer/ |website=med.ubc.ca |access-date=December 19, 2020 |date=November 25, 2016}} She firstly used genome editing CRISPR technology to freeze the gene producing the protein driving the emergence of NPEC for the first time.{{cite web |title=Dr. Amina Zoubeidi leads identification of gene linked to growth of aggressive neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) |url=https://www.prostatecentre.com/news/dr-amina-zoubeidi-leads-identification-gene-linked-growth-aggressive-neuroendocrine-prostate |website=prostatecentre.com |access-date=December 19, 2020 |date=January 30, 2017}} Following this discovery, she earned a three-year Translation Acceleration Grant from Prostate Cancer Canada and Movember to fund a project to develop blockers of BRN2, a gene linked to the growth of aggressive NPEC.{{cite web |title=Research grant award news: Dr. Zoubeidi (PCF Challenge) and Dr. Wyatt (Movember Discovery) |url=https://www.prostatecentre.com/news/research-grant-award-news-dr-zoubeidi-pcf-challenge-and-dr-wyatt-movember-discovery |website=prostatecentre.com |access-date=December 19, 2020 |date=October 6, 2017}}{{cite web |title=Movember Foundation and Prostate Cancer Canada team up to turn research into results |url=https://www.prostatecancer.ca/In-The-News/Foundation-News-Releases/Movember-Foundation-and-Prostate-Cancer-Canada-tea |website=prostatecancer.com |access-date=December 19, 2020 |date=July 26, 2017}} She subsequently became the first female scientist to earn a Translation Acceleration Grant from Prostate Cancer Canada and Movember{{cite web |title=Translating research to treat prostate cancer |url=https://www.med.ubc.ca/news/translating-research-to-treat-prostate-cancer/ |website=med.ubc.ca |access-date=December 19, 2020 |date=April 2019}} and later earned the 2018 UBC Faculty of Medicine Distinguished Achievement Award.{{cite web |title=Dr. Zoubeidi receives 2018 UBC Faculty of Medicine Distinguished Achievement Award |url=https://www.prostatecentre.com/news/dr-zoubeidi-receives-2018-ubc-faculty-medicine-distinguished-achievement-award |website=prostatecentre.com |access-date=December 19, 2020 |date=September 12, 2018}}
By 2019, Zoubeidi and her research team developed the first drug that targets and blocks BRN2, thus stopping NEPC tumours and creating a possible treatment for the previously thought incurable disease. They also modified the drug so it could be tested in clinical trials on humans.{{cite web |title=First of its kind treatment for incurable prostate cancer |url=https://www.prostatecancer.ca/Prostate-Cancer-Canada-Blog/February-2019/First-of-its-kind-treatment-for-incurable-prostate |website=prostatecancer.com |access-date=December 19, 2020 |date=February 8, 2019}} Similarly, her project The role of the lineage oncogene ASCL1 in treatment-induced neuroendocrine prostate cancer received funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.{{cite web |last1=Trujillo Sanchez |first1=Camilo |title=Faculty members awarded more than $27 million in fall 2019 CIHR project grants |url=https://www.med.ubc.ca/news/faculty-members-awarded-more-than-27-million-in-fall-2019-cihr-project-grants/ |website=med.ubc.ca |access-date=December 19, 2020 |date=January 30, 2020}} She was eventually promoted to the rank of Full professor as a result of her "contributions within the UBC community and her outstanding research career to date."{{cite web |title=Dr. Zoubeidi promoted to Professor |url=https://www.prostatecentre.com/news/dr-zoubeidi-promoted-professor |website=prostatecentre.com |access-date=December 19, 2020 |date=October 31, 2019}}
References
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External links
- {{Google Scholar id | HWByBz8AAAAJ }}
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Category:Academic staff of the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine
Category:Université du Québec à Montréal alumni
Category:Université de Montréal alumni
Category:Canadian cancer researchers
Category:Canadian women scientists