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Biography

Photo of Weam Elbezanti
Research Faculty

Weam Elbezanti, PharmB, MS, PhD

Assistant Professor of Surgery
Surgical Research 

 

Education and Training

Pharmacy School: PharmD, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Fateh University of Medical Sciences, Tripoli, Libya
Graduate School:   MS, Cell and Organ Systems Physiology, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 
Graduate School: PhD, Cell and Molecular Biology, University of the Sciences, Philadelphia, PA 
Postdoctoral Fellowship:  Hematology/Oncology, Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 
Postdoctoral Fellowship: Hematology/Oncology, MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper, Cooper University Health Care, affiliated with Biomedical Sciences Department at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ 

Memberships 

  • American Associate for Cancer Research (AACR)
  • American Society of Hematology (ASH)
  • Member, Gastrointestinal Board, MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper
  • Member, Camden Cancer Research Center

Research Interests 

My lab is committed to advancing innovative therapeutic approaches for human cancer, with a particular emphasis on FDA-approved medications that influence epigenetics. I am passionate about translational cancer research, where my primary goal is to pioneer new therapies for human cancer. Specifically, my research focuses on understanding the effects of these medications on chromatin remodeling, gene expression, and the tumor microenvironment.

Current active projects:

  • Epigenetic treatments and their effects on tumor microenvironment 
  • Intraperitoneal epigenetic drug perfusion for colon cancer-associated peritoneal carcinomatosis
  • The effect of histotripsy on immune activation and cancer eradication

Awards and Honors

Scholarship for English Language and GRE, Libyan Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research 2008, Scholarship for Master degree, Libyan Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, 2009, 2010, 2011, Scholarship for Ph.D., Libyan Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research under an agreement between the Ministry and the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE), 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, Graduate Speaker Second Place Award, Biology, Chemistry & Biochemistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences Retreat, University of the Sciences. Princeton, NJ, 2017.   First Place in the Poster Symposium Award, Biology, Chemistry & Biochemistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences Retreat, University of the Sciences. Princeton, NJ, 2018.

Publications 

  • Al-Odat OSF, Elbezanti WO, Gowda K, Srivastava S, Amin SG, Jonnalagadda SC, Budak-Alpdogan T, Pandey MK. KS18, a Mcl-1 inhibitor, improves the effectiveness of bortezomib and overcomes resistance in refractory multiple myeloma by triggering intrinsic apoptosis. Front Pharmacol. 2024; 15:1436786. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1436786.

  • Bhowmick K, von Suskil M, Al-Odat OS, Elbezanti WO, Jonnalagadda SC, Budak-  Alpdogan T, Pandey MK. Pathways to therapy resistance: The sheltering effect of the bone marrow microenvironment to multiple myeloma cells. Heliyon. 2024 Jun 14;10(12) . doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e33091. PMID: 39021902; PMCID: PMC11252793.

  • Weam Othman Elbezanti, Kishore B. Challagundla, Jonnalagadda, Subash, Tulin Budak-Alpdogan, and Manoj K. Pandey. Past, Present and a Glance into the Future of Multiple Myeloma Treatment. Pharmaceuticals. 2023 Mar 8;16(3):415. doi: 10.3390/ph16030415. PMID: 36986514; PMCID: PMC10056051.
  • Elbezanti WO, Al-Odat OS, Chitren R, Singh JK, Srivastava SK, Gowda K, Amin S, Robertson GP, Nemmara VV, Jonnalagadda SC, Budak-Alpdogan T, Pandey MK. Development of a novel Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor that exerts anti-cancer activities potentiates response of chemotherapeutic agents in multiple myeloma stem cell-like cells. Front Pharmacol. 2022 Sep 9;13:894535. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2022.894535. PMID: 36160379; PMCID: PMC9500300.

  • Al-Odat O, von Suskil M, Chitren R, Elbezanti W, Srivastava S, Budak-Alpddogan T, Jonnalagadda S, Aggarwal B, Pandey M. Mcl-1 Inhibition: Managing Malignancy in Multiple Myeloma. Front Pharmacol. 2021 Jul 19;12:699629. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.699629. Erratum in: Front Pharmacol. 2021 Aug 31;12:758130. PMID: 34349655; PMCID: PMC8327170.

  • Lin A, Elbezanti WO, Schirling A, Ahmed A, Van Duyne R, Cocklin S, Klase Z. Alprazolam Prompts HIV-1 Transcriptional Reactivation and Enhances CTL Response Through RUNX1 Inhibition and STAT5 Activation. Front Neurol. 2021 Jul 22;12:663793. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2021.663793. PMID: 34367046; PMCID: PMC8339301.

  • Von Suskil M, Sultana KN, Elbezanti WO, Al-Odat OS, Chitren R, Tiwari AK, Challagundla KB, Srivastava SK, Jonnalagadda SC, Budak-Alpdogan T, Pandey MK. Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase Targeting in Multiple Myeloma. Int J Mol Sci. 2021 May 27;22(11):5707. doi: 10.3390/ijms22115707. PMID: 34071917; PMCID: PMC8198777.

  • Elbezanti W, Lin A, Schirling A, Jackson A, Marshall M, Duyne RV, Maldarelli F, Sardo L, Klase Z. Benzodiazepines Drive Alteration of Chromatin at the Integrated HIV-1 LTR. Viruses. 2020 Feb 9;12(2):191. doi: 10.3390/v12020191. PMID: 32050449; PMCID: PMC7077212.

  • Sardo L, Lin A, Khakhina S, Beckman L, Ricon L, Elbezanti W, Jaison T, Vishwasrao H, Shroff H, Janetopoulos C, Klase ZA. Real-time visualization of chromatin modification in isolated nuclei. J Cell Sci. 2017 Sep 1;130(17):2926-2940. doi: 10.1242/jcs.205823. Epub 2017 Jul 25. PMID: 28743737; PMCID: PMC5612227.

  • Sardo L, Vakil PR, Elbezanti W, El-Sayed A, Klase Z. The inhibition of microRNAs by HIV-1 Tat suppresses beta catenin activity in astrocytes. Retrovirology. 2016 Apr 8;13:25. doi: 10.1186/s12977-016-0256-y. PMID: 27060080; PMCID: PMC4826512.

  • Joglekar M, Elbezanti WO, Weitzman MD, Lehman HL, van Golen KL. Caveolin-1 mediates inflammatory breast cancer cell invasion via the Akt1 pathway and RhoC GTPase. J Cell Biochem. 2015 Jun;116(6):923-33. doi: 10.1002/jcb.25025. Erratum in: J Cell Biochem. 2017 May;118(5):1273. PMID: 25559359.