(7au) Imran Rizvi, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Department of Dermatology, Harvard Medical School; And Assistant Biomedical Engineer, Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital

Research Interests:

I am a cancer biologist with a Ph.D. in Engineering Sciences and 20 years of experience in cancer pharmacology, biomedical optics and translational cancer research. My multidisciplinary research draws on my expertise in molecular oncology (treatment resistance pathways), photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photoimmunotherapy (PIT), 3D and in vivo tumor models, biomedical imaging and targeted combination therapies.

I trained as a postdoctoral fellow at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School (HMS) in the laboratory of Dr. Tayyaba Hasan, Professor of Dermatology at HMS, and Professor of the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences Technology. I completed the mentored phase of my K99 (please see “Funding” section below) in the Bioengineering Division of the Department of Medicine (DOM) at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), supervised by Dr. Utkan Demirci, currently Professor of Radiology at Stanford University, and Dr. Hasan.

Ph.D. Dartmouth College; Engineering Sciences (Co-Advisors: Dr. Brian Pogue and Dr. Tayyaba Hasan)

M.S. Georgetown University; Tumor Biology (Advisor: Dr. Stephen Byers)

B.A. Johns Hopkins University

Funding

1. Targeting Determinants of OvCa Metastases in Engineered 3D Microfluidic Platforms

NIH/NCI 4R00 CA175292-03

Role on Project: PI

Total Direct Costs: $436,842

Total Project Costs: $747,000

03/01/2016 - 02/28/2019

The goal of this proposal is to integrate microfluidics with heterocellular 3D ovarian cancer models to create the first system to evaluate the effects of fluid hydrodynamics on ovarian cancer progression. This platform will be used to design therapeutic strategies based on flow-induced changes in molecular target expression.

2. Imaging-based Assay Development for Immuno-Oncology Applications

Bristol-Myers Squibb Innovation Award

Role on Project: Co-PI (Hasan, T & Rizvi, I)

Total Direct Costs: $283,019

Total Project Costs: $450,000

01/01/2016 - 06/30/2018

This project establishes a 3D bioprinting platform to screen immuno-oncology agents, in combination with photodynamic therapy, to boost antigen specific T-cell mediated tumor killing. This platform, in conjunction with quantitative fluorescence imaging and analysis, will enable antibody drug conjugates and biologics to be screened for their capacity to enhance tumor killing by lymphocytes in a highly reproducible 3D setting that better represents the heterogeneity and complexity of the tumor microenvironment. This collaborative agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb will form the basis for bioprinting and imaging-based 3D assay development to improve preclinical prediction of single and combination immuno-oncology agents, ultimately with goal of identifying patient-specific regimens.

3. Low-cost Enabling Technology for Image-guided Photodynamic Therapy of Oral Cancers

NIH/NCI 4UH3 CA189901-03

Role on Project: Investigator (Co-PI: Hasan, T & Celli, JP)

09/01/2016 - 08/31/2019

This proposal aims to address the problem of oral cancer by using a low-cost adaptation of PDT. My role on this project leverages my experience in sustainable engineering solutions for low and middle-income countries (LMIC) to guide the implementation and dissemination of low-cost PDT regimens and technology for the treatment of oral cancer in a mid-tier academic medical center and rural settings in India.

4. Bioluminescence-Activated Photodynamic Therapy of Breast Cancer

NIH/NCI 1R01 CA192878-01A1

Role on Project: Collaborator (PI: Yun, SH)

09/25/2015 - 08/31/2020

The goal is to develop novel photosensitizer agents that can be activated by bioluminescent molecules and to test its therapeutic potential in mouse models of breast cancer. My role on this project leverages my expertise in PDT-based combination therapies, and my research experience at the interface of oncology, bioengineering and in vivo tumor models to guide the design and evaluation of bioluminescence-based PDT regimens for early-stage invasive breast cancer.

Publications

Peer Reviewed Publications

Original Investigations: 32

Reviews: 3

Non-Peer Reviewed Publications

Book chapters: 3

Conference Proceedings: 18

h-index

Web of Science, June 2017: 25

Google Scholar, June 2017: 27

Total Number of Citations

Web of Science, June 2017: 2135

Google Scholar, June 2017: 2919

Teaching Interests:

As the beneficiary of exceptional teaching and mentorship from numerous dedicated individuals, I am highly committed to mentoring and preparing the next generation of scientists. My philosophy as a researcher and a teacher is guided by the following core principles: (i) promote critical thinking and rigorous problem-solving; (ii) emphasize integrity, reproducibility and transparency in science; and (iii) foster independent thought to identify creative and exciting questions based on an understanding of of the literature and fundamental concepts.

I regularly lecture on “Photodynamic Therapy: Basic Principles and Therapeutic Combinations” for an Introduction to Biophotonics course at the Tufts University School of Engineering (BME 51/251). I also lecture on “Photodynamic Therapy Fundamentals and Applications, and Nanotechnology-enabled Drug Delivery for Cancer Combinations” at the Harvard-MIT (HST) Summer Institute in Biomedical Optics. I am a guest lecturer for an undergraduate Cancer Biophysics course at the University of Massachusetts (UMass).

Mentoring (including Panels and Workshops): I have been a repeated Invited Panelist for a K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Panel Discussion at the Annual Meeting of the Massachusetts General Postdoc Association (MGPA) at MGH. I recently gave a well-received invited lecture on “NIH Career Development Awards” and participated in a grant writing workshop for Associate Members and junior faculty at the 38^th Meeting of the ASP. I have mentored or co-mentored 1-2 undergraduate students each summer since 2011 for the HST Summer Institute in Biomedical Optics. My mentees have consistently been recognized for their productivity, and learning, through awards including the Yao Su Student Research Prize (won by my student, who is now a D.O. Candidate at the Western University of Health Sciences). I also serve as a judge, and Chair a judging subgroup, and am a reviewer for a Communications Workshop for the HST Summer Institute.

Service (Selected)

Local

2012 - MGH-HST Summer Institute for Biomedical Optics Poster Session

2012 Member, Judging Subgroup

2013 - 2015 Chair, Judging Subgroup

2016 Reviewer, Communications Workshop

2015 - Hasan Group Animal Work Compliance Committee

2016 - MGH IRB Non-ionizing Radiation Review Committee

2017 - Abstract Review Committee, MGH ORCD Poster Celebration

National and International

2011 - American Society for Photobiology (ASP)

2011 - Member, Grants and Awards Committee

2012 Session Co-Chair, 36^th Annual Meeting (WE6-2) Montreal, Canada

2012 - 2014 Associate Councilor (elected position)

2013 - 2014 Member, Organizing Committee, 37^th Annual Meeting

2013 - Member, Strategic Planning Committee

2013 - Member, Mentoring and Education Committee

2014 Session Co-Chair, 37^th Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA

2016 - Member, ASP Council

2017- Chair, Awards Committee; Member, Organizing Committee: 38^th Annual Meeting; Member, Nominations Committee

2011 - SPIE, The International Society for Optics and Photonics

2013 - 2015 Session Co-Chair, Optical Methods for Tumor Treatment and Detection: Mechanisms and Techniques in PDT; Photonics West Annual Conference

2015 - Member, Program Committee, Photonics West; BIOS Conference

2016 Session Chair, Optical Methods for Tumor Treatment and Detection: Mechanisms and Techniques in Photodynamic Therapy XXV, SPIE Photonics West Annual Conference

2013 - 2014 Society of Porphyrins and Phthalocyanines (SPP)

2013 - International Photodynamic Association (IPA)

2012 Member, Scientific Advisory Board, 14^th World Congress

2012 - 2014 Member, Organizing Committee

2017 Standing Member, Awards Committee

2014 - American Society for Lasers in Surgery and Medicine (ASLMS)

2015 Session Co-Chair, Annual ASLMS Conference, PDT/PAPDT Session-PDT Science, Kissimmee, FL

2017 Session Co-Chair, Annual ASLMS Conference, PDT/PAPDT Session-PDT Science, San Diego, CA

2015 - PanAmerican Photodynamic Association (PAPDT)

2015 - Member, Board of Directors (invited position)

2016 - Secretary, Executive Committee (invited position)

External Thesis Advisor

2015 - Ph.D. Candidate: Gwendolyn Cramer (Successfully defended)

Advisor: Jonathan P. Celli, Ph.D., Department of Physics,

University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA

2017 - Ph.D. Candidate: Christina Conrad

Advisor: Giuliano Scarcelli, Ph.D., Fischell Department of Bioengineering,

University of Maryland College Park, College Park, MD

2016 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS); Session Chair, 5^th International SLAS Conference and Exhibition, Scaling Challenging Cell Models for High-Quality High Throughput Screens Session, Cellular Technologies Track

Grant Review Activities

2015 Invited reviewer, International Peer Review Committee, National Center for the Replacement, Refinement & Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs); London, UK

2016 Invited reviewer, International Peer Review Committee, The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMw), More Knowledge with Fewer Animals (MKMD) Programme; The Hague, The Netherlands

Editorial Activities (Selected)

Ad-hoc Reviewer

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Acta Biomaterialia, Advanced Materials, BBA - General Subjects, Biosensors, Biotechnology Journal, Cancers, Cancer Letters, Cancer Medicine, Cell Cycle, Gynecologic Oncology, Journal of Biomedical Optics, Journal of Biophotonics, Journal of, Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology, Lab on a Chip, Lasers in Surgery & Medicine, Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences, Photochemistry and Photobiology, Photodiagnosis and Photodynamic Therapy, PLoS One, Radiation Research, Scientific Reports, Translational Oncology

Honors and Prizes (Selected)

2014 Ruth and William Silen, M.D. Award, New England Science Symposium

2014 Poster of Distinction, Top-tier award, 37^th Meeting of the ASP; San Diego, CA

2015 Chair’s Research Award, Research Performance Incentive Program, Department of Medicine, BWH.

2016 Best of Session Award, Photodynamic Therapy Session, 36^th Annual Conference ASLMS-PAPDT

2016 New Investigator Award, 38^th Meeting of the ASP; Tampa, FL