Rima Al-awar

Director and Senior Principal Investigator, Medicinal Chemistry

Research Description

Since joining OICR, Dr. Al-awar has been recruiting scientists and developing the Medicinal Chemistry Platform within OICR. The group is dedicated to the design, synthesis and evaluation of novel anti-tumour agents. The projects within the Medicinal Chemistry Portfolio focus largely on novel targets, with specific chemical probes being created to better understand cancer signaling pathways and potential points of therapeutic intervention. The major goal of the Medicinal Chemistry group is to optimize lead molecules and progress them to drug candidates that can translate into therapeutic benefits to cancer patients.

Contact Information

Telephone
+1 (416) 673 8577
Email
rima.alawar@oicr.on.ca
Mailing Address
101 College Street, Suite 800
Toronto, Ontario
Canada, M5G 0A3

Current

2008 - Director and Senior Principal Investigator, Medicinal Chemistry, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR).

Background

2005 - 2008Head, Route Selection Group, Chemical Process Research and Development at Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis.
2004 - 2005Head, Discovery Chemistry Research and Technologies at Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis.
2002 - 2004Head, Discovery Chemistry Research and Technologies, Research Triangle Park at Eli Lilly and Company, North Carolina.
2001 - 2002Research Scientist, Discovery Chemistry Research and Technologies, Research Triangle Park at Eli Lilly and Company, North Carolina.
2000 - 2001Research Scientist, Discovery Chemistry Research and Technologies at Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis.
1995 - 1999Senior Organic Chemist, Discovery Chemistry Research and Technologies at Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis.
1993 - 1995Postdoctoral fellow, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
1988 - 1993PhD, Synthetic Organic Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina.
1984 - 1988BS, Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Selected Bibliography

  • Song S., Christova T., Perusini S., Alizadeh S., Bao R.-Y., Miller B.W., Hurren R., Jitkova Y., Gronda M., Isaac M., Joseph B., Subramaniam R., Aman A., Chau A., Hogge D.E., Weir S.J., Kasper J., Schimmer A.D., Al-awar R., Wrana J.L., Attisano L. “Wnt inhibitor screen reveals iron dependence of β-catenin signaling in cancers”. Published Online First October 18, 2011
    • Mahoney D.J., Lefebvre C., Allan K., Brun J., Sanaei C.A., Baird S., Pearce N., Grönberg S., Wilson B., Prakesh M., Aman A., Isaac M.,Mamai A., Uehling D., Al-awar R., Falls T., Alain T., Stojdl D.F. “Virus-tumour Interactome Screen Reveals ER Stress Response can Reprogram Resistant Cancers for Oncolytic Virus-Triggered Caspase-2 Cell Death”. Cancer Cell 2011; 20:443-456.
      • Grinshtein N., Datti A., Fujitani M., Uehling D., Prakesch M., Isaac M., Irwin M. S., Wrana J. L., Al-awar R. S.; Kaplan D. R. "Small Molecule Kinase Inhibitor Screen Identifies Polo-Like Kinase 1 as a target for neuroblastoma Tumor-Initiating Cells". Cancer Res 2011; 71:1385-1395.
      • Wolfe B.H., Libby A. H., Al-awar R. S., Foti C. J., Comins D. L. “Asymmetric Synthesis of All the Known Phlegmarine Alkaloids.” J. Org. Chem. 2010, 75(24), 8564-8570.
      • Al-awar, RS, Ray JE, Schultz RM, Andis Sherri L, Kennedy JH, Moore RE Liang J, Golakoti T, Subbaraju GV, Corbett TH. A Convergent Approach to Cryptophycin 52 Analogues: Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of a Novel Series of Fragment A Epoxides and Chlorohydrins. J. Med. Chem. 2003; 46(14): 2985-3007.