A PhD student working with OICR’s Drug Discovery team is advancing research into a therapeutic target for lung cancer.

Solving cancer is a significant challenge, and Mahmoud Noureldin wants to be a part of the solution. Noureldin is a PhD student in the University of Toronto’s Pharmacology and Toxicology Department, working with OICR’s Head of Therapeutic Innovation and Drug Discovery Dr. Rima Al-awar. His research focuses on DCAF1, a potential therapeutic target for lung cancer. He and his colleagues found that lung cancer cells die when you inhibit – or “knock down” – DCAF1 and now they are working to further investigate the biology behind it.

“I hope that [my] work can add to our understanding of the target,” he says. “Also, from a clinical point of view, I hope that the work eventually can be used to benefit cancer patients.”