The Markey Cancer Center is one of only 69 cancer research institutions throughout the country with NCI designation. In order to receive the NCI designation, cancer centers have to be able to prove they can make a major contribution in the effort to cure cancer. The NCI is the principal federal government agency dedicated to cancer research and training. Therefore, recognition by the NCI provides institutions such as the Markey Cancer Center access to government support such as federal grants. Because they're part of the NCI network, institutions can easily share research and treatment ideas with other centers in the network.
An oncology pharmacist for the Markey Cancer Center at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Sherif El-Refai, PharmD, is responsible for preparing and distributing medications for those dealing with cancer. Working at the Markey Cancer Center, the only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer center in Kentucky, allows Dr. Sherif El-Refai to practice cutting-edge techniques and research in the area of cancer treatments and medications.
The Markey Cancer Center is one of only 69 cancer research institutions throughout the country with NCI designation. In order to receive the NCI designation, cancer centers have to be able to prove they can make a major contribution in the effort to cure cancer. The NCI is the principal federal government agency dedicated to cancer research and training. Therefore, recognition by the NCI provides institutions such as the Markey Cancer Center access to government support such as federal grants. Because they're part of the NCI network, institutions can easily share research and treatment ideas with other centers in the network. Sherif El-Refai, a doctoral student at the University of Kentucky, focuses the majority of his research on genetically informed cancer treatments. At the university's Black Lab, Sherif El-Refai participates in studies that examine lung cancer and potential targeted interventions.
According to the National Cancer Institute, lung cancer is responsible for more deaths per year than any other form of cancer. Medical science believes that approximately 25 percent of all cases of lung cancer result directly from a mutation of the KRAS oncogene. Aggressive and often resistant to treatment, this cancer gene has a spherical shape that researchers have been trying to penetrate since discovery of the gene in 1982. Under the leadership of senior researcher Dr. Michael White at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, research teams created and analyzed numerous combinations of pharmaceutical interventions. Results showed that inactivation of the protein XPO1, located in the nucleus, kills the majority of KRAS-dependent cells. Markers of this process are evident in the cellular pathway that directs inflammation and tumor growth, as well as that which controls cell replication and organ size. This discovery carries hope for treatment teams, as an existing drug has already proven effective at inhibiting XPO1. Pharmaceutical company Karyopharm Therapeutics is now looking into a potential clinical trial of the XPO1 targeting drug Selenixor, which it plans to give to patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) caused by KRAS mutation. A doctoral student in pharmaceutical sciences, Sherif El-Refai focuses his studies on experimental and clinical therapeutics. Sherif El-Refai currently works in oncology pharmaceutical research at the University of Kentucky Hospital's Markey Cancer Center, where he contributes to targeted lung cancer therapy investigations. Traditionally, physicians treating patients with advanced lung cancer have used a tissue biopsy to determine individual courses of treatment. Now, however, research has revealed that a non-invasive liquid biopsy procedure could be more effective in identifying genetic mutations of clinical relevance. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's Abramson Cancer Center have found that liquid biopsies identified mutations that matched those found in more conventional genome sequencing tissue biopsy tests. The same liquid biopsies also found mutations that other tests failed to identify in later tests. In addition, liquid biopsies offer the advantage of being obtainable even in cases of metastases. In such instances, physicians must often rely on less precise blood testing, as tissue sampling becomes impossible. This means that treatment teams may be able to identify drug-resistant disease development using non-invasive methods, a combination of benefits that aligns with current priorities in cancer research. Pursuing a PhD at the University of Kentucky, Sherif El-Refai divides his time between the doctoral program and conducting lung cancer research at the Black Lab. Sherif El-Refai also serves the Markey Cancer Center as an oncology pharmacist. In recent news, the Markey Cancer Center published an article about an investigational medical device that received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for clinical trials. The center’s Multidisciplinary Lung Cancer Clinic surgical director and the university’s chief of anesthesiology critical care played crucial roles in developing the Exatherm Total Body Hyperthermia System (Exatherm-TBH) to treat late-stage lung cancer. Exatherm-TBH delivers heat throughout the body to eliminate cancerous cells. Unlike traditional therapies that only treat affected areas, the system focuses on total body hyperthermia with the use of a perfusion circuit. This allows medical professionals to circulate blood throughout the vascular system at a specific temperature. Because healthy cells have the ability to protect themselves from heightened body temperatures, researchers expect that Exatherm-TBH will be able to attack diseased cells without harming healthy ones.
Dr. Sherif El-Refai, a clinical oncology pharmacist at Markey Cancer Center, comes to his work with a research and business strategy focus. Dr. Sherif El-Refai received his PhD in pharmaceutical science from the University of Kentucky, where he conducted translational research into cancer treatment both locally and nationwide.
A multidisciplinary form of investigation, translational research operates at the intersection of laboratory work and clinical practice. It begins with the development of innovative therapeutics, after which it identifies appropriate test patients and administers the drug in a clinically responsible manner. This methodology represents a relatively new advancement in cancer research, prior efforts having been largely confined to the lab. However, recent progress in translational research and the development of lifesaving drugs, including groundbreaking treatments for breast cancer, have prompted an increase in funding for translational programs. At the University of Kentucky's Markey Cancer Center, the integrated Drug Discovery, Delivery and Translational Therapeutics Program connects researchers and oncologists from the university's medical school as well as its top-ranked College of Pharmacy and its College of Engineering. Its efforts largely focus on rural populations in Kentucky, particularly those living in underserved regions of Appalachia. The only cancer center serving this population, it has received national recognition from the National Rural Health Association for its efforts in developing culturally connected research initiatives. A PhD student at the University of Kentucky (UK), Sherif El-Refai conducts oncology research with a focus on lung cancer. Sherif El-Refai performs studies as part of the Black Lab team.
Actively involved with the National Lung Cancer Partnership and American Society of Clinical Oncologists, the Black Lab was established in 2004 at the College of Pharmacy at UK. The group designs wet-lab experiments to determine how control of gene expressions impacts cancer therapy response in patients. Studies consist of patient tumor samples and high- and medium-throughput gene expression analysis of cancer cell lines. Current Black Lab researchers include doctoral, PharmD, graduate, and undergraduate students. Past lab members have achieved admission into a fellowship program at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists and published a paper in Cancer Biology and Therapy related to inhibition of class IA PI3K enzymes in non-small cell lung cancer cells. More recently, a Black Lab member joined Experimental Biology 2015 to present multiple posters on cancer research. A PhD candidate at the University of Kentucky (UKY), Sherif El-Refai balances his studies with his responsibilities as an oncology pharmacist at UKY Hospital’s Markey Cancer Center. In this capacity, Sherif El-Refai conducts research for lung cancer.
There are a number of lung cancer treatment options that researchers have discovered and developed throughout the years. Depending on a patient’s personal choice or the stage of his or her cancer, a practitioner will help choose the treatment that will help provide the best outcome. In patients who have non-small-cell lung cancer, physicians often perform surgery to remove tumorous growths from the lungs. The size of the contained growths determines whether the surgeon will remove lobes, small sections, or the entire lung. This option can be coupled with other treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation, which can reduce the size of tumors prior to surgery or eradicate cancerous cells after tumor removal. Additionally, patients can explore targeted drug treatments that focus on specific elements of cancer cells. For example, Bevacizumab prevents a tumor from creating the blood vessels that facilitate growth, while Crizonitib blocks a cancer cell’s ability to develop and spread throughout the body. Physicians often recommend clinical trial participation to many patients who see little to no results from other forms of treatment. This unique regimen of care offers a variety of experimental procedures to patients. While they do not always guarantee results, clinical trials can help cancer researchers learn and improve treatment options. Having already earned a doctor of pharmacy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Sherif El-Refai is now pursuing a PhD in pharmaceutical sciences from the University of Kentucky (UK). Sherif El-Refai also draws on his experience as a pharmacist to serve as an oncology pharmacist at the UK Markey Cancer Center.
In a recent press release, the UK Markey Cancer Center announced that it partnered with the T.J. Samson Community Hospital in Glasgow, Kentucky, to expand Markey’s oncology program in the community and to offer additional resources to local patients. Markey states that the collaboration will help grow and improve a wide range of oncology services at T.J. Samson, including psychosocial support, patient navigation, and rehabilitation services. Through the formal collaboration, Markey and T.J. Samson hope to significantly strengthen cancer prevention and treatment in the state. The partnership between the two organizations is particularly important because Kentucky has one of the nation’s highest rates of cancer occurrence and mortality. Markey will also help T.J. Samson prepare for the American College of Surgeons' Commission on Cancer accreditation that is necessary for T.J. Samson to become part of the UK Markey Cancer Center Affiliate Network (MCCAN). Currently a candidate member of MCCAN, T.J. Samson is working to become a full affiliate member. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Sherif El-Refai is currently an oncology pharmacist. Additionally, Sherif El-Refai is also a doctoral student working on lung cancer research at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, where he analyzes correlations pertaining to treatment of specific malignancies. His research is conducted at the Markey Cancer Center, which consists of four facilities.
The Ben F. Roach Cancer Care Facility provides a space for the individualized care and treatment of patients with cancer. It is the site for both inpatient and outpatient care, radiation medicine, ovarian cancer screenings, and bone marrow transplants, along with administrative services. The Dorothy Enslow Combs Cancer Research Facility houses 25 laboratories used for cancer research, including those that study DNA and protein sequencing, high field NMR, and peptide synthesis. Within the building are also conference spaces and offices. The M. Margrite Davis and Ralph E. Mills Magnetic Imaging and Spectroscopy Center is also used, in part, for research. In addition, the center provides patient care in the areas of magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy. This facility directly connects to the fourth facility, the Marylou Whitney and John Hendrickson Cancer Facility for Women, which is the location for ambulatory treatment and care of the main cancers affecting women. Pharmacist Sherif El-Refai resides in Cary, North Carolina. Sherif El-Refai earned a master of business administration with a concentration in competitive strategy and marketing and global management, from the University of Florida's Hough Graduate School of Business.
A part of Warrington College of Business Administration, the Hough Graduate School of Business received recognition from Eduniversal’s Best Masters Rankings 2014/2015 for its full-time MBA program, which ranked sixth among public schools across the United States. The same program also sits at the 28th spot in the list that ranks all U.S. master of business administration programs. Joining the prestigious list are the university’s master of science in management and master of international business; both made the second spot among public schools. Other University of Florida programs to earn acknowledgement on Eduniversal’s Best Masters Rankings 2014/2015 include the working professional programs, master of science in information systems, and master of accounting. Additionally, the Warrington College of Business Administration received the 4 Palmes of Excellence accolade for its influence in international education. |
AuthorSherif El-Refai, who possesses a Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy, has held a number of research and volunteer positions throughout the course of his academic career. Important LinksArchives
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