Lab Members

    Principal Investigator

    Kareem Azab, PhD

    AbdElKareem.Azab@UTSouthwestern.edu

    Kareem Azab, PhD

    Dr. Kareem Azab 

    Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at University of Texas Southwestern
    CPRIT Rising Star Scholar of Cancer Research
    Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors
    Founder of Cellatrix LLC; Founder of Targeted Therapeutics LLC; Co-Founder of CovACE Nanotechnology LLC; Co-Founder of OncInsight LLC.

    Dr. Azab earned a Pharmacy degree, MSc in Medicinal Chemistry and a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and completed post-doctoral training focusing on cancer biology at Harvard Medical School/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and held a faculty position for 10 years at Washington University in St. Louis.

    Dr. Azab’s Lab performs multi-disciplinary translational research for the treatment of cancer; including: Cancer cell biology (cancer cell signaling and tumor microenvironment as novel targets); Nano-therapy (development of therapy-loaded nano-particles targeted to cancer); Biodegradable drug implants (for localized high dose delivery of therapeutic agents in the tumor bed, and decrease delivery to normal tissues); Ex vivo cancer models (develop of patient-derived ex-vivo 3D-tissue engineered cancer models for drug development and personalized medicine); and Immunotherapy (Provide technological solutions for PK and PD limitation of CART cells and Bis-specific T cell engagers using biomedical engineering approaches).

    Moreover, Dr. Azab is a serial entrepreneur who has over 12 patents at different stages, and founded/co-founded 4 spin-off startup companies (Cellatrix LLC, Targeted Therapeutics LLC, CovACE Nanotechnology LLC, and OncInsight LLC) based on research in his Lab.

    Out side of work, Kareem is a musician, poet, and human rights activist.

    Learn more about Dr. Azab

    STAFF

    Feda Azab

    Senior Research Associate
    Feda.Azab@UTSouthwestern.edu

    Feda Azab

    Feda finished her Bachelor of Pharmacy degree at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem-Israel in 2005 and worked in a compounding pharmacy for two years. In 2007, she moved to Boston, MA to work at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard Medical School as Lead Research Technician and discovered research to be her passion. In 2012 she moved to St. Louis, MO and worked as a Senior Research Technician and Lab Manager in the Azab Lab at Washington University in St. Louis. In 2016, a startup company, Cellatrix LLC, was created out of the Azab Lab and Feda moved to lead its research team as a Senior Scientist, where she still consults today. Feda’s expertise is in cancer cell biology, especially cell signaling, drug resistance, metastasis, and in development of TME-relevant 3D culture models. In her spare time, Feda enjoys art (especially crafts and drawing), reading and trying recipes from different cuisines.

     

    Mina Maksimos

    Research Associate
    Mina.Maksimos@UTSouthwestern.edu

    Mina Maksimos

    Mina Maksimos has a strong academic background in pharmacy and immunology, having earned his bachelor’s degree from the School of Pharmacy at Heliopolis University in Egypt and his master’s degree from Friedrich Schiller University in Germany. In addition to his academic achievements, Mina has also gained research experience in the field of Nano-Immunotherapy for blood cancer through his master’s thesis at Washington University in St. Louis, under the supervision of Prof. Azab. His Master's thesis at Wash U, which focused on developing nanoparticle-based immunotherapies for targeting tumor microenvironment for Multiple Myeloma, demonstrates his dedication to working towards innovative solutions in the healthcare field.

    Furthermore, Mina exhibits diverse interests and skills outside of his academic pursuits, he is an avid practitioner of physical fitness and enjoys various sports such as Calisthenics, Parkour, and diving

     

    FORMER STAFF

    POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS

    Camila Diedrich, PhD

    Camila.Diedrich@UTSouthwestern.edu

    Camila Diedrich, PhD

    Camila earned her PhD in Organic Chemistry in 2022 under the direction of Dr. Rubiana M. Mainardes at Midwestern University, Brazil, and Dr. Ildiko Badea at University of Saskatchewan, Canada. For her thesis, she developed chitosan-coated nanoemulsion containing luteolin, aiming its intranasal delivery to treat brain tumors. The nanostructure was characterized and evaluated regarding its cytotoxicity and pharmacokinetics.  In her spare time, Dr. Diedrich enjoys gardening, swimming, and practicing volleyball. She also has special interest in learning new techniques of cell culture, quantitative chemical analysis, and animal models.

    Saeideh Arsalani, PhD

    Saeideh.Arsalani@UTsouthwestern.edu

    Saeideh Arsalani, PhD

    Dr. Arsalani obtained a B.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering from Islamic Azad University, Iran; a M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in Applied Physics in Medicine and Biology from University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Her doctoral research focused on nano-medicine, focusing on cancer drug delivery using targeted nanoparticles. 
    In our Lab, she will be studying the use on nanoparticles for improving immunotherapy in cancer. Focusing on novel methods to activate T cells to fight hard-to-treat cancers, such as pancreatic, liver, and upper-GI (stomach, gallbladder and esophageal).
    Outside the Lab, Seti is multi-cultural, she speaks three languages and enjoys traveling and knowing new cultures and cuisines. Musically, she loves listening to classic Persian and classic Western music, and recently she enjoys pop and rock. She is also a talented dancer! She enjoys Persian traditional dance and Brazilian Forro.

    FORMER POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS

    GRADUATE STUDENT TRAINEES

    Katie Rubitschung, M.S.

    katie.rubitschung@utsouthwestern.edu

    Katie Rubitschung, M.S.

    Katie earned her B.Sc in Biomedical Science and M.Sc. in Biology from Minnesota State University Mankato. Her undergraduate and master's research was in the lab of Dr. Michael Bentley and focused on the role of sex steroids on bone mineralization. After completing her M.Sc., she worked in the radiology department at UT Southwestern in the lab of Dr. Orhan Öz. During this time, she investigated the role of aromatase and estrogen deficiency in murine models. Furthermore, she was involved in a clinical study which aimed to compare the diagnostic value of of 99mTc-WBC SPECT/CT, MRI, and the “gold standard” bone biopsy. 

    Outside of the lab, Katie enjoys running with her dog, training for marathons, and reading. 

    Obed Asare, M.S.

    obed.asare@utsouthwestern.edu

    Smiling man with short dark hair wearing plaid shirt and suit jacket.

    Mr. Asare is an accomplished biochemist, having graduated in the top 1% of his class with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana. He then spent a semester studying Molecular Life Science at the University of Bern in Switzerland, before being awarded the prestigious Presidential Research Fellowship Award to pursue a Master of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
    Outside the lab, Mr. Asare hails from Obuasi, Ghana, West Africa, an area with stunning natural beauty and abundant natural resources, including one of the largest gold deposits on earth. He is a lover of cultural diversity and has lived in many places. In his free time, he enjoys playing soccer (football), traveling, sightseeing and playing the piano.

    FORMER GRADUATE STUDENTS

    UNDERGRADUATE  STUDENTS & INTERNS

    Selena Ghaben

    Selena.Ghaben@UTSouthwestern.edu

    Smiling woman with long dark hair standing in front of a wall with multiple repetitive copy, O The Ohio State University

    Selena is originally from Palestine and grew up in Dayton, Ohio. She is a fourth-year student at The Ohio State University studying Neuroscience. During the academic year, she is involved with club sports as well as A Moment of Magic, a nonprofit organization working with underserved and medically vulnerable children. She most recently worked in a Cognitive Development Research Lab, which studies learning and development in children. She is also looking forward to her Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Position in the Fall for the Engineering Department. In her spare time, Selena enjoys reading, playing piano, and learning new languages. 

    FORMER UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH STUDENTS

    FORMER MEDICAL & PHARMACY INTERNS

    VISITING INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS