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Dr Omar Elaskalani

Senior Research Officer

Omar Elaskalani

Senior Research Officer

BSc, MSc, PhD

Dr. Omar Elaskalani is a cancer researcher who studies the distinctive microenvironment of paediatric cancers. Omar and his team develop and apply innovative preclinical models and cutting-edge single-cell omics to uncover age-specific immune-targeted therapies to effectively treat children with cancer.

Find Dr Elaskalani on ORCID.

Education and Qualifications

  • PhD in Biomedical Sciences (Pancreatic cancer), 2019, Curtin University, Australia
  • MSc in Drug design (Development and evaluation of anticancer compounds), 2014, University of Salford, UK
  • Postgraduate Diploma (clinical pharmacy), 2010, Ain Shams University, Egypt
  • BSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2008, Zagazig University, Egypt

Awards/honours

  • Research Focus Area Collaboration Award, The Kids Research Institute Australia (2022)
  • IGNITE EMCR project grant, The Kids Research Institute Australia (2022)
  • Best oral presentation award at the annual scientific meeting of the Thrombosis and Haemostasis society of Australia and New Zealand (2019)
  • Science on the Swan conference-best poster award (2017)
  • The Annual Perth Combined Biological Sciences Meeting prize for the most outstanding student poster presentation (2016)
  • Health Sciences Faculty International Research Scholarship, Curtin University (2015)
  • Vice Chancellor's Excellence Scholarship, University of Salford, UK (2013)
Projects

Kids are not small adults, Identifying age-dependent drug targets in paediatric oncology

Cancers in children are very different to cancers in adults. However, most therapeutic strategies are designed explicitly for adult cancers, and then used in children if proven safe.

Developing new immune based therapies for neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma is a complex childhood cancer of the nerve cells and the most common solid tumour in children outside of the brain. The average age of diagnosis is 1-2 years and tragically 50% of children with high-risk neuroblastoma lose their battle within five years.

Published research

Local therapy with combination TLR agonists stimulates systemic anti-tumor immunity and sensitizes tumors to immune checkpoint blockade