Faris Farassati, PhD, PharmD

Rank: Associate Professor

Research Interests

Dr. Farassati is translational cancer scientist at Kansas University Medical Center (KUMC) and the director of the Molecular Medicine Laboratory. With enhanced training in cell signaling and oncolytic virus therapy, Dr. Farassati's lab developed the SS1 virus as the first prototype of an oncolytic virus with capabilities in targeting overactivation of Ras pathway (Pan et al. PLoS ONE, 2009). A focus of Dr. Farassati's research is to develop viruses which can specifically target and destroy cancer stem cells. Such viruses can induce a robust tumor regression due to destruction of the repopulation capabilities of the tumors. His lab also works on signaling characterization of cancer stem cells in human malignancies with the goal of targeting them. Dr.Farassati's research has frequently attracted national/international attention as could be confirmed by a Google search under his name. He was recently named as the chair of the "Neuro-oncology" session of WCNT-2010 and the "infectious agents and cancer" of the World Cancer Congress, 2011.

Publications

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Education and Training

Degree: University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada (Ph.D.)
Degree: Harvard Medical School-MGH (Postdoctoral Fellow)
Degree: Mayo Clinic, Rochester (Postdoctoral Fellow)
Degree: Tabriz Medical Sciences University, Tabriz (Pharm. D) 

Awards

• 1999: Bronze Service Award, Alumni association University of Calgary, AB, Canada
• 2001: Parchment of Excellence, Senate of the University of Calgary, AB, Canada
• 2005: NF Prize, Children Tumor Foundation (formerly NNFF), NY, USA
• 2005-Current: The Scientific World Journal: member of gene therapy domain editorial board
• 2006: Invited keynote speaker: Institute for Science and Health research reception: Palm Beach Florida
• 2008: Invited speaker: National Cancer institute, Tumor biology section, Bethesda, MD
• 2009: Invited lecturer: 14th World Congress on Advances in Oncology, Greece.
• 2009: Invited lecturer: 12th International Symposium on Molecular Medicine, Greece.
• 2009: Co-chair and invited speaker: 3rd World Conference on Genes-2009, Foshan, China.
• 2009: Member: Research advisory board (RAB), Children's Tumor Foundation (CTF)
• 2010: Chair and member of international advisory board: Cortex Neurotechnology meeting, Rome, Italy.
• 2010: Invite speaker and co-chair: Molecular oncology session: 15th World Cancer Congress, Singapore.
• 2011: Invited presenter: Innovation minds in prostate cancer Treatment (IMPaCT), CDMRP-PCRP, Orlando

Organizations

• American society for Gene therapy (1997-Current)
• New York Academy of Science (2003-Current)
• Harvard Alumni Association (2003-Current)
• American Association for Cancer Research (2004-Current)
• Mayo Alumni Association (2004-Current)
• American Society for Microbiology (2008-Current)