The following is reprinted from the February 6 issue of the UI Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Holden Highlights newsletter. See other features from this series.

Muhammad Furqan, MD, clinical associate professor in Hematology, Oncology, and Blood and Marrow Transplantation, has been appointed Interim Associate Director of Clinical Research for the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center (HCCC).

In this role, Furqan will be responsible for issues related to clinical research. Furqan will provide leadership to the cores that oversee and support clinical research and the associated programs of the HCCC. Furqan will provide advice and guidance to the HCCC members relative to clinical research activities.

Furqan’s research focuses on inhibiting the adaptive immune resistance in lung cancers. Preliminary findings from the XACT-Lung trial (Allen-Furqan, Co-PIs), suggest that pharmacological ascorbate elicits an anti-cancer T cell response. To evaluate further, Furqan will be investigating pharmacological ascorbate with anti-PDL1 immune check point inhibitor in non-small cell lung cancer in a window of opportunity trial. He is also investigating the role of ATR inhibition in small cell lung cancer in a multi-institutional trial.

Furqan grew up in the largest city of Pakistan, Karachi. After graduating with an MBBS from Dow University of Health Sciences, he moved to New Jersey and completed his training in internal medicine at Seton Hall University. He then joined the hematology oncology fellowship program at New York Medical College in Valhalla, New York. During his fellowship, he rotated through the investigational drug branch at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). After fellowship, he became a faculty member in the Carver College of Medicine and a member of the experimental therapeutics program of HCCC. In 2020, he received a NCI, Cancer Clinical Investigator Team Leadership Award (CCITLA) and oversees the HCCC Clinical Research Services as the Medical Director. He loves playing and watching soccer and spends most of his time outside of work with his family.

HOBMT Division Director Mohammed Milhem, MBBS, previously served as Associate Director for Clinical Research in addition to his other leadership roles. We thank Dr. Milhem for serving in the Associate Director role and look forward to continuing to work with him in his other leadership roles.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Muhammad Furqan on his new leadership role.