Dr. Sima Salahshor

Adjunct Professor | University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine

Toronto, ON, CANADA

Health Innovation Advisory and Program Design & Management

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Biography

Dr. Sima Salahshor earned her Bachelor's degree in Clinical Chemistry, Master's degree in Molecular Biology and Ph.D. in Medical Genetics from Karolinska Institute (Stockholm, Sweden). She worked as a scientist at Princess Margaret Hospital, Ontario Cancer Institute, St. Michael Hospital, Mount Sinai Hospital and Lunenfeld Research Institute (Toronto, Canada), conducting cancer biology and oncology research. In collaboration with other medical experts, she has analyzed clinical samples and published her research findings in the areas of colorectal, breast, gastric, esophageal and pancreatic cancer.

Dr. Salahshor is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Laboratory of Medicine and Pathobiology and Principal at Shiruy, Inc. (formerly ScienceHA), a scientific advisory and program management firm focusing on life sciences and healthcare-related projects and programs. She has worked extensively with early-stage and larger Pharmaceutical companies. She has a background in genetic, diagnostics and prognostic biomarkers, medical guideline and policy development, clinical trial study management, product evaluation, marketing and commercialization.

Dr. Salahshor is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with the Project Management Institute (PMI) and has extensive experience in program design, development and implementation. She has been active serving on several boards of directors, advisory committees, not-for-profit patient support organizations and mentorship programs.

Industry Expertise (12)

Non-Profit/Charitable

Insurance

Public Policy

Health Care - Services

Business Services

Research

International Trade and Development

Biotechnology

Pharmaceuticals

Medical Devices

Management Consulting

Education/Learning

Areas of Expertise (12)

Medical Genetics

Business Development & Partnerships

Program Implementation

Marketing & Corporate Strategy

Health Technologies

Medical Guideline and Policy

Oncology

Health Innovation

Companion Diagnostics

Policy Analysis

Medical technology

Pain Management Research

Education (4)

Project Management Institute (PMI): PMP Certification, License #1661589

Karolinska Institute: Ph.D., Medical Genetics

Uppsala University: M.Sc., Molecular Biology

University College of Health Science: B.Sc., Clinical Chemistry

Affiliations (2)

University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Laboratory of Medicine and Pathobiology
Shiruy, Inc

Links (7)

Languages (3)

English
Swedish
Persian

Sample Talks (5)

Genetics and cancer risk factors

Communication of science to the general public is increasingly recognized as one of the responsibilities of scientists and health care professionals. In this session, principles of genetic inheritance, cancer risk factors, diagnostic and prognostic test methodologies and some of the latest treatment options are reviewed. The goal is to communicate scientific information and developments in the field of cancer genetics to promote better understanding of challenges & opportunities in personalized medicine among both professionals and the general public.

Picturing Science: An overview of imaging technologies

In the past decades imaging technologies are increasingly used to model the dynamics and structure of biological systems. Biomedical imaging is now an integral part of biological and medical sciences and is used in both clinical practice and research. In this session some of the latest imaging technologies are reviewed.

To be or not to be a scientist!

Various career paths available to students in science degree programs are reviewed. We also discuss what skills and qualifications are required to succeed in a graduate or postgraduate program and ultimately thrive as a good scientist. This talk was originally prepared for the "Summer Student Research Program" at the Department of Laboratory of Medicine and Pathobiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto.

Cell signaling pathways involved in carcinogenesis

Cell signaling pathways in normal and cancer cells will be discussed. We also review recent advancement in cancer treatment, novel drugs and their mechanism of action. This lecture is part of a graduate course that is offered at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine.

Genetic diversity and drug resistance

Why some people respond to a treatment while others don’t? What are the mechanisms of drug resistance? How genetic makeup or dynamic genetic changes in cells contribute to drug resistance? Why a person develops tolerance to a drug? How biomarkers can help predict drug response? These are some of the questions that will be discussed in this session.

Availability

Keynote
Moderator
Panelist
Workshop Leader

Courses (2)

Cellular Imaging in Pathobiology (Course ID# LMP1100H)

This course explores the powerful intersection of Physics, Biological science, and Imaging technologies. Some of the lectures will be complemented by laboratory sessions demonstrating these systems. As a result, students will have the opportunity for hands-on experience with state-of-the-art optical, electronic, and digital imaging equipment guided by an experienced staff from the University, hospitals, research facilities, government agencies as well as the industry. This course will focus on the theory, application and implementation of different imaging techniques, and more importantly, on application of biological experimentation relevant to modern biological research or clinical biochemical studies and the common real-life research goal in the industry, hospitals and research laboratories.

Signal Transduction Pathways in Normal and Diseased Tissues (Course ID# LMP1503H)

Signalling Pathways in Cancer: Signal transduction mechanisms will be described and illustrated by defects in specific human disease states.

Articles (16)

Frequent accumulation of nuclear E-cadherin and alterations in the Wnt signaling pathway in esophageal squamous cell carcinomas

Modern Pathology

Sima Salahshor, Richard Naidoo, Stefano Serra, Warren Shih, Ming-Sound Tsao, Runjan Chetty & James R Woodgett

2007-12-01

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is frequently associated with poor prognosis, as a result of high levels of lymph node metastasis. So far, very few genetic abnormalities have been associated with this disease, and its molecular etiology remains largely unknown.

The links between axin and carcinogenesis

Journal of Clinical Pathology

Sima Salahshor and James R Woodgett

2005-03-01

The products of the two mammalian Axin genes (Axin1 and its homologue Axin2) are essential for the degradation of beta catenin, a component of Wnt signalling that is frequently dysregulated in cancer cells.

Differential gene expression profile reveals deregulation of pregnancy specific beta1 glycoprotein 9 early during colorectal carcinogenesis

BMC Cancer

Sima Salahshor, Jason Goncalves, Runjan Chetty, Steven Gallinger & James R Woodgett

2005-06-01

To elucidate the biological dysregulation underlying adenoma formation we examined global gene expression profiles of adenomas and corresponding normal mucosa from an FAP patient. Differential expression of the most significant gene identified in this study was further validated by mRNA in situ hybridization, reverse transcriptase PCR and Northern blotting in different sets of adenomas, tumours and cancer cell lines.

Nuclear expression of E-cadherin.

American Journal of Surgical Pathology

2008-08-01

Comment on: E-cadherin/catenin complex status in solid pseudopapillary tumor of the pancreas.

E-cadherin in solid pseudopapillary tumors of the pancreas.

Human Pathology

2008-09-01

E-cadherin expression and analysis in pancreas tumors.

Nuclear expression of E-cadherin in solid pseudopapillary tumors of the pancreas.

Journal of the Pancreas

2007-05-01

This study is the first demonstration of aberrant nuclear localization of E-cadherin protein in solid pseudopapillary tumors of the pancreas. Whilst the exact mechanism is not know and nuclear E-cadherin is not related to tumor aggression, this staining pattern may be of diagnostic value in concert with beta-catenin staining.

Expression of Wnt-signaling pathway proteins in intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms of the pancreas: a tissue microarray analysis

Human Pathology

2005-09-01

Abrogation of the Wnt-signaling pathway is implicated in the carcinogenesis of several malignancies, especially colorectal cancer where up to 90% of cases are thought to have impaired Wnt signaling. It is less frequently involved in conventional ductal pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the pancreas in a patient with attenuated familial adenomatous polyposis.

Journal of Clinical Pathology

2005-01-01

A 67 year old man with a clinical diagnosis of attenuated familial adenomatous polyposis (AFAP) and a past history of synchronous colon cancers in the transverse colon was also found to have an intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) of the pancreas.

CDH1 mutations are present in both ductal and lobular breast cancer, but promoter allelic variants show no detectable breast cancer risk.

International Journal of Cancer

2002-03-01

Mutations and diminished expression of the E-cadherin gene (CDH1) have been identified in a number of epithelial malignancies. Although somatic CDH1 mutations were detected in lobular breast cancer with a frequency ranging from 10-56%, CDH1 alterations in more frequent ductal tumors appear to be rare.

COL11A1 in FAP polyps and in sporadic colorectal tumors.

BMC Cancer

2001-01-01

We previously reported that the alpha-1 chain of type 11 collagen (COL11A1), not normally expressed in the colon, was up-regulated in stromal fibroblasts in most sporadic colorectal carcinomas. Patients with germline mutations in the APC gene show, besides colonic polyposis, symptoms of stromal fibroblast involvement, which could be related to COL11A1 expression.

A germline E-cadherin mutation in a family with gastric and colon cancer.

Journal of Molecular Medicine

S. Salahshor H. Hou C. B. Diep A. Loukola H. Zhang T. Liu J. Chen L. Iselius C. Rubio R. A. Lothe L. Aaltonen X.-F. Sun G. Lindmark A. Lindblom

2001-10-01

Inactivating mutations have been found in the cell-cell adhesion molecule E-cadherin (CDH1), which acts as a tumor suppressor gene in different kinds of cancers, e.g. primarily diffuse gastric cancer and lobular breast cancer.

Screening families with endometrial and colorectal cancers for germline mutations.

Journal of Medical Genetic

2001-09-01

Endometrial cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer of the female reproductive tract in the United States and other western countries. Although several genes may be altered in these cancers, the molecular events in the development of endometrial carcinoma remain poorly defined.

Low frequency of E-cadherin alterations in familial breast cancer.

Breast Cancer Research

2001-03-01

In order to explore the possible role of E-cadherin in familial cancer, 19 familial breast cancer patients, whose tumours demonstrated loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at the E-cadherin locus, were screened for germline mutations.

Microsatellite Instability and hMLH1 and hMSH2 expression analysis in familial and sporadic colorectal cancer.

Lab Investigation

Sima Salahshor, Konrad Koelble, Carlos Rubio & Annika Lindblom

2001-04-01

Immunohistochemical expression analysis of mismatch repair gene products has been suggested for the prediction of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) carrier status in cancer families and the selection of microsatellite instability (MSI)-positive tumors in sporadic colorectal cancer. In this study, we aimed to evaluate hMSH2 and hMLH1 immunohistochemistry in familial and sporadic colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer with and without microsatellite instability involves different genes.

Genes Chromosomes Cancer

Sima Salahshor, Ulf Kressner, Lars Påhlman, Bengt Glimelius, Gudrun Lindmark, Annika Lindblom

1999-11-01

There is evidence supporting a multistep genetic model for colorectal tumorigenesis. In familial adenomatosis polyposis (FAP), the inherited defect is a mutation in the APC gene. The vast majority of all sporadic colorectal cancers also show mutations in the APC gene, and the tumorigenesis in sporadic colorectal cancer and FAP is assumed to involve the same genes.

Microsatellite instability in sporadic colorectal cancer is not an independent prognostic factor.

British Journal of Cancer

S Salahshor, U Kressner, H Fischer, G Lindmark, B Glimelius, L Påhlman & A Lindblom

1999-09-01

Hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) is linked to an inherited defect in the DNA mismatch repair system. DNA from HNPCC tumours shows microsatellite instability (MSI).