Sima Salahshor
Adjunct Professor University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine
Media
Social
Biography
Currently, Dr. Salahshor serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology. Additionally, she is the Principal at Shiruy, Inc. (formerly ScienceHA), a scientific advisory and program management firm specializing in life sciences and healthcare projects and programs. Throughout her career, she has worked with early-stage and larger pharmaceutical companies, utilizing her 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), showcasing her extensive experience in program design, development, and implementation. Furthermore, she has been actively serving on several boards of directors, advisory committees, not-for-profit patient support organizations, and mentorship programs.
Industry Expertise
Areas of Expertise
Education
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
- University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Laboratory of Medicine and Pathobiology
- Shiruy, Inc
Links
Languages
- English
- Swedish
- Persian
Sample Talks
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
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
Frequent accumulation of nuclear E-cadherin and alterations in the Wnt signaling pathway in esophageal squamous cell carcinomas
Modern PathologySima 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 PathologySima 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 CancerSima 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 Pathology2008-08-01
Comment on: E-cadherin/catenin complex status in solid pseudopapillary tumor of the pancreas.
E-cadherin in solid pseudopapillary tumors of the pancreas.
Human Pathology2008-09-01
E-cadherin expression and analysis in pancreas tumors.
Nuclear expression of E-cadherin in solid pseudopapillary tumors of the pancreas.
Journal of the Pancreas2007-05-01
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 Pathology2005-09-01
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 Pathology2005-01-01
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 Cancer2002-03-01
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 Cancer2001-01-01
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 MedicineS. 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 Genetic2001-09-01
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 Research2001-03-01
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 InvestigationSima 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 CancerSima 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 CancerS 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).
