Syed Shahidul Islam

Dr. Syed Islam is a Scientist at KFSHRC and an Adjunct Associate Professor at Alfaisal University. He received post-doctoral research training at The Hospital for Sick Children Research Centre, Toronto, Ontario. Individualizing treatment decisions is critical in cancer due to the lack of prognostic and predictive biomarkers. Poor survival rates and treatment outcomes indicate the need for new and improved therapy. By investigating tumour biopsies and circulating cell-free DNA, Dr. Islam's research program focuses on identifying the hallmark of prognostic and predictive biomarkers for patients’ classification using genomic characterisation. Using artificial intelligence, machine learning, and bioinformatics tools, this research could transform the identification of novel biomarkers and targets, and pathways for the most aggressive cancer treatment.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning

Bioinformatics

Cellular and molecular biology techniques

Cancer genomics

Biomarker discovery

Dr. Syed completed his PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology, followed by postdoctoral fellow training at the SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His doctoral and postdoctoral work focused on identifying the molecular pathways and basis of cancer progression and treatment resistance. He has more than 40 publications including in high profile journals as The Lancet's eBioMedicine and the Journal of Experimental and Clinical Cancer Research.