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Khalil Helou

Professor

Department of Oncology
Telephone
+46 31-786 67 46
Mail
khalil.helou@oncology.gu.se
Fax
+46 31-41 32 90
Visiting address
Blå stråket 2 SU/Jubileumsklin
41345 Göteborg
Postal address
Sahlgrenska Universitetssjukhuset
41345 Göteborg

About Khalil Helou

Khalil Helou obtained his PhD in Molecular Genetics from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, in 2000. His doctoral research focused on cancer, using the rat as a model organism to study two cancer types: spontaneously induced endometrial cancer and DMBA-induced fibrosarcoma. Following this, he pursued a postdoctoral fellowship at the NIH/NCI in Bethesda, USA, where he expanded his expertise to ovarian cancer research.

In 2003, he was appointed as a group leader at the Department of Oncology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, where he has since led translational cancer research efforts. His work has primarily focused on breast and ovarian cancer, with an emphasis on molecular subclassification, biomarker discovery for diagnosis and prognosis, and functional studies using cancer cell lines and mouse models to evaluate novel drug treatments. Additionally, he has investigated normal cell responses at the transcriptional and protein levels following irradiation.

Over the years, he has accumulated extensive experience in leading research teams and supervising students. He currently supervises five PhD students and co-supervises seven others. Previously, he served as the principal supervisor for six PhD students and as co-supervisor for fifteen, resulting in a total of 21 successfully defended doctoral theses. Furthermore, he has mentored three postdoctoral researchers, supporting their development and contributions to ongoing projects.

His teaching experience includes coordinating and lecturing in PhD courses, as well as teaching advanced-level courses in genetics, human genetics, oncology, and radiation biology. He has also been actively involved in delivering foundational and specialized lectures in oncology, molecular biology, and radiation biology to undergraduate and graduate students.

In addition to his research and teaching activities, he has taken on significant leadership responsibilities. Since 2019, he has served as one of the two joint Directors of PhD Studies at Sahlgrenska Academy and as Vice Chair of the Faculty’s Committee for Doctoral Studies. He currently serves as Deputy Head of the Institute of Clinical Sciences, responsible for doctoral education, and as Chair of the Institute’s Council for Doctoral Education. These roles have honed his leadership skills and deepened his commitment to promoting academic excellence at both institutional and individual levels.

As a professor, he aims to further advance interdisciplinary research collaborations that address pressing challenges in cancer biology and therapy. He is particularly interested in fostering partnerships between academia, healthcare, and industry to accelerate the translation of research findings into clinical applications. Moreover, he seeks to contribute to the development of innovative teaching approaches, integrating cutting-edge research into the curriculum to inspire and prepare the next generation of scientists. He also strives to enhance doctoral education by building a supportive environment and providing guidance that empowers students to achieve academic and professional excellence.

He is deeply committed to cultivating academic excellence in research, teaching, and leadership. His extensive experience as a researcher and educator has equipped him with the skills and perspective necessary to contribute meaningfully to the professorship at the Institute of Clinical Sciences and to its continued success.

Research area: Novel prognostic and predictive biomarkers for ovarian cancer treatment decisions: Translational research

Research environment: The research is conducted at Sahlgrenska Center for Cancer Research which is a biomedical research center consisting of several research groups, created by joint efforts of several institutes at Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, which have expanded and integrated their research activities on a common campus. In addition, we have access to animal facilities at the Laboratory for Experimental Biomedicine (EBM).The group comprises several researcher Khali Helou (genetist), Pernilla Dahm Kähler (gynecologist), Per Karlsson and Lars Ny (oncologists), Anikó Kovács (pathologist) Toshima Parris (molecular biologist), PhD students (Lucas Werner, Hugo Swenson, Elisabeth Werner Rönnerman, Luaay Aziz, and Ella Ittner), technical assistants (Prajakta Hetaker). Other contributing researchers oncologist (Zakaria Einbeigi), biostatistician (Szilard Nemes), Statistician (Erik Holmberg). Together with our collaborators, we have a broad knowledge and expertise in the clinic and lab.

Project: Ovarian cancer is the second most common and lethal gynecologic malignancy in the western world. After initial successful treatment, approximately 80% of all ovarian cancer patients develop recurrence within five years after initial diagnosis. Currently, there is no effective way of stratifying patients based on clinical outcome or benefit of adjuvant treatment after surgery. Therefore, many patients would profit from a complement to established prognostic markers. We hypothesize that for most patients, the genetic makeup of the primary tumor can predict aggressive tumor features that determine whether relapse may occur.

To test this hypothesis, we will analyze the genetic signatures of a cohort of ovarian carcinomas in order to identify potential novel biomarkers that can better classify ovarian tumors and predict aggressive tumor behavior. Our specific objectives are to: (1) identify cancer driver genes associated with ovarian cancer-specific survival and different OC histotypes, (2) determine whether altered protein levels of the candidate biomarkers are associated with ovarian cancer-specific survival and different ovarian cancer histotypes, and (3) define the tumorigenic and therapeutic potential of candidate biomarkers using patient-derived cancer cells and mouse models.

The proposed project will potentially improve the molecular classification of ovarian carcinomas representing different histotypes. Importantly, our work will shed light on the role of the identified biomarkers in tumor behavior and ultimately may provide valuable information to guide the decision-making process for ovarian cancer treatment.

Supervision

Current PhD students under my supervision

  1. Lucas Werner
  2. Hugo Swenson
  3. Luaay Aziz, MD, MB ChB
  4. Elisabeth Werner Rönnerman, MD
  5. Ella Ittner

Current PhD students under my co-supervision

  1. Anna Fäldt Beding
  2. Amalia Landén
  3. Amy Hardy Jiménez, 
  4. Ingun Ståhl
  5. Hana Bakr
  6. Klara Esbo
  7. Julia Johansson

Former PhD students under my supervision

  1. Elin Karlsson: Novel biomarkers predicting long-term survival in breast cancer, 2009
  2. Szilárd Nemes: Integrative genomic and survival analysis of breast tumors 2012
  3. Emman Shubbar: Analysis of Novel Biomarkers for Unfavorable Breast Cancer Prognosis 2012
  4. Toshima Parris: High-risk breast cancer. From biology to personalized therapeutic strategies 2014
  5. Jana Biermann: Tumour evolution and novel biomarkers in breast cancer 2019
  6. Hanna Engqvist: Novel biomarkers associated with histotype and clinical outcome in early-stage ovarian carcinoma 2020

Former PhD students under my co-supervision

  1. Anna Danielsson, PhD 2005
  2. Tatjana Adamovic, PhD 2006
  3. Ahmad Hamta, PhD 2006
  4. Emil Schuler, PhD 2015
  5. Nils Rudqvist, PhD 2015
  6. Britta Langen, PhD 2015
  7. Johan Spetz, PhD 2017
  8. Viktor Sandbloms, PhD 2019
  9. Malin Larsson, PhD 2021
  10. Jenny Nyqvist. PhD 2021
  11. Charlotte Andersson PhD 2022
  12. Axel Stenmark Tullberg PhD 2022
  13. Arman Romiani PhD 2023
  14. Peter Larsson PhD 2023
  15. Mikael Elvborn2023

Former postdocs under my supervision

  1. Irina Corin 2005
  2. Anna Danielsson
  3. Toshima Parris (2016-2017)

Publications

  • 130 Peer reviewed original articles
  • 6 manuscripts (2 under review)

Involvment in scientific journals

  • Editorial board member of the BMC Cancer
  • Editorial board member of the Biomedicines
  • Reviewer for a substantial number of scientific journals

Grants

  • A novel targeted treatment against ovarian cancer Eurostars (Vinnova)
  • Novel prognostic and predictive biomarkers for treatment decisions in breast and ovarian cancer Swedish Cancer Society
  • Novel prognostic and predictive biomarkers for ovarian cancer treatment decisions Swedish Cancer Society
  • Novel prognostic and predictive biomarkers for ovarian cancer treatment decisions Jk Cancer Research Foundation
  • Prognostiska biomarkörer som nya behandlingsredskap mot aggressiv äggstockscancer ALF-projektmedel
  • Novel prognostic and predictive biomarkers for ovarian cancer treatment decisions Project-linked doctoral project Sahlgrenska Academy
  • Clinical significance of the Lemur Tyrosine Kinase 3 as a potential target for ovarian cancer treatment Swedish Cancer Society

ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7847-4391