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About the Founder
Wafik El-Deiry, MD, PhD, FACP is an American Cancer Society Professor, Director of the Cancer Center at Brown University, Associate Dean for Oncologic Sciences at Warren Alpert Medical School, and Director of Joint Program in Cancer Biology at Brown and Lifespan. He is Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Mencoff Family University Professor of Medical Science at Brown.
El-Deiry discovered p21(WAF1) as p53 target gene, cell cycle inhibitor, and tumor suppressor that explained the mammalian cell stress response. He discovered TRAIL receptor DR5 and its regulation by p53, and ONC201/TIC10 as TRAIL pathway inducer and cancer therapeutic. El-Deiry has >400 peer-reviewed publications and 5 edited books. In 2021 his H-index is 120 and he has >84,000 citations in Google Scholar.
His scientific expertise is in cell death, drug resistance in cancer and drug discovery and development. He has studied hypoxia as a mechanism of resistance to cancer therapy since the mid-1990's.
El-Deiry is a serial entrepreneur with a track record of success. Prior to founding of SMURF-Therapeutics in November, 2021, El-Deiry previously founded two companies, Oncoceutics, Inc. that was acquired by Chimerix in January, 2021, and p53-Therapeutics, Inc.
