Dr. Nahid Razi, received her Ph.D. in Medicinal Sciences in 1995, from Uppsala University in Sweden, where she worked on biosynthesis of complex carbohydrates with Professor Ulf Lindahl, a Nobel Prize committee member. During her post-doctoral program in Cancer Center at the University of California in San Diego (UCSD), Razi discovered a new mechanism of glycan-mediated cell signaling in immune cells activation.
In 2001, Razi joined the Consortium for Functional Glycomics (CFG) at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI-La Jolla). The CFG was a governmental-funded initiative for developing technologies to advance the global research in glycoscience. Dr. Razi was recruited as a team leader for developing a library of recombinant glyco-enzymes for chemo-enzymatic synthesis of glycans. She then served as the director of the glycan-microarray facility till September 2011, when her group successfully accomplished their major objective and launched the world’s largest and most diverse mammalian glycan-microarray. The CFG glycan microarray is a valuable technique that has remained useful to the science community for studying glycan-mediated activities.
Dr. Razi established AccuDava, Inc. in 2006, to pursue her independent investigations on personalized cancer chemotherapy, as a part-time effort. This study was based on Razi’s discovery of the cell-surface glycan biomarkers for drug response in standard chemotherapy with platinum-based drugs.
Since 2011, Razi has put her full efforts at AccuDava, Inc. for clinical validation of two prognostic tests she has developed for platinum-drug response. Platinum-drugs are the most common anti-cancer drugs used in treatments of various cancers such as testis, ovarian, lung, head and neck, and several other cancer types. Razi dedicated her tireless efforts on this project to the memory of her friend, who passed away in 2008, after six months suffering from ineffective chemotherapy with platinum drugs.
Academic Merit
Ph. D. - Medical sciences- Uppsala University, Sweden (1995)
Post-doctoral - Hematology-Oncology, Cancer Center- University of California in San Diego, (UCSD)
Ph. D. candidate-Biochemistry- University of Iowa, USA
Professional Experience
2006-present Director, AccuDava Inc. La Jolla, CA
2007-2011 Director, Glycan-Microarray facility, The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), La Jolla, CA
2001- 2007 Co-director, protein production and carbohydrate synthesis Core facility, The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), CA
2000-2001 Senior scientist, Dept. of surgery, UCSD, La Jolla, CA
1998-2000 Research director, Paik-Inje Memorial Inst., San Diego, CA
1997-1998 Research associate, Cancer center, UCSD, La Jolla, CA
Patents
2013- Methods and Systems for Predicting Drug response. Pending.
2009- Methods for Detecting Multi-drug Resistance- Issued - UPO
1993 - "Anticoagulants and processes for preparing such" - EPO
Awards and Scholarships
2006 Grant Award: "Polysaccharide Research AB", Sweden
2001 Grant Award: ”National Heart, Lung & Blood Inst”, USA
1998 Grant Award: "California Cancer Research Program", USA
1997 Grant Award: "Cure for Lymphoma Foundation", USA
1995 Grant Award: "Polysaccharide Research AB", Sweden
1990 Scholarship: “Uppsala University”, Sweden
Research and Development
Identified cell surface “Biomarkers” for predicting chemo-sensitivity and chemo resistance in conventional cancer chemotherapy.
Developed clinical assays for biomarker detection on human cancer specimens.
Investigated a novel mechanism of drug uptake in cancer cells.
Developed an enzyme library containing 35 recombinant enzymes for chemo- enzymatic synthesis of cell surface glycans.
Developed and launched the world’s largest glycan microarray, which mimics the mammalian cell membrane.
Identified a glycan-mediated mechanism in lymphocytes activation.
Synthesized a heparin-like anticoagulant drug, on E. coli-K5 capsular polysaccharide precursor.
Invited Book Chapters
Wenjie Peng, Corwin M. Nycholat and Nahid Razi (2013). Glycan Microarray Screening Assay for Glycosyltransferases Specificities.
In Glycosyltransferases. Methods in Molecular Biology, Humana Press, Springer Science, In press.
Ola Blixt and Nahid Razi (2008). Enzymatic Synthesis with Glycosyltransferases. In Glycoscience, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Ed. B. Fraser-Reid,
Springer-Verlag BerlinHeidelberg New York.
Ola Blixt and Nahid Razi (2006). Chemoenzymatic Synthesis of Glycan Libraries. In Methods Enzymol. 415, 137-53
Blixt, O, and Razi, N (2004). Strategies for Synthesis of an Oligosaccharide Library Using a Chemo-Enzymatic Approach
Synthesis of Carbohydrate Through Biotechnology. In ACS Symposium series 873. P.G. Wang and Y. Ichikawa 93-112