Azam Ghafoor, M.D.

Dr. Ghafoor's primary interests are immuno-oncology and precision medicine in thoracic malignancies, including mesothelioma and non-small cell lung cancer. His clinical research is focused on the use of anti-mesothelin therapies, including immunotoxins and CAR T tharpies against NSCLC and mesothelioma, and targeted therapies in comibination with local therapies for EGFR mutated NSCLC. His focus also includes optimizing immunotherapies and precision medicine for lung cancer patients using combination-based approaches to overcome and delay resistance.
1) mesothelioma, 2) lung cancer, 3) EGFR mutated lung cancer 3) immunotoxin, 4) immunotherapy, 5) mesothelin
Contact Info
Center for Cancer Research
National Cancer Institute
Building 10, Room 4-5330 G
Bethesda, MD 20892
Ph: 240-858-3289
azam.ghafoor@nih.gov
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A Phase II Study of LMB-100 Followed by Pembrolizumab in the Treatment of Adults with Mesothelin-Expressing Non-Squamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)
Open - RecruitingNCI Protocol ID NCI-19-C-0127Investigator Azam Ghafoor, M.D.
Dr. Ghafoor is a thoracic and immuno-oncologist. His clinical and translational research focuses on investigating the clinical use of immunotoxin therapy and immunotherapy in thoracic malignancies such as mesothelioma and non-small cell lung cancers. His work also involves developing novel immunotherapy-based combinations for improving responses and outcomes for patients with lung cancer using different immunotherapies such as immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Selected Key Publications
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Phase II study of olaparib in malignant mesothelioma (MM) to correlate efficacy with germline and somatic mutations in DNA repair genes..Submitted Abstract ASCO . 2020.
- Science Translational Medicine. 12/550: 2020. [ Journal Article ]
- Lancet Oncology. 21(2): 117, 2020. [ Journal Article ]
- Oncotarget. 9(90): 36050–36051, 2018. [ Journal Article ]
- Journal of Molecular Diagnostics. 17(6): 669-78, 2015. [ Journal Article ]
Dr. Ghafoor graduated from Purdue University with distinction in 2007, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology (West Lafayette, IN). He was awarded a cancer research training award (CRTA) at the NIH in 2007 (Bethesda, MD). He then received a M.D. from Indiana University School of Medicine (Indianapolis, IN) in 2013. Following graduation in 2016 from an internal medicine residency at St. Vincent Hospital (Indianapolis, IN) he completed his medical oncology fellowship at the National Cancer Institute in 2018 (Bethesda, MD). He joined the Thoracic and GI Malignancies Branch as an Assistant Research Physician.
Dr. Ghafoor is board certified in internal medicine and board-eligible in oncology. He is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi Honors Society. He has received a Yale University Science and Engineering Award.