Graduate student conducts research on breast tissue

Yousef Alharbi, third-year student pursuing a Ph.D. in molecular medicine and pharmacogenomics, first came to NSU not knowing what his final project would be. He met Jean Latimer, director of the NSU AutoNation Institute for Breast Cancer Research and Care, who taught courses related to genomics and breast cancer.

“I was impressed at that time, how the genes inside the cell’s pathways may affect the treatment choice, affect the progress of the disease,” Alharbi said. “And I think Dr. Latimer’s lab was the correct choice for me at that time.”

Inspired by Latimer’s work, Alharbi is now studying the effects of arsenic and glyphosate on breast tissue of both African American women and non-Hispanic white women.

Alharbi’s study is based on a report from Miami University, which found that there is a high percentage of Black women in South Florida with advanced breast cancer.

“We, in our studies, will examine the relationship between ancestry or ethnicity and environmental chemicals,” Alharbi said.

COURTESY OF YOUSEF ALHARBI Yousef Alharbi, a third-year student pursuing a Ph.D. in molecular medicine and pharmacogenomics, continues his research at NSU.

Alharbi’s first step in the study is to expose breast tissues to the chemicals.

“By using RNA sequencing technique, we can see if there are variations or differences between the transcriptomic change between African ancestry and non-Hispanic women,” Alharbi said.

Alharbi hopes to keep contributing to the work of breast cancer research and eventually continue work in his home country, Saudi Arabia.

“I was planning to do something related to a new approach of treatment, which is precision medicines that provide treatment and care based on genetic profiles and history of the patients, and make specific treatment,” Alharbi said.

For students looking to start their own research, Alharbi recommends they read literature reviews related to their area and take advantage of NSU’s labs, libraries and tutors.

“Finding a good mentor will help you to focus more on the research and find something that you can do a great job on,” Alharbi said. “For any students that are willing to conduct research, they must be passionate, curious and they have to be organized.”