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Dr. Alameh is focused on designing, synthetizing, optimizing, and understanding the structure-activity relationships of nucleic acid delivery systems and biomaterials, and their associated properties to improve the safety, reactogenicity, and potency of emerging mRNA therapeutics and vaccines.
Bio
Dr. Alameh received his undergraduate degrees from the University of Montreal, and his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Polytechnique Montreal. His thesis work focused on understanding the intrinsic and extrinsic parameters affecting chitosan-siRNA nanoparticle macromolecular properties and their effect on in vitro, and in vivo efficacy. His work helped to elucidate design principles of this polymeric nanocarrier with several biological properties. He continue to work with the polymer for vaccine applications.
Dr. Alameh joined the laboratory of Nobel prize winner Drew Weissman, MD, PhD, at the University of Pennsylvania as a postdoctoral fellow in 2018. He led multiple mRNA-based vaccine projects as well as projects to better understand the interaction of lipid nanoparticles with the immune system, improve their reactogenicity, and fine tune vaccine responses. He has published his research in Immunity and Science. Dr. Alameh is also involved in the development of novel proprietary lipids, adjuvants and displays strong interest in optimization of mRNA constructs, in vitro transcription reactions, and process scale up.
Dr. Alameh is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Children Hospital of Philadelphia, and the co-director of the RNA Core at the Penn Institute for RNA innovation. He has cofounded multiple successful startups and collaborate with multiple research groups in low- and middle-income countries to help make RNA based vaccines an affordable reality.
Dr Alameh's Lab at CHOP is focused on designing, synthetizing, characterizing, and understanding the structure-activity relationships of nucleic acid delivery systems and their associated adjuvant properties to improve the safety, reactogenicity, potency, and cell/organ targeting of emerging mRNA therapeutics. His research group aims to apply these insights in developing mRNA-based vaccines against bacterial pathogens, especially those with urgent threat designations across regions of the world including low- and middle-income countries.
Education and Training
PhD, Polytechnique Montreal (Nanotechnology and Nanomedicine), 2017
MSc, University of Montreal (Theoretical Molecular Biology), 2009
BSc, University of Montreal (Microbiology and Immunology), 2006
Titles and Academic Titles
Senior Principal Scientist
Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine