Dr Samar Elorbany

MSc, MD, PhD
Clinical Lecturer
Group Leader
Email
Research Focus

My research focuses on improving the response to therapy in ovarian cancer and other gynaecological cancers. The key aims are to understand the immune effects of chemotherapy and identify targets to enhance anti-tumor effects and overcome therapy resistance. The ultimate goal is to take these findings forward to clinical trials and develop better treatment approaches for cancer patients to prolong survival and reduce the risk of relapse.

Key Publications
  • Immunotherapy that improves response to chemotherapy in high-grade serous ovarian cancer. (2024) Nat Commun. Nov 22;15(1):10144. PMID: 39578450
  • Semi-supervised analysis of myeloid and T cell behavior in ex vivo ovarian tumor slices reveals changes in cell motility after treatments. (2023) iScience. Mar 29;26(4):106514. PMID: 37091227
  • Chemotherapy Induces Tumor-Associated Macrophages that Aid Adaptive Immune Responses in Ovarian Cancer. Cancer Immunol Res. 2021 Jun;9(6):665-681. PMID: 33839687
  • Premalignant SOX2 overexpression in the fallopian tubes of ovarian cancer patients: Discovery and validation studies. (2016) EBioMedicine. Aug;10:137-49. PMID: 27492892
Major Funding
  • 2024-2025 Cancer Research UK City of London Centre Development fund: Studying immune repertoire as an indicator for response to immunotherapy treatment in high-grade serous ovarian cancer, £25,000
  • 2023-2024 Barts Charity Seed Funding Award: Targeting Immune Cells To Improve Response The Chemotherapy In High-grade Serous Ovarian Cancer, £53,200
  • 2020-2022 Wellbeing of Women Clinical Research Training Fellowship: The effect of chemotherapy on immune cells in the tumour microenvironment of high-grade serous ovarian cancer, £262,400
Other Activities
  • Teaching co-lead for Cancer Biology module
  • Member of British Society of Gynaecological Cancer Society
  • Member of European Society of Gynaecological Oncology
Themes/Keywords
Disease Modelling Immunotherapy Tumour Microenvironment Ovarian Centre for Tumour Microenvironment
Other Activities
  • Teaching co-lead for Cancer Biology module
  • Member of British Society of Gynaecological Cancer Society
  • Member of European Society of Gynaecological Oncology
Major Funding
  • 2024-2025 Cancer Research UK City of London Centre Development fund: Studying immune repertoire as an indicator for response to immunotherapy treatment in high-grade serous ovarian cancer, £25,000
  • 2023-2024 Barts Charity Seed Funding Award: Targeting Immune Cells To Improve Response The Chemotherapy In High-grade Serous Ovarian Cancer, £53,200
  • 2020-2022 Wellbeing of Women Clinical Research Training Fellowship: The effect of chemotherapy on immune cells in the tumour microenvironment of high-grade serous ovarian cancer, £262,400
Biography
I completed my clinical training, MD and MSc in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt. In 2013, I moved to the UK and undertook a Clinical Research Fellowship at the University of Oxford. In 2019 I joined the Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, where I undertook my PhD with Professor Fran Balkwill, graduating in 2022. During this time, I also completed an MSc in Bioinformatics, graduating with distinction. In 2023, I was awarded a Clinical Lectureship position here at the BCI in the Centre for Tumour Microenvironment.