Tanveer Sharif, PhD

  • Portrait of Tanveer Sharif.

  • Associate professor 
    Canadian Cancer Society Emerging Scholar

    Max Rady College of Medicine
    Pathology
    Room 400 - 727 McDermot Avenue
    University of Manitoba
    Winnipeg, Manitoba R3E 3P5

    Phone: 204-789-3460
    tanveer.sharif@umanitoba.ca

Research achievements

Research summary

Dr.  Tanveer Sharif’s current research is focused on identifying and characterizing new metabolism-based precision medicine therapeutic strategies for treating aggressive brain tumors. His work focuses on the two most common types of brain cancers in children and adults, medulloblastoma (MB) and glioblastoma (GBM). Using relevant cell and animal models as well as patient-derived brain tumor samples, Dr. Sharif’s research takes an in-depth approach to investigate the molecular mechanisms that mediate metabolic vulnerabilities and tumor heterogeneity to identify new therapeutic targets to improve patient responses and outcomes.

  • Research themes

    • Molecular cancer biology
    • Precision medicine

    Research interests

    • Regulation of metabolic rewiring and metabolic plasticity within heterogeneous brain tumor populations
    • Metabolic regulation of tumor suppressors and oncogenes
    • Metabolism-mediated modulation of post-translational modifications and epigenetics

  • Keywords

    • Brain tumors
    • Metabolism
    • Medulloblastoma
    • Glioblastoma
    • Tumor heterogeneity
    • Autophagy
    • Epigenetics

Biography

Dr. Tanveer Sharif is a pharmacist turned researcher. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy and a Master of Science degree in Pharmacology. Dr. Sharif completed his PhD at the University of Strasbourg in France before moving to Canada in 2013.

At the University of Manitoba, in the Department of Pathology, Dr. Sharif leads a research group that studies both adult brain cancer glioblastoma and childhood brain cancer medulloblastoma. By utilizing patient-derived brain tumor models, his research group investigates the metabolic adaptations that alter the molecular architecture of malignant cells, promoting tumor survival and growth. Additionally, using spatial transcriptomics and proteomics, his group explores the unique molecular biology of different regions within the tumors.

Education

  • PhD (pharmacology), Université de Strasbourg (2012)
  • MSc (pharmacology), Bahauddin Zakariya University (2006)
  • BSc (pharmacy), Bahauddin Zakariya University (2004)

Awards

  • Grant award, Canadian Institute of Health Research (2022-2027, $956,250)
  • John R. Evans Leaders Fund grant, Canadian Foundation for Innovation & University of Manitoba (2022, $821,862)
  • Discovery Launch Supplement grant, Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (2021-22, $125,000)
  • Discovery grant, Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (2021-2026, $150,000)
  • Grant award, Canadian Cancer Society (2021-2026, $600,000)
  • Grant award, Cancer Research Society (2021-2023, $120,000)
  • Grant award, Health Sciences Centre Foundation (2020-2022, $70,000)
  • Grant award, Manitoba Medical Service Foundation and Cancer Care Manitoba Foundation (2021, $31,000)

Contact us

Pathology
Max Rady College of Medicine
401 Brodie, 727 McDermot Avenue
University of Manitoba (Bannatyne campus)
Winnipeg, MB R3E 3P5 Canada

pathology@umanitoba.ca
204-789-3212
204-789-3931