Zayzafoon M.D., Ph.D., Majd

Zayzafoon M.D., Ph.D., Majd
Professor

Senior Scientist, Cancer Cell Biology , O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center
Associate Scientist (C), Cell Adhesion & Matrix Research Center , Pathology 2006 -
Scientist (C), Comprehensive Center for Healthy Aging , School of Medicine 2006 -
Associate Scientist (C), Biomatrix Eng Regen Med (BERM) Center , Biomedical Engineering 2006 -
Senior Scientist (C), Comprehensive Diabetes Center , School of Medicine 2011 -
Scientist (C), Nutrition Obesity Res Center (NORC) , Nutrition Sciences Research 2011 -
Associate Professor (S), Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology (CDIB) , Academic Joint Departments 2012 -
Associate Professor (S), Dept of Medical Education , School of Medicine 2013 -
Director, School of Medicine , The University of Alabama at Birmingham 2014 -
Scientist (C), Comprehensive Arthritis, Musculoskeletal, Bone and Autoimmunity Center (CAMBAC) , School of Medicine 2015 -
Professor (P), International Medical Education , Dept of Medical Education 2016 -
Assistant Dean, International Medical Education , Dept of Medical Education 2018 -
Senior Scientist (C), O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center , School of Medicine 2019 -

Overview

Majd Zayzafoon, MD, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology. He serves as the Director of the UAB-Center for Metabolic Bone Disease (UAB-CMBD), is Co-Director of the NIH P30 UAB Core Center for Basic and Translational Skeletal Research, and is PI of the NIH T32 Comprehensive Training Program in Bone Biology and Disease. Majd Zayzafoon was born in Birmingham and grew up in Norwich, England. He went to medical school at Damascus University, Syria where he obtained his MD degree. After graduation, he completed his residency in Internal Medicine followed by a fellowship in Gastroenterology at Preston Hospital, Tyne & Wear, England. Majd then moved to the United States and joined the Physiology Doctoral Program at Michigan State University, where he earned his Ph.D. degree. In 2002 he moved to UAB as a post-doctoral fellow in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, Department of Pathology. Since that time Majd has moved rapidly through the ranks, being promoted to Associate Professor in 2009. He is also currently enrolled in the MBA Graduate Program at the UAB School of Business where he is expected to obtain his MBA in 2012.

Majd has also received the prestigious Harold Frost and John Haddad Young Investigator awards from the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR), and he was recently elected as executive board member of the AIMM/ASBMR. Majd’s clinical background coupled with his in-depth basic and translational research experience provide the expertise necessary to facilitate the translational efforts of the research base of both the NIH P30 UAB Core Center for Basic and Translational Skeletal Research and the Center for Metabolic Bone Disease which he directs. The goal of the CMBD is to provide a broad-based multidisciplinary research, training and service focused on metabolic bone disease; with the mission to help catalyze and integrate educational, clinical and basic research activities. The membership of the CMBD currently includes 93 faculty from 9 schools and 29 departments at UAB.

In 2009 Majd was elected by the JHS faculty to UAB Faculty Senate, and in 2010 he received a Commendation Award for Outstanding Service to the Senate. He was Chair of the Faculty Senate Curriculum & Research Committee from 2010-2011 and is now Chair of the newly created Faculty Senate Research Committee for 2011-2012. Majd is also Founder and President of Novicure Biotechnology, which is a biotech company focused on drug discovery for prostate cancer bone metastasis.

Selected Publications

Academic Article

Year	Title	Altmetric
2017	Bone metastasis of prostate cancer can be therapeutically targeted at the TBX2-WNT signaling axis 2017
2016	Correction: Perlecan/HSPG2 and matrilysin/MMP-7 as indices of tissue invasion: Tissue localization and circulating perlecan fragments in a cohort of 288 radical prostatectomy patients [Oncotarget, 7, 9, (2016), (10433-10447) DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.7197] 2016
2016	Perlecan/HSPG2 and matrilysin/MMP-7 as indices of tissue invasion: Tissue localization and circulating perlecan fragments in a cohort of 288 radical prostatectomy patients 2016
2015	Role of T-cell reconstitution in HIV-1 antiretroviral therapy-induced bone loss 2015
2015	The growth and aggressive behavior of human osteosarcoma is regulated by a CaMKII-controlled autocrine VEGF signaling mechanism 2015
2014	Snail promotes epithelial mesenchymal transition in breast cancer cells in part via activation of nuclear ERK2 2014
2014	CTLA-4Ig-induced T cell anergy promotes Wnt-10b production and bone formation in a mouse model 2014
2014	RANK-and c-Met-mediated signal network promotes prostate cancer metastatic colonization 2014
2013	Inhibition of β2-Microglobulin/Hemochromatosis Enhances Radiation Sensitivity by Induction of Iron Overload in Prostate Cancer Cells 2013
2013	Childhood obesity as a risk factor for bone fracture: A mechanistic study 2013
2013	NFAT signaling in osteoblasts regulates the hematopoietic niche in the bone microenvironment 2013
2013	Alpha-CaMKII plays a critical role in determining the aggressive behavior of human osteosarcoma 2013
2012	Central depletion of brain-derived neurotrophic,factorin mice results in high bone mass and metabolic phenotype 2012
2012	Thrombospondin-1 inhibits osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells through latent TGF-β activation 2012
2011	LIV-1 promotes prostate cancer epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and metastasis through HB-EGF shedding and EGFR-mediated ERK signaling 2011
2011	Is there a role for fatty acid synthase in the diagnosis of prostatic adenocarcinoma? A comparison with AMACR 2011
2011	Human prostate cancer harbors the stem cell properties of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells 2011
2011	β2-microglobulin induces epithelial to mesenchymal transition and confers cancer lethality and bone metastasis in human cancer cells 2011
2011	Ovariectomy disregulates osteoblast and osteoclast formation through the T-cell receptor CD40 ligand 2011
2011	Snail-mediated regulation of reactive oxygen species in ARCaP human prostate cancer cells 2011
2010	Alterations in the immuno-skeletal interface drive bone destruction in HIV-1 transgenic rats 2010
2010	Effect of HIP/ribosomal protein L29 deficiency on mineral properties of murine bones and teeth 2010
2010	Ex vivo transfer of the Hoxc-8-interacting domain of smad1 by a tropism-modified adenoviral vector results in efficient bone formation in a rabbit model of spinal fusion 2010
2009	T Lymphocytes Amplify the Anabolic Activity of Parathyroid Hormone through Wnt10b Signaling 2009
2009	NFATc1 mediates HDAC-dependent transcriptional repression of osteocalcin expression during osteoblast differentiation 2009
2009	Mecp2 deficiency decreases bone formation and reduces bone volume in a rodent model of Rett syndrome 2009
2009	Mitochondrial DNA mutation stimulates prostate cancer growth in bone stromal environment 2009
2008	Immunohistochemistry in the evaluation of neovascularization in tumor xenografts 2008
2008	BKM1740, an acyl-tyrosine bisphosphonate amide derivative, inhibits the bone metastatic growth of human prostate cancer cells by inducing apoptosis 2008
2008	Receptor activator of NF-κB Ligand (RANKL) expression is associated with epithelial to mesenchymal transition in human prostate cancer cells 2008
2007	Conditional disruption of calcineurin B1 in osteoblasts increases bone formation and reduces bone resorption 2007
2007	α-CaMKII controls the growth of human osteosarcoma by regulating cell cycle progression 2007
2007	Cyclosporin A elicits dose-dependent biphasic effects on osteoblast differentiation and bone formation 2007
2007	Toll like receptor-9 agonists stimulate prostate cancer invasion in vitro 2007
2007	Honokiol, a natural plant product, inhibits the bone metastatic growth of human prostate cancer cells 2007
2006	β2-microglobulin promotes the growth of human renal cell carcinoma through the activation of the protein kinase A, cyclic AMP-responsive element-binding protein, and vascular endothelial growth factor axis 2006
2006	β2-microglobulin is a signaling and growth-promoting factor for human prostate cancer bone metastasis 2006
2006	Calcium/calmodulin signaling controls osteoblast growth and differentiation 2006
2006	NFATc1: A novel anabolic therapeutic target for osteoporosis 2006
2005	RANKL regulates Fas expression and Fas-mediated apoptosis in osteoclasts 2005
2005	Inhibition of NFAT increases osteoblast differentiation by increasing Fra-2 expression 2005
2005	RhoA and cytoskeletal disruption mediate reduced osteoblastogenesis and enhanced adipogenesis of human mesenchymal stem cells in modeled microgravity 2005
2005	Calmodulin and calmodulin-dependent kinase IIα regulate osteoblast differentiation by controlling c-fos expression 2005
2005	Microgravity: The immune response and bone 2005
2005	RANKL regulates Fas expression and Fas-mediated apoptosis in osteoclasts. 2005
2004	Modeled microgravity disrupts collagen I/integrin signaling during osteoblastic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells 2004
2004	Modeled microgravity inhibits osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells and increases adipogenesis 2004
2004	Notch Signaling and ERK Activation Are Important for the Osteomimetic Properties of Prostate Cancer Bone Metastatic Cell Lines 2004
2002	p38 and activating transcription factor-2 involvement in osteoblast osmotic response to elevated extracellular glucose 2002
2000	Extracellular glucose influences osteoblast differentiation and c-jun expression 2000

Research Overview

The long-term goal of Dr. Zayzafoon’s laboratory is to develop novel therapeutic approaches for building and retaining bone mass in humans. His research activities include understanding the transcriptional regulation of osteoblast differentiation and the role of calcium signaling in this process. He is particularly interested in the effects of high fat diet and obesity on osteoblast proliferation and differentiation, and the roles of calmodulin dependent protein kinase II and the nuclear factor of activated T-cells in this process. He also studies the mechanisms involved in the development and growth of bone tumors such as osteosarcoma or bone metastasis from other tumors such as prostate cancer. Specifically, his research examines how progressive changes in prostate cancer bone metastasis are acquired through tumor-stroma interaction in the bone and prostate microenvironment. The outcome of his work will not only increase our understanding of the regulation of osteoblast differentiation and bone formation, but also play a key role in the development of new targets for drug design and therapies for osteoporosis and other bone diseases. Dr. Zayzafoon is also involved in many activities of the UAB Bone Center with my interest and commitment in bone research. With his clinical and basic science experiences, he functions in the capacity of Director of the UAB Comprehensive Center for Metabolic Bone Disease (CMBD) to oversee the activities of the University-wide center, and Associate Director for Translational Research and Enrichment Program to oversee the translational research aspects and the enrichment programs of the CCBTSR. In addition, he also assists the Histomorphometry and Molecular Analyses Core as an Associate Director of the Core. His commitment and interests to the growth of bone research at UAB is deeply rooted within the interest and successful functioning of the CMBD.