Adel L. Barsoum

Dr. Adel L. Barsoum, Assistant Professor, received his Ph.D. in Microbiology from Christian Albrechts University, Kiel, Germany in 1965. He joined the Faculty at University of Essen and Heinrich Heine University Medical Center in Düsseldorf, Germany. He was also a visiting scientist at Chester Beatty Cancer Research Institute in London. He did his postdoctoral work at The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University.

My laboratory is studying the immunochemistry and the expression of the oncofetal antigen in different types of murine and human tumors. This antigen may have potential use in the early diagnosis of several types of cancers. One of the major approaches we are taking in our study is to use monoclonal antibodies to map functional and structural epitopes on the protein. We are conducting research in collaboration with Dr. Joseph Coggin to analyze the role of oncofetal antigen as an immune modulator in cancer and in fetal development. Recently, we identified the oncofetal antigen as a homologue of laminin receptor precursor by amino acid sequence analysis of several peptides of antibody-purified 37kDa OFA protein, cloning and sequencing of five full-length OFA clones from a murine fibrosarcoma cDNA library. This molecule plays a role in tumor invasion and metastasis and is autoimmunogenic in the host.

Selected Publications

Zelle-Rieser C., A. L. Barsoum, F. Sallusto, R. Ramoner, J.W. Rohrer, Lorenz Höltel, G. Bartsch, J. H. Coggin Jr. and M. Thurnher. Expression and immunogenicity of oncofetal antigen-immature laminin receptor in human renal cell carcinoma. J. Urol. 165, 1705-1709, 2001.

Rohrer J. W., A. L. Barsoum and J. H. Coggin, Jr. The development of a new universal tumor rejection antigen expressed on human and rodent cancers for vaccination and prevention of cancer and in anti-tumor therapy. Mod. Aspects of Immunobiol. 1, 191-195, 2001.

Barsoum A. L., J. W. Rohrer and J. H. Coggin, Jr. 37kDa oncofetal antigen is an autoimmunogenic homologue of the 37kDa laminin receptor precursor. Cellular & Molecular Biology Letters 5: 207-203, 2000.

Coggin J. H., Jr., A. L. Barsoum and J. W. Rohrer. 37 Kilodalton oncofetal antigen protein and immature laminin receptor protein are identical, universal T-cell inducing immunogen on primary rodent and human cancers. Anticancer Res. 19: 5535-5542, 1999.

Phone:	(251) 460-6564
FAX:	(251) 460-7269
E-mail:	abarsoum@jaguar1.usouthal.edu

Joseph H. Coggin, Jr.