Dr Hassan Choucair

BSc (Hons), PhD (Medicine)
Lecturer

Email: hassan.choucair@nd.edu.au

  • Biography

    Hassan has a strong background in pharmacology and extensive experience in tertiary teaching. In 2016, he was awarded a highly competitive Australian Government Research Training Program scholarship to study the mechanism of action of a new class of drugs that selectively kill cancer cells, at the University of Sydney. He received his PhD in Medicine in 2020; during this period, he taught across five subjects and multiple scientific departments at the University of Sydney, in the faculties of Science, Medicine and Health, and Engineering, respectively. He educated students on biomedicine, including biochemistry and molecular biology, and reproduction, development and disease.

    In 2021, Hassan moved to the Gold Coast to support clinical teaching at the Institute of Medical Education. As an Academic Lecturer & Education Manager, he taught science and humanities subjects to university students and graduates seeking entry into Australian medical schools. He also liaised closely with international medical graduates, practice managers, domestic doctors, and registrars pursuing entry into surgical training programs.

    Hassan is currently involved in a range of scholarly activities in Sydney, with the aim of establishing strong collaborative cancer research networks at the School of Health Sciences, Sydney Campus.

  • Teaching areas

    • Biochemistry
    • Cellular Biology and Genetics
    • Molecular Biology
    • Pharmacology
    • Physiology of Body Systems
    • The Pathological Basis of Disease

  • Research expertise and supervision

    Hassan's research encompasses the fields of drug discovery, oncology, and cancer biology. He has supervised multiple Honours students and mentored PhD candidates from various cancer research groups across Sydney.

  • Journal articles and proceedings

    • Rahman, M. K., Umashankar, B., Choucair, H., Pazderka, C., Bourget, K., Chen, Y., Dunstan, C. R., Rawling, T., & Murray, M. (2023). Inclusion of the in-chain sulfur in 3-thiaCTU increases the efficiency of mitochondrial targeting and cell killing by anticancer aryl-urea fatty acids. European Journal of Pharmacology, 939, 175470.
    • Choucair, H., Rahman, M. K., Umashankar, B., Al-Zubaidi, Y., Bourget, K., Chen, Y., Dunstan, C., Rawling, T., & Murray, M. (2022). The aryl-ureido fatty acid CTU activates endoplasmic reticulum stress and PERK/NOXA-mediated apoptosis in tumor cells by a dual mitochondrial-targeting mechanism. Cancer Letters, 526, 131–141.
    • Al-Zubaidi, Y., Chen, Y., Khalilur Rahman, Md., Umashankar, B., Choucair, H., Bourget, K., Chung, L., Qi, Y., Witting, P. K., Anderson, R. L., O’Neill, G. M., Dunstan, C. R., Rawling, T., & Murray, M. (2021). PTU, a novel ureido-fatty acid, inhibits MDA-MB-231 cell invasion and dissemination by modulating Wnt5a secretion and cytoskeletal signaling. Biochemical Pharmacology, 192, 114726.
    • Rahman, K., Rawling, T., Yassir Al-Zubaidi, Choucair, H., Bala Umashankar, Chen, Y., Bourget, K., Tam, S., Smith, C. M., & Murray, M. T. (2019). Abstract A119: Inhibition of IRE1-mediated pro-tumorigenic responses enhances the sensitivity of MDA-MB-231 cells to the novel arylurea-fatty acid CTU. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, 18 (12_Supplement), A119
    • Al-Zubaidi, Y., Pazderka, C., Koolaji, N., Rahman, M. K., Choucair, H., Umashankar, B., Bourget, K., Chen, Y., Rawling, T., & Murray, M. (2019). Aryl-urea fatty acids that activate the p38 MAP kinase and down-regulate multiple cyclins decrease the viability of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 129, 87–98.
    • Rawling, T., Choucair, H., Nooshin Koolaji, Bourget, K., Allison, S. E., Chen, Y., Dunstan, C. R., & Murray, M. T. (2017). A Novel Arylurea Fatty Acid That Targets the Mitochondrion and Depletes Cardiolipin To Promote Killing of Breast Cancer Cells. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 60(20), 8661–8666.
    • Murray, M., Choucair, H., Allison, S., Bourget, K., Chen, Y., Dunstan, C., & Rawling, T. (2017). O25 A novel synthetic ω-3 fatty acid epoxide analogue activates breast cancer cell killing in vitro and in vivo. Abstracts/Biochemical Pharmacology, 139, 117.

  • Conference papers

    • Poster presentation P12: “The novel fatty acid analogue CTU targets the mitochondrion and induces reactive oxygen species-based stress to promote killing of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells” delivered at the 33rd Genes and Cancer Annual Meeting in Cambridge, UK, April 8–11, 2019.
    • Oral presentation 145: “The novel fatty acid epoxide analogue CTU targets the mitochondrion and depletes cardiolipin to promote killing of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells” delivered at the ASCEPT-APSA meeting in Brisbane, QLD, December 5–8, 2017.
    • Poster presentation 557: “The novel fatty acid epoxide analogue CTU activates ER-stress in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells” delivered at the ASCEPT-MPGPCR meeting in Melbourne, VIC, November 27–30, 2016.

  • Professional affiliations

    • Sydney Cancer Partners (2021–present)
    • Australasian Cell Death Society (2021–present)
    • Sydney Catalyst (2019–2021)
    • University of Sydney Cancer Research Network (2016–present)
    • Australasian Society of Clinical & Experimental Pharmacologists & Toxicologists (2016)

  • Community engagement

    • NSW Cancer Research Education Review Focus Group Participant (2023)
    • Pre-Employment Structured Clinical Interview (PESCI) Panel Member (2022–2023)
    • NSW Cancer Conference 2023 Scientific Advisory Committee (2023)
    • University of Sydney Cancer Research Network Postgraduate Student Mentor (2023)
    • Sydney Cancer Partners Conference Funding Support Panel Member (2023)
    • Australian Research Council BIOTech Futures Challenge Mentor (2020–2022)
    • Sydney Cancer Conference 2021 Scientific Advisory Committee (2021)

  • Awards

    • Sydney Catalyst Professor Rob Sutherland Travel and Education Award (2019): To attend and deliver a poster presentation at the 33rd Genes and Cancer Annual Meeting 2019 in Cambridge, UK, April 8–11, 2019.
    • Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship (2016–2019): A Department of Education award recognising exceptional research potential to undertake a PhD at the University of Sydney.