Houssam Ismail , Ph.D.

Houssam obtained his PhD in 2018 in Molecular Biology from the Université de Montréal under Dr. Sylvie Mader’s supervision. His research work was focused on understanding mechanisms underlying luminal breast tumor specification and investigating subtype-specific transcription factor networks. Houssam subsequently pursued his postdoctoral studies with Dr. Anne Marinier and Dr. Sylvie Mader in medicinal chemistry before joining the Drug Discovery Unit to lead research on the non-hematopoietic applications of the UM171 program together with Dr. Guy Sauvageau. Houssam officially joined the Sauvageau lab in summer 2024 as a research associate. He continues to lead UM171 research efforts in non-hematopoietic systems, as well as the biology team for the mubritinib research program. Houssam also brings substantial expertise in medical writing where he has been collaborating with physicians across Canada since 2019 as a freelance medical writer.