{"id":6172,"date":"2026-10-19T09:48:35","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T09:48:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phd.hi.is\/doktorsvorn\/doktorsvorn-i-lif-og-laeknavisindum-arsalan-amirfallah\/"},"modified":"2026-10-19T09:48:35","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T09:48:35","slug":"doktorsvorn-i-lif-og-laeknavisindum-arsalan-amirfallah","status":"publish","type":"phd_defence","link":"https:\/\/phd.hi.is\/en\/doktorsvorn\/doktorsvorn-i-lif-og-laeknavisindum-arsalan-amirfallah\/","title":{"rendered":"Doktorsv\u00f6rn \u00ed l\u00edf- og l\u00e6knav\u00edsindum – Arsalan Amirfallah"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u00deri\u00f0judaginn 15. j\u00fan\u00ed ver Arsalan Amirfallah doktorsritger\u00f0 s\u00edna \u00ed l\u00edf- og l\u00e6knav\u00edsindum vi\u00f0 L\u00e6knadeild H\u00e1sk\u00f3la \u00cdslands. Ritger\u00f0in ber heiti\u00f0: Skilgreining n\u00fdrra brj\u00f3stakrabbameinsgena sem sty\u00f0ja vi\u00f0 framvindu \u00e6xlismyndunar. Identification of novel progression-related candidate genes in breast cancer.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Andm\u00e6lendur eru dr. Laufey \u00de\u00f3ra \u00c1mundad\u00f3ttir, senior investigator vi\u00f0 National Cancer Institute (NCI) \u00ed Bandar\u00edkjunum, og dr. \u00de\u00f3rarinn Gu\u00f0j\u00f3nsson, pr\u00f3fessor vi\u00f0 L\u00e6knadeild H\u00e1sk\u00f3la \u00cdslands.<\/p>\n

Lei\u00f0beinandi var dr. Inga Reynisd\u00f3ttir, kl\u00edn\u00edskur pr\u00f3fessor, og umsj\u00f3narkennari var dr. Helga M. \u00d6gmundsd\u00f3ttir, pr\u00f3fessor emeritus. Auk \u00feeirra s\u00e1tu \u00ed doktorsnefnd dr. R\u00f3sa Bj\u00f6rk Barkard\u00f3ttir, kl\u00edn\u00edskur pr\u00f3fessor, dr. Jill Bargonetti, pr\u00f3fessor, og dr. \u00d3skar \u00de\u00f3r J\u00f3hannsson, krabbameinsl\u00e6knir.<\/p>\n

Ingibj\u00f6rg Har\u00f0ard\u00f3ttir, pr\u00f3fessor og varadeildarforseti L\u00e6knadeildar, stj\u00f3rnar ath\u00f6fninni sem fer fram \u00ed H\u00e1t\u00ed\u00f0asal H\u00e1sk\u00f3la \u00cdslands og hefst kl. 10:00.<\/p>\n

V\u00f6rninni ver\u00f0ur streymt:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/livestream.com\/hi\/doktorsvornarsalanamirfallah<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00c1grip<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brj\u00f3stakrabbamein (BK) er algengasta krabbamein kvenna. \u00der\u00e1tt fyrir framfarir \u00ed me\u00f0fer\u00f0ar\u00farr\u00e6\u00f0um er algengt a\u00f0 meini\u00f0 komi aftur. Eitt einkenni brj\u00f3sta\u00e6xla er breytingar \u00ed erf\u00f0aefninu sem lei\u00f0ir til margbreytileika \u00feeirra.\u00a0 Vegna \u00feeirra hefur reynst \u00e1skorun a\u00f0 skilgreina n\u00fd BK gen til a\u00f0 sp\u00e1 fyrir um horfur sj\u00faklinganna. Breytingar \u00e1 uppr\u00f6\u00f0un litninganna geta leitt til myndunar samrunagena me\u00f0 illkynja eiginleika; eftirlit me\u00f0 tj\u00e1ningu genanna glatast og s\u00f6mulei\u00f0is microRNA sameinda (MIR) sem eru sta\u00f0settar innan \u00feeirra. Markmi\u00f0 verkefnisins var a\u00f0 skilgreina n\u00fd BK gen. Tilg\u00e1tan var s\u00fa a\u00f0 gen sem taka \u00fe\u00e1tt \u00ed myndun samrunagena \u00ed brj\u00f3sta\u00e6xlum eru l\u00edklegri til a\u00f0 tengjast \u00fer\u00f3un og framvindu BK. H\u00f6nnu\u00f0 var a\u00f0fer\u00f0 til a\u00f0 skilgreina n\u00fd BK gen sem f\u00f3lst \u00ed \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 bera saman samrunagen \u00far brj\u00f3sta\u00e6xlum og BK frumul\u00ednum sem \u00e9g fann \u00ed v\u00edsindagreinum og opnum gagnagrunnum. Byggt \u00e1 fyrirfram gefnum vi\u00f0mi\u00f0um \u00fe\u00e1 var Vacuole Membrane Protein 1 (VMP1) skilgreint sem hugsanlegt BK gen. H\u00e1 tj\u00e1ning VMP1 s\u00fdndi fylgni vi\u00f0 skemmri lifun \u00ed brj\u00f3stakrabbameinssj\u00faklingum, s\u00e9rstaklega hj\u00e1 HER2 j\u00e1kv\u00e6\u00f0um BK sj\u00faklingum. Ni\u00f0urst\u00f6\u00f0urnar gefa til kynna a\u00f0 VMP1 tj\u00e1ningu megi m\u00f6gulega nota til marks um batahorfur. Hlutverk VMP1 var kanna\u00f0 \u00ed HER2 j\u00e1kv\u00e6\u00f0um BK frumul\u00ednum. \u00de\u00f3tt ekki hafi s\u00e9st \u00e1hrif \u00e1 frumufj\u00f6lgun eiga frekari ranns\u00f3knir eftir a\u00f0 lei\u00f0a \u00ed lj\u00f3s hvort VMP1 hafi \u00e1hrif \u00e1 frumuskri\u00f0 og einnig \u00e1 lyfjavi\u00f0n\u00e1m vegna hlutverks \u00feess \u00ed sj\u00e1lfs\u00e1ti. MIR21 geni\u00f0 er sta\u00f0sett \u00ed 3\u00b4 enda VMP1 gensins. Ranns\u00f3knirnar snerust um hsa-miR-21-3p \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 \u00fea\u00f0 er l\u00edti\u00f0 rannsaka\u00f0 \u00ed BK mi\u00f0a\u00f0 vi\u00f0 \u201esystursameind\u201c \u00feess hsa-miR-21-5p sem sty\u00f0ur vi\u00f0 framvindu \u00e6xlismyndunar \u00ed \u00fdmsum ger\u00f0um krabbameina, m.a. \u00ed brj\u00f3stum. Ni\u00f0urst\u00f6\u00f0ur m\u00ednar s\u00fdndu a\u00f0 h\u00e1 tj\u00e1ning hsa-miR-21-3p tengdist \u00e6xliseiginleikum sem tengjast verri horfum og skemmri brj\u00f3stas\u00e9rt\u00e6kri lifun. Ni\u00f0urst\u00f6\u00f0urnar \u00far ranns\u00f3knarverkefninu, \u00fe.e. tv\u00f6 gen skilgreind sem m\u00f6guleg BK gen, sta\u00f0festa a\u00f0 a\u00f0fer\u00f0afr\u00e6\u00f0in sem var notu\u00f0 \u00ed verkefninu virkar. \u00de\u00e6r s\u00fdna einnig a\u00f0 skimun samrunagena er g\u00f3\u00f0 lei\u00f0 til a\u00f0 skilgreina m\u00f6guleg krabbameinsgen. Til vi\u00f0b\u00f3tar munu ranns\u00f3knir \u00ed frumul\u00ednul\u00edk\u00f6num lei\u00f0a \u00ed lj\u00f3s l\u00edffr\u00e6\u00f0ilegt hlutverk VMP1 og hsa-miR-21-3p hj\u00e1 heilbrig\u00f0um og sj\u00fakum.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

English abstract<\/strong><\/p>\n

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in women. Despite progress in targeted therapy disease relapse is common. Breast tumors are characterized by genetic rearrangements that result in heterogenicity of the tumors. Therefore, it has been challenging to identify new BC genes that can be used as prognostic and predictive markers. Chromosomal rearrangements can generate fusion genes with oncogenic properties; they can dysregulate expression of host genes and intragenic microRNAs (MIRs). The aim of the project was to identify novel BC genes. I speculated that genes frequently involved in gene fusions in breast tumors are likely associated with BC development and progression. I developed a novel approach to identify new BC genes. I screened publicly available data for fusion genes in breast tumors and BC cell lines and based on selection criteria identified Vacuole Membrane Protein 1 (VMP1) as a potential BC gene. High expression of VMP1 was shown to associate with shorter BC survival, particularly in HER2 positive patients. These results suggest that VMP1 expression may be used as a prognostic marker. The role of VMP1 was explored further in HER2 positive BC cell lines and although it did not affect proliferation further studies will reveal whether it affects cellular migration and invasion as well as drug resistance due to its role in autophagy. \u00a0MIR21 is embedded within the 3\u00b4 end of VMP1. My work focused on hsa-miR-21-3p, from the lagging strand of MIR21, because its role in BC has been little explored as compared to hsa-miR-21-5p, which has tumorigenic properties in several cancer types, including BC. I found that overexpression of hsa-miR-21-3p associated with tumor characteristics that indicate worse prognosis and shorter breast cancer specific survival.\u00a0 The results from my research project in which two genes were identified as potential markers of prognosis in BC confirm the validity of my approach. Data from these two studies showed that screening for fusion genes is a viable method for identifying novel cancer-associated genes. Further, functional cell-based experiments are expected to shed light on the biology of VMP1 and hsa-miR-21-3p, in health and disease. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Um doktorsefni\u00f0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Arsalan Amirfallah f\u00e6ddist \u00ed Urmia \u00ed \u00cdran 17. jan\u00faar 1981. Hann er me\u00f0 doktorspr\u00f3f \u00ed d\u00fdral\u00e6kningum fr\u00e1 \u00fatib\u00fai Azad-h\u00e1sk\u00f3lans \u00ed Urmia og meistarapr\u00f3f \u00ed krabbameinsfr\u00e6\u00f0um fr\u00e1 l\u00e6knadeild Dokuz Eyl\u00fcl h\u00e1sk\u00f3lans \u00ed Izmir \u00ed Tyrklandi. Hann flutti til \u00cdslands 2015 til a\u00f0 fara \u00ed doktorsn\u00e1m vi\u00f0 l\u00e6knadeild H\u00e1sk\u00f3la \u00cdslands og stunda ranns\u00f3knir fyrir doktorsverkefni sitt \u00e1 ranns\u00f3knastofu Ingu Reynisd\u00f3ttur vi\u00f0 meinafr\u00e6\u00f0ideild Landsp\u00edtala. Arsalan vann vi\u00f0 ranns\u00f3knir \u00e1 \u00fdmsum ranns\u00f3knastofum \u00ed \u00cdran, Tyrklandi, \u00cdtal\u00edu og \u00de\u00fdskalandi \u00e1\u00f0ur en hann fluttist til \u00cdslands og hefur r\u00famlega 10 \u00e1ra reynslu af vinnu vi\u00f0 ranns\u00f3knir. Hann hefur birt sj\u00f6 greinar \u00ed ritr\u00fdndum t\u00edmaritum og tvo b\u00f3karkafla. Arsalan hefur n\u00fdlega hafi\u00f0 st\u00f6rf sem n\u00fddoktor \u00e1 ranns\u00f3knastofu Hans T\u00f3masar Bj\u00f6rnssonar pr\u00f3fessors.\u00a0 Fj\u00f6lskylda hans \u00e1 \u00cdslandi eru eiginkona hans Mandana og tveggja \u00e1ra sonur \u00feeirra Arsam, sem f\u00e6ddist \u00ed Reykjav\u00edk 2019.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"featured_media":4928,"template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_phd_date_start":"2021-06-15T10:00:00+00:00","_phd_date_end":"2021-06-15T14:00:00+00:00","_phd_location":"A\u00f0albygging H\u00e1t\u00ed\u00f0asalur","_phd_admission":"A\u00f0gangur \u00f3keypis","_phd_thesis_title":"Skilgreining n\u00fdrra brj\u00f3stakrabbameinsgena sem sty\u00f0ja vi\u00f0 framvindu \u00e6xlismyndunar. 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