biography
Dr. Simrit Parmar is an Associate Professor in the department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy at MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas. Her clinical interest is in developing the comprehensive Amlyoidosis programs in collaboration with the department of Myeloma. In addition, she is actively involved with the global academic program (GAP) at MD Anderson Cancer Center and expanding the sister institution network, where she serves as part of the Steering Committee. Dr. Parmar serves on the radiation injury treatment network (RITN) and serves as a member of the Board of Advisors for the MD Anderson Center for Professional Development & Entrepreneurship.In addition, Dr. Parmar is highly engaged in the entrepreneurship scene in Houston and believes in the collaboration between medicine, energy, space and technology. She is the organizer of the MEST conference (www.mestconference.com) and is also founder of Platform Houston, a co-working space located in the heart of Rice Village (www.platformhouston.com) that provides a community campus for educational sessions and seminars by engaging community leaders in science, technology, space and economics. She believes in planting seeds for a hopeful and productive ecosystem that will give rise to collaborative efforts and successful companies.
Area of Interest
1)Regulatory T cells
2)Disease pathogenesis
3)Prevention of autoimmune disorders
4)Allogeneic transplantation as anticancer immunotherapy.
top publication
1.Mahmud N, Devine SM, Weller KP, Parmar S, Sturgeon C, Nelson MC, Hewett T, Hoffman R. The relative quiescence of hematopoietic stem cells in nonhuman primates. Blood 97(10):3061-8, 5/2001. PMID: 11342431.
2. Lekmine F, Uddin S, Sassano A, Parmar S, Brachmann SM, Majchrzak B, Sonenberg N, Hay N, Fish EN, Platanias LC. Activation of the p70 S6 kinase and phosphorylation of the 4E-BP1 repressor of mRNA translation by type I interferons. J Biol Chem 278(30):27772-80, 7/2003. e-Pub 5/2003. PMID: 12759354.
3. Kambhampati S, Li Y, Verma A, Sassano A, Majchrzak B, Deb DK, Parmar S, Giafis N, Kalvakolanu DV, Rahman A, Uddin S, Minucci S, Tallman MS, Fish EN, Platanias LC. Activation of protein kinase C delta by all-trans-retinoic acid. J Biol Chem 278(35):32544-51, 8/2003. e-Pub 6/2003. PMID: 12805378.
4. Parmar S, Tallman MS. Acute promyelocytic leukaemia:a review. Expert Opin Pharmacother 4(8):1379-92, 8/2003. PMID: 12877645.
5. Parmar S, Platanias LC. Interferons: mechanisms of action and clinical applications. Curr Opin Oncol 15(6):431-9, 11/2003. PMID: 14624225.
6. Verma A, Kambhampati S, Parmar S, Platanias LC. Jak family of kinases in cancer. Cancer Metastasis Rev 22(4):423-34, 12/2003. PMID: 12884916.
7. Shah AP, \BParmar S, O'Regan R. Right atrial and ventricular thrombus infiltrated with osteoblastic osteosarcoma. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol Ther 8(4):307-11, 12/2003. PMID: 14740080.
8. Parmar S, Katsoulidis E, Verma A, Li Y, Sassano A, Lal L, Majchrzak B, Ravandi F, Tallman MS, Fish EN, Platanias LC. Role of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway in theSimrit Parmar, MD, MSCI Page 5 of 22 generation of the effects of imatinib mesylate (STI571) in BCR-ABL-expressing cells. J Biol Chem 279(24):25345-52, 6/2004. e-Pub 3/2004. PMID: 15056660.
9. Parmar S, Rundhaugen LM, Boehlke L, Riley M, Nabhan C, Raji A, Frater JL, Tallman MS. Phase II trial of arsenic trioxide in relapsed and refractory acute myeloid leukemia, secondary leukemia and/or newly diagnosed patients at least 65 years old. Leuk Res 28(9):909-19, 9/2004. PMID: 15234567.
10. Kambhampati S, Verma A, Li Y, Parmar S, Sassano A, Platanias LC. Signalling pathways activated by all-trans-retinoic acid in acute promyelocytic leukemia cells. Leuk Lymphoma 45(11):2175-85, 11/2004. PMID: 15512805.
11. Lal L, Li Y, Smith J, Sassano A, Uddin S, Parmar S, Tallman MS, Minucci S, Hay N, Platanias LC. Activation of the p70 S6 kinase by all-trans-retinoic acid in acute promyelocytic leukemia cells. Blood 105(4):1669-77, 2/2005. e-Pub 10/2004. PMID: 15471950.
12. Kaur S, Parmar S, Smith J, Katsoulidis E, Li Y, Sassano A, Majchrzak B, Uddin S, Tallman MS, Fish EN, Platanias LC. Role of protein kinase C-delta (PKC-delta) in the generation of the effects of IFN-alpha in chronic myelogenous leukemia cells. Exp Hematol 33(5):550-7, 5/2005. PMID: 15850832.
13. Parmar S, Smith J, Sassano A, Uddin S, Katsoulidis E, Majchrzak B, Kambhampati S, Eklund EA, Tallman MS, Fish EN, Platanias LC. Differential regulation of the p70 S6 kinase pathway by interferon alpha (IFNalpha) and imatinib mesylate (STI571) in chronic myelogenous leukemia cells. Blood 106(7):2436-43, 10/2005. e-Pub 3/2005. PMCID: PMC1895266.
14. Katsoulidis E, Li Y, Yoon P, Sassano A, Altman J, Kannan-Thulasiraman P, Balasubramanian L, Parmar S, Varga J, Tallman MS, Verma A, Platanias LC. Role of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway in cytokine-mediated hematopoietic suppression in myelodysplastic syndromes. Cancer Res 65(19):9029-37, 10/2005. PMID: 16204077.
15. Parmar S, Rademaker AW, Fung BB, Kozlowski JM, Kuzel TM. Implications of therapy choice on overall survival in metastatic renal cell carcinoma: a single institution experience. Med Oncol 22(4):399-405, 2005. PMID: 16260858.
16. Parmar S, Platanias LC. Interferons. Cancer Treat Res 126:45-68, 2005. PMID: 16209062.
17. Navas TA, Mohindru M, Estes M, Ma JY, Sokol L, Pahanish P, Parmar S, Haghnazari E, Zhou L, Collins R, Kerr I, Nguyen AN, Xu Y, Platanias LC, List AA, Higgins LS, Verma A. Inhibition of overactivated p38 MAPK can restore hematopoiesis in myelodysplastic syndrome progenitors. Blood 108(13):4170-7, 12/2006. e-Pub 8/2006. PMCID: PMC1895446.
18. Parmar S, Robinson SN, Komanduri K, St John L, Decker W, Xing D, Yang H, McMannis J, Champlin R, de Lima M, Molldrem J, Rieber A, Bonyhadi M, Berenson R, Shpall EJ. Ex vivo expanded umbilical cord blood T cells maintain naive phenotype and TCR diversity. Cytotherapy 8(2):149-57, 2006. PMID: 16698688.
19. Patah PA, Parmar S, McMannis J, Sadeghi T, Karandish S, Rondon G, Tarrand J, Champlin R, de Lima M, Shpall EJ. Microbial contamination of hematopoietic progenitor cell products: clinical outcome. Bone Marrow Transplant 40(4):365-8, 8/2007. e-Pub 6/2007. PMID: 17572714.
20. Zhou L, Nguyen AN, Sohal D, Ying Ma J, Pahanish P, Gundabolu K, Hayman J, Chubak A, Mo Y, Bhagat TD, Das B, Kapoun AM, Navas TA, Parmar S, Kambhampati S, Pellagatti A, Braunchweig I, Zhang Y, Wickrema A, Medicherla S, Boultwood J, Platanias LC, Higgins LS, List AF, Bitzer M, Verma A. Inhibition of the TGF-beta receptor I kinase promotes hematopoiesis in MDS. Blood 112(8):3434-43. e-Pub 5/2008. PMCID: PMC2569182.
21. Parmar S, Del Lima M, Zou Y, Patah PA, Liu P, Cano P, Rondon G, Pesoa S, de Padua Silva L, Qazilbash MH, Hosing C, Popat U, Kebriaei P, Shpall EJ, Giralt S, Champlin RE, Stastny P, Fernandez-Vina M. Donor-recipient mismatches in MHC class I chain-related gene A in unrelated donor transplantation lead to increased incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease. Blood 114(14):2884-7, 10/2009. e-Pub 8/2009. PMID: 19654407.
22. Dumka D, Puri P, Carayol N, Lumby C, Balachandran H, Schuster K, Verma AK, Terada LS, Platanias LC, Parmar S. Activation of the p38 Map kinase pathway is essential for the Simrit Parmar, MD, MSCI Page 6 of 22 antileukemic effects of dasatinib. Leuk Lymphoma 50(12):1-13, 12/2009. e-Pub 8/2009. PMCID: PMC2888505.
23. Parmar S, de Lima M. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for myelodysplastic syndrome. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 16(1 Suppl):S37-44, 1/2010. e-Pub 10/2009. PMID: 19857589.
24. Kelly SS, Parmar S, De Lima M, Robinson S, Shpall E. Overcoming the barriers to umbilical cord blood transplantation. Cytotherapy 12(2):121-30, 4/2010. PMID: 20196692. 25. Yang H, Robinson SN, Lu J, Decker WK, Xing D, Steiner D, Parmar S, Shah N, Champlin RE, Munsell M, Leen A, Bollard C, Simmons PJ, Shpall EJ. CD3(+) and/or CD14(+) depletion from cord blood mononuclear cells before ex vivo expansion culture improves total nucleated cell and CD34(+) cell yields. Bone Marrow Transplant 45(6):1000-7, 6/2010. e-Pub 10/2009. PMID: 19838220.
HONORS AND AWARDS
1. Distinction in Biochemistry, Punjab University, 1992-1993
2. Distinction in Pharmacology, Punjab University, 1994-1995
3. Fellows' Forum Travel Grant, Glaxosmithkline National Medical and Hematology Oncology Fellows' Forum, 2004
4. International Society of Hematology Travel Award, International Society of Hematology, 2014
5. R. Lee Clark Fellowship Award, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2014-2016