Abdullah Mahmood Ali, PhD

  • Assistant Professor of Medical Sciences at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC)

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Overview

Abdullah Mahmood Ali, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Medical Sciences in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC). His research program investigates the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying diseases, with a particular focus on cancer. Leveraging expertise in genetics, cell and molecular biology, biochemistry, cancer biology, computational biology, and high-throughput multi-omic data analysis, he pursues complex scientific questions from diverse angles.

Dr. Ali’s work is deeply translational, aiming to improve cancer diagnostics, prognostics, and therapeutics through pre-clinical drug testing, biomarker development, and precision medicine. His research is supported by federal (NIH) and industry-sponsored grants.

Dr. Ali’s publications and patents portfolio centers on making cancer therapies safer and more effective. His core invention, a collaboration with the Pulitzer winning author and scientist Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee, engineer donor hematopoietic stem cells using CRISPR/Cas9 and base editors to block lineage‑specific antigens, especially CD33 exon 2 deficiency, to shield them from CAR‑T and monoclonal antibody attacks while still allowing AML‑directed agents to kill leukemia cells; these assets form the basis of VOR Biopharma’s platform. His work to target circulating and tumor hybrid cells, a collaboration with Dr. Azra Raza, is licensed to TFC Therapeutics for the development of targeting approaches. He also holds prognostics patents for myeloid malignancies, such as biomarkers of terminal erythroid differentiation and methods to detect tumor hybrid cells. Finally, his portfolio includes novel protein chimeras and bispecific formats to enhance precision immunotherapy.

Academic Appointments

  • Assistant Professor of Medical Sciences at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC)

Languages

  • English
  • Hindi
  • Urdu

Credentials & Experience

Education & Training

  • BSc, 1998 Microbiology, Osmania University, Hyderabad, India
  • MSc, 2000 Genetics, Osmania University, Hyderabad, India
  • PhD, 2004 Molecular Reproduction, Development, and Genetics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India

Committees, Societies, Councils

  • Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (POSB): Associate Member.
  • Edward P. Evans MDS Center, Columbia University: Active Member.
  • American Association for Cancer Research (AACR): Active Member.
  • American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO): Active Member.
  • American Society of Hematology (ASH): Active Member

Research

Dr. Ali is currently leadings efforts to understand the cellular and molecular basis of solid and liquid malignancies, including Myelodysplastic Neoplasms (MDS) and Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).

1. Management of the MDS BioBank
Dr. Ali manages one of the largest biobanks of human tissue and cell samples from patients with hematologic malignancies and normal donors. This repository, containing over 50,000 samples, was established over 40 years ago by Dr. Azra Raza. Dr. Ali oversees the strategic planning and operations of this BioBank, fostering collaborations that leverage these specimens for clinical breakthroughs to improve the lives of patients.

2. Tumor Heterogeneity via Single-Cell & Spatial Analysis
His research utilizes cutting-edge and high-throughput scRNAseq and spatial analysis to characterize the complex populations of interacting cell types within the tumor microenvironment. This work aims to identify the origins of circulating tumor hybrid cells and understand how cellular diversity drives disease progression and treatment resistance.

3. Multi-omics Characterization of Repository Specimens
Dr. Ali leads efforts to comprehensively characterize BioBank specimens using a multi-omics approach, integrating genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. Current projects include identifying biomarkers for MDS risk stratification and early detection of MDS to AML transformation using machine learning approaches.

Research Interests: Myeloid Malignancies (MDS/AML), Protein & Genomic Engineering, Computational Biology, and Precision Oncology.

Selected Publications

  • Borot F, Ali AM, et al. Multiplex Base Editing to Protect from CD33 Directed Therapy Implications for Immune and Gene Therapy. Nat Commun. (2025).
  • Mosialou I, Ali AM, et al. A niche driven mechanism determines response and a mutation-independent therapeutic approach for myeloid malignancies. Cancer Cell. (2025).
  • Ali AM, Raza A. scRNAseq and High-Throughput Spatial Analysis of Tumor and Normal Microenvironment... Reveal a Possible Origin of Circulating Tumor Hybrid Cells. Cancers. (2024).
  • Burke A, Ali AM, Mukherjee S, et al. A novel therapeutic bispecific format based on synthetic orthogonal heterodimers enables T cell activity against AML. Oncogene. (2023).
  • Borot F, Ali AM, Mukherjee S, et al. Gene-edited stem cells enable CD33-directed Immune therapy for myeloid malignancies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). (2019).
  • Ali AM, et al. Severely impaired terminal erythroid differentiation as an independent prognostic marker in myelodysplastic syndromes. Blood Advances. (2018).
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