Amro Hamdoun is Professor and Associate Director of the Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography of the University of California at San Diego.

Research in the Hamdoun lab focuses on cellular mechanisms of small molecule transport, including drugs, endogenous signal molecules, and environmental toxicants. The research has revealed novel roles of transporter systems in the environmental movements of pollutants and in embryonic development. The lab has pioneered the study of interactions of ubiquitous environmental toxicants with ABCB1 (aka P-glycoprotein) one of the major transporters in humans and wildlife. This has included discovery of novel classes of environmental toxicants, termed Transporter Interfering Chemicals (TICs), which interfere with transporter systems in humans and wildlife. These include legacy and emerging persistent organic pollutants, such as DDT and flame retardants, that are transferred to humans through contaminated seafood. The research has also revealed windows of vulnerability to xenobiotic exposure during early life stages, and uncovered unexpected roles for transporters in regulation of signals that govern differentiation. This work has implications for understanding the health impacts of in utero chemical exposures.

The Hamdoun laboratory is currently leading an effort to generate new, genetically-enabled marine cell biological model organisms, which will be useful for ongoing biomedical research. This includes the construction of a first of its kind marine transgenics facility at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the development of tools for high-resolution live-cell imaging of these organisms. This work has been featured on the covers of several journals including Development, Developmental Dynamics, Molecular Biology of the Cell and Molecular Reproduction and Development. His lab is a leading contributor of shared reagents for marine models (https://www.addgene.org/Amro_Hamdoun/).

Dr. Hamdoun serves as faculty member of the ROSA https://rosa.ucsd.edu/ program and the NIH Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity, with the aim of increasing diversity of the next generation of biomedical researchers. He currently serves as Associate Director of Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine and is member of the Scripps Committee on Academic Personnel. He served as co-editor of the 2019 Methods in Cell Biology volumes on Echinoderms, and of the 2020 Federation of European Biochemical Societies Special Issue on ABC Transporters. Dr. Hamdoun been a Ruth L. Kirschstein NIH F32 NRSA fellow and an NIH K99/R00 fellow. He is the recipient of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award and the Charles Kennel Career Development Award.

Last updated January 2021