Ikrame Naciri, PhD

2026 Mentored  Investigator Grant

University of California, Irvine

Project Summary
This project will explore how a specific RNA molecule, called XIST, affects the behavior of ovarian cancer stem cells that drive tumor growth and resistance to treatment. The research will test whether blocking a key energy process in these cells can stop them from spreading. Using patient-derived tumor models, the goal is to find better ways to identify aggressive tumors and match them with targeted treatments. This work aims to improve outcomes for people with ovarian cancer by developing personalized therapy based on tumor characteristics.

Bio
Dr. Ikrame Naciri is a cancer biologist whose research focuses on how long non-coding RNAs regulate cancer cell plasticity and drive therapy resistance in ovarian cancer. She earned her doctoral degree in Oncogenesis from Paris Diderot University in France, where she trained in Dr. Pierre-Antoine Defossez’s laboratory. She later completed her postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Sha Sun at the University of California, Irvine, investigating the role of the long non-coding RNA XIST in ovarian cancer progression.

Dr. Naciri is currently an Assistant Project Scientist in Dr. Suzann Duan’s laboratory at UC Irvine, where she continues to study cancer cell plasticity using mouse models, patient-derived organoids, and advanced single-cell and spatial transcriptomic approaches. Her long-term goal is to translate fundamental insights in RNA biology into innovative therapies for patients with aggressive and treatment-resistant ovarian cancer.