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Faculty Detail    
Name MAJD ZAYZAFOON
 
Campus Address VH 201- Zip 0019
Phone  (205) 934-5574
E-mail  mzayzafoon@uab.edu
Other websites
     

Education
Graduate  Damascus University    1987  MD 
Graduate  Michigan State University    2001  PhD 
Graduate  University of Alabama at Birmingham    2013  MBA 


Faculty Appointment(s)
Appointment Type Department Division Rank
Primary  International Medical Education  International Medical Education Professor
Secondary  Cell, Developmntl, & Integrative Biology  Cell, Developmntl, & Integrative Biology Associate Professor
Secondary  Dept of Medical Education  Dept of Medical Education Associate Professor
Center  Biomatrix Eng Regen Med (BERM) Ctr  Biomatrix Eng Regen Med (BERM) Ctr Professor
Center  Cell Adhesion & Matrix Research Center  Cell Adhesion & Matrix Research Center Professor
Center  Comp Arthritis, MSK, Bone & Autoimmunity Ctr  Comp Arthritis, MSK, Bone & Autoimmunity Ctr Professor
Center  Comprehensive Cancer Center  Comprehensive Cancer Center Professor
Center  Comprehensive Diabetes Center  Comprehensive Diabetes Center Professor
Center  Integrative Center for Aging Research  Integrative Center for Aging Research Professor
Center  Nutrition Sciences Research  Nutrition Obesity Res Ctr (NORC) Professor

Graduate Biomedical Sciences Affiliations
Cancer Biology 
Cell, Molecular, & Developmental Biology 
Cell, Molecular, & Developmental Biology 
Medical Scientist Training Program 
Molecular and Cellular Pathology Program 
Pathobiology and Molecular Medicine 

Biographical Sketch 
Majd Zayzafoon, MD, PhD, MBA is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology. He serves as the Director of the UAB-Center for Metabolic Bone Disease (UAB-CMBD), and the Director of the UAB-International advanced clinical training program (UAB-InterACT). Majd Zayzafoon was born in Birmingham and grew up in Norwich, England. He went to medical school at Damascus University, Syria where he obtained his MD degree. After graduation, he completed his residency in Internal Medicine followed by a fellowship in Gastroenterology at Preston Hospital, Tyne & Wear, England. Majd then moved to the United States and joined the Physiology Doctoral Program at Michigan State University, where he earned his Ph.D. degree. In 2002 he moved to UAB as a post-doctoral fellow in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, Department of Pathology. Since that time Majd has moved rapidly through the ranks, being promoted to Associate Professor in 2009. Majd completed his MBA studies in the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2013. In 2011 he started a new educational program at UAB; International Advanced Clinical Training Program (InterACT). The major goal of this project is to provide international trainees with strong clinical and research experience as well as an education of the current U.S. medical system as it is conducted at UAB.

Society Memberships
Organization Name Position Held Org Link
American Association for Cancer Research    http://www.aacr.org/ 
American Association for the Advancement of Science     http://www.aaas.org/ 
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology    http://www.asbmb.org/ 
American Society for Bone and Mineral Research    http://www.asbmr.org/ 
American Society for Gravitational and Space Biology    http://www.asgsb.org/ 
British Association for Cancer Research    http://www.bacr.org.uk/ 
European Association for Cancer Research    http://www.eacr.org/ 
International Bone and Mineral Society    http://www.ibmsonline.org/ 
New York academy of sciences    http://www.nyas.org/ 
The Metastasis Research Society    http://www.metastasis-research.org/ 



Research/Clinical Interest
Title
The Role of Calcium Signaling in the pathogenesis of disease
Description
I am an Associate Professor at the Department of Pathology and the Director of the Center for Metabolic Bone Disease at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. My research activities include understanding the transcriptional regulation of osteoblast differentiation and the role of calcium signaling in this process. The long-term goal of my laboratory is to develop novel therapeutic approaches for building and retaining bone mass in humans. My laboratory also studies the mechanisms involved in the development and growth of bone tumors such as osteosarcoma or bone metastasis from other tumors such as prostate cancer. Specifically, my research examines how progressive changes in prostate cancer bone metastasis are acquired through tumor-stroma interaction in the bone and prostate microenvironment. The outcome of this work will not only increase our understanding of the regulation of osteoblast differentiation and bone formation, but also play a key role in the development of new targets for drug design and therapies for osteoporosis and other bone diseases. Also, building on my clinical, basic science and business experiences, I function in the capacity of Director of the UAB Comprehensive Center for Metabolic Bone Disease (CMBD) to oversee the activities of the University-wide center as well as the Director of the International Advanced Clinical Training Program (InterACT) that provides international medical graduates with strong clinical and research experience as well as an education of the current U.S. medical system.

Selected Publications 
Publication PUBMEDID
RANK- and c-Met-mediated signal network promotes prostate cancer metastatic colonization.   24478054 
Inhibition of beta 2-Microglobulin/Hemochromatosis Enhances Radiation Sensitivity by Induction of Iron Overload in Prostate Cancer Cells.   23874600 
NFAT Signaling in Osteoblasts Regulates the Hematopoietic Niche in the Bone Microenvironment.   24023563 
Alpha-CaMKII plays a critical role in determining the aggressive behavior of human osteosarcoma.  23364534 
Childhood obesity as a risk factor for bone fracture: A Mechanistic Study  23512354 
Central Depletion of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor in Mice Results in High Bone Mass and Metabolic Phenotype.   23011922 
Thrombospondin-1 inhibits osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells through latent TGF-β activation.   22583901 
LIV-1 promotes prostate cancer epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and metastasis through HB-EGF shedding and EGFR-mediated ERK signaling.  22110740 
Is there a role for fatty acid synthase in the diagnosis of prostatic adenocarcinoma?  21757596 
Beta 2-Microglobulin induces epithelial to mesenchymal transition and confers cancer lethality and bone metastasis in human cancer cells  21427356 
Human prostate cancer harbors the stem cell properties of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells  21355075  
Ovariectomy disregulates osteoblast and osteoclast formation through the T-cell receptor CD40 ligand  21187391 
Snail-mediated regulation of reactive oxygen species in ARCaP human prostate cancer cells  21093414 
Alterations in the immune-skeletal interface drive bone destruction in HIV-1 transgenic rats  20643942 
Effect of HIP/Ribosomal Protein L29 Deficiency on Mineral Properties of Murine Bones and Teeth  20362701 
Ex Vivo Transfer of the Hoxc-8-interacting Domain of Smad1 by a Tropism-Modified Adenoviral Vector Results in Efficient Bone Formation in a Rabbit Model of Spinal Fusion  20084034 
T lymphocytes amplify the anabolic activity of parathyroid hormone through WNT10b signaling  19723499 
NFATc1 mediates HDAC-dependent transcriptional repression of osteocalcin expression during osteoblast differentiation  19463978 
Mecp2 Deficiency Decreases Bone Formation and Reduces Bone Volume in a Rodent Model of Rett Syndrome  19414073 
Mitochondrial DNA mutation stimulates prostate cancer growth in bone stromal environment  18850577 
Immunohistochemistry in the Evaluation of Neovascularization in Tumor Xenografts: Antibody Selection and Antigen Retrieval Method Optimization  18846440 
BKM1740, an acyl-tyrosine bisphosphonate amide derivative, inhibits the bone metastatic growth of human prostate cancer cells by inducing apoptosis  18829499 
Receptor activator of NF-kappaB Ligand (RANKL) expression is associated with epithelial to mesenchymal transition in human prostate cancer cells  18645583 
Conditional dysruption of calcineurin B1 in osteoblasts increases bone formation and reduces bone resorption  17884821 
Alpha-CaMKII Controls the Growth of Human Osteosarcoma by Regulating Cell Cycle Progression  17632540 
Cyclosporin A elicits dose-dependent biphasic effects on osteoblast differentiation and bone formation.  17392048 
Toll like receptor-9 agonists stimulate prostate cancer invasion in vitro.
 
17373717  
Honokiol, a natural plant product, inhibits the bone metastatic growth of human prostate cancer cells.  17326044 
{beta}2-Microglobulin Promotes the Growth of Human Renal Cell Carcinoma through the Activation of the Protein Kinase A, Cyclic AMP-Responsive Element-Binding Protein, and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Axis  17189401  
beta2-microglobulin is a signaling and growth-promoting factor for human prostate cancer bone metastasis  16982753 
NFATc1: a novel anabolic therapeutic target for osteoporosis  16831953 
Inhibition of NFAT increases osteoblast differentiation by increasing Fra-2 expression  16340132 
Microgravity: the immune response and bone  16313354 
Calcium/calmodulin signaling controls osteoblast growth and differentiation  16229015 
RhoA and Cytoskeletal Disruption Mediate Reduced Osteoblastogenesis and Enhanced Adipogenesis of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Modeled Microgravity.  16160744 
Modeled microgravity disrupts collagen I/integrin signaling during osteoblastic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells  15660414 
RANKL regulates Fas expression and Fas-mediated apoptosis in osteoclasts  15619676 
Calmodulin and calmodulin-dependent kinase IIalpha regulate osteoblast differentiation by controlling c-fos expression  15590632 
Modeled microgravity inhibits osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells and increases adipogenesis  14749352 
Notch signaling and ERK activation are important for the osteomimetic properties of prostate cancer bone metastatic cell lines  14602722 
P38 and activating transcription factor-2 involvement in osteoblast osmotic response to elevated extracellular glucose  12149242 
Extracellular glucose influences osteoblast differentiation and c-Jun expression  10967557 

Keywords
Osteoblasts, Bone, Prostate Cancer, Osteosarcoma, Calmodulin Kinase, NFAT, AP-1, Bone metastasis, HDAC, histone acetylation, DNA methyltransferase