U.S. flag An official website of the United States government

On Oct. 1, 2024, the FDA began implementing a reorganization impacting many parts of the agency. We are in the process of updating FDA.gov content to reflect these changes.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  1. Home
  2. About FDA
  3. FDA Organization
  4. Office of the Commissioner
  5. Office of the Chief Scientist
  6. National Center for Toxicological Research
  7. Science & Research (NCTR)
  8. Tariq Fahmi
  1. Science & Research (NCTR)

Tariq Fahmi M.D., Ph.D.

Research Biologist — Division of Biochemical Toxicology

Headshot of Dr. Tariq Fahmi

Tariq Fahmi, M.D., Ph.D.
(870) 543-7121
NCTRResearch@fda.hhs.gov  

Back to NCTR Principal Investigator page

About  |  Publications  |  Lab Members

Background

Dr. Tariq Fahmi received a Doctor of Medicine degree from Al-Mustansiriya University in Baghdad, Iraq; a Master of Science degree in pathology from the Medical College of Al-Nahrain University in Baghdad, Iraq; and a Ph.D. in oncology from the Institute of Oncology at Hacettepe University in Ankara, Turkey. Dr. Fahmi was a faculty member in the Department of Pathology at Al-Mustansiriya University while pursuing masters and doctorate degrees. Dr. Fahmi then received a fellowship from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He joined FDA’s National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR) in the Office of Scientific Coordination and the Nanotechnology Core Facility (Nanocore) as an FDA staff fellow where, with a team of scientists, he reviewed scientific publications and prepared monographs to provide briefs for regulatory decisions made by FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Dr. Fahmi was hired as a research biologist in NCTR's Division of Biochemical Toxicology in 2022.

 

Research Interests 

Dr. Fahmi's research interests include:

  • Immunology, especially sex-based differences in immune responses
  • Nanotoxicology, especially immunotoxicity of nanomaterials
  • Immunopathology
  • Oncology, especially tumor biology and immunology

Dr. Fahmi’s current research projects and other research efforts at NCTR include:    

  • Sex-based differences in immune responses to nanoparticles
  • Immunotoxicity of cobalt chromium particles generated from prosthetic implants
  • Effects of physico-chemical properties of nanoparticles on radioenhancement and DNA damage in cancer cells
  • Effects of physico-chemical properties of graphitic materials on cytotoxicity
  • Immunotoxicological collaborative consensus-standards for nanomaterial assessment with other stakeholders, through standards development organizations, such as the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM International)
  • Development lead of two immunotoxicological test methods—
    • ASTM E3238-20—"Standard Test Method for Quantitative Measurement of the Chemoattractant Capacity of a Nanoparticulate Material In Vitro" (2020)
    • ASTM E3351-22—"Standard Method for Detection of Nitric Oxide Production In Vitro” (2022)

Dr. Fahmi's previous research efforts include:

  • Investigated the possible mechanisms of cell death following exposure to nanomaterials. Conducted several research projects that involved—
    • the delivery and measurement of the toxicity of different nanomaterials
    • the development of methods to evaluate nanoparticle toxicity
  • Investigated the role of endonucleases in the mechanism of graphene and carbon nanotubes cytotoxicity. Helped develop—
    • a photoacoustic in vitro flow cytometry method to evaluate nanomaterial toxicity
    • multi-functional nanomaterials for targeting circulating cancer cells
  • Investigated the role of serotonin transporters in protecting placental cells against cell death
  • Worked with cancer models by investigating the effects of altered expression of human UDP-glucurosyltransferase (UGT) genes in breast and pancreatic cancers. Demonstrated the role of UGTs as lipid controllers in cellular homeostasis and helped identify them as possible targets for future clinical therapeutic development.
  • Worked on determining the role of endonuclease and apoptotic proteins and the mechanisms of acute and chronic tissue injury related to cancer and other toxic injuries
  • Investigated the differential distribution of T cell subsets in mammary tumor-bearing animals and potential contribution of T cell localization to tumor-associated immunosuppression

 

Professional Societies/National and International Groups

American Society of Testing and Materials Committee E56 on Nanotechnology
Member
2017 – Present

FDA Standard Committee (NCTR Representative)
Member
2016 – Present

Nanotechnology Task Force Subcommittee
Member
2015 – Present

 

Selected Publications

Investigation of Sex-Based Differences in the Immunotoxicity of Silver Nanoparticles.
Canup B., Rogers P., Paredes A., Manheng W., Lyn-Cook B., and Fahmi T.
Nanotoxicology. 2024, 18:2, 134-159, doi: 10.1080/17435390.2024.2323070.

Radiation Impacts on Toxicity of Cobalt Chromium (CoCr) Implant Debris.
Trout K., Majumdar S., Patri A., and Fahmi T. 
Nanotoxicology. 2023, 17:1, 116-142, doi: 10.1080/17435390.2023.2191717.

Development of Benchmark Datasets for Text Mining and Sentiment Analysis to Accelerate Regulatory Literature Review. 
Wu L., Chen S., Guo L., Shpyleva S, Harris K., Fahmi T., Flanigan T., Tong W., Xu J., and Ren Z. 
Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2023, 137:105287. doi: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2022.105287.

DNase I Induces Other Endonucleases in Kidney Tubular Epithelial Cells by Its DNA-Degrading Activity.
Fahmi T., Wang X., Zhdanov D., Islam I., Apostolov E., Savenka A., and Basnakian A.
Int J Mol Sci. 2020, 21(22):8665. doi: 10.3390/ijms21228665.

Serotonin Transporter Protects the Placental Cells Against Apoptosis in Caspase 3-Independent Pathway.
Hadden C.*, Fahmi T.*, Cooper A., Savenka A., Lupashin V., Roberts D., Maroteaux L., Hauguel-de Mouzon S., and Kilic F.
J Cell Physiol. 2017, 232(12):3520-3529. doi: 10.1002/jcp.25812. (* Represents equal contribution [co-first authorship]).
 
Mechanism of Graphene-Induced Cytotoxicity: Role of Endonucleases.
Fahmi T., Branch D., Nima Z., Jang D., Savenka A., Biris A., and Basnakian A.
J Appl Toxicol. 2017, 37(11):1325-1332. doi: 10.1002/jat.3462.
 
Photoacoustic In Vitro Flow Cytometry for Nanomaterial Research.
Nedosekin D., Fahmi T., Nima Z., Nolan J., Cai C., Sarimollaoglu M., Dervishi E., Basnakian A., Biris A., and Zharov V.
Photoacoustics. 2017, 6:16-25. doi: 10.1016/j.pacs.2017.03.002.
 
Mutant Profilin1 Transgenic Mice Recapitulate Cardinal Features of Motor Neuron Disease.
Fil D., DeLoach A., Yadav S., Alkam D., MacNicol M., Singh A., Compadre C., Goellner J., O'Brien C., Fahmi T., Basnakian A., Calingasan N., Klessner J., Flint Beal M., Peters O., Metterville J., Brown R., Ling K., Rigo F., Ozdinler P., and Kiaei M.
Hum Mol Genet. 2017, 26(4):686-701. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddw429.
 
Human UDP-Glucuronosyltransferases: Effects of Altered Expression in Breast and Pancreatic Cancer Cell Lines.
Dates C.*, Fahmi T.*, Pyrek S., Yao-Borengasser A., Borowa-Mazgaj B., Bratton S., Kadlubar S., Mackenzie P., Haun R., and Radominska-Pandya A.
Cancer Biol Ther. 2015, 16(5):714-23. doi: 10.1080/15384047.2015.1026480. (* Represents equal contribution [co-first authorship]).
 
Impact of Hydroxychloroquine on Atherosclerosis and Vascular Stiffness in the Presence of Chronic Kidney Disease.
Shukla A., Bose C., Karaduta O., Apostolov E., Kaushal G., Fahmi T., Segal M., and Shah S.
PLoS One. 2015, 10(9): e0139226. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139226.
 
Regulation of Apoptotic Endonucleases by EndoG.
Zhdanov D., Fahmi T., Wang X., Apostolov E., Sokolov N., Javadov S., and Basnakian A.
DNA Cell Biol. 2015, 34(5):316-26. doi: 10.1089/dna.2014.2772.
 
Novel High-Throughput Deoxyribonuclease 1 Assay.
Jang D., Penthala N., Apostolov E., Wang X., Fahmi T., Crooks P., and Basnakian A.
J Biomol Screen. 2015, 20(2):202-11. doi: 10.1177/1087057114555828.
 
Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube and Graphene Nanodelivery of Gambogic Acid Increases its Cytotoxicity in Breast and Pancreatic Cancer Cells.
Saeed L., Mahmood M., Pyrek S., Fahmi T., Xu Y., Mustafa T., Nima Z., Bratton S., Casciano D., Dervishi E., Radominska-Pandya A., and Biris A.
J Appl Toxicol. 2014, 34(11):1188-99. doi: 10.1002/jat.3018.
 
Circulating Tumor Cell Identification by Functionalized Silver-Gold Nanorods with Multicolor, Super-Enhanced SERS and Photothermal Resonances.
Nima Z., Mahmood M., Xu Y., Mustafa T., Watanabe F., Nedosekin D., Juratli M., Fahmi T., Galanzha E., Nolan J., Basnakian A., Zharov V., and Biris A.
Sci Rep. 2014, 4:4752. doi: 10.1038/srep04752.
 
Immune Compartmentalization of T Cell Subsets in Chemically-Induced Breast Cancer.
Fahmi T., Esendagli G., Yilmaz G., Kansu E., and Guc D.
Scand J Immunol. 2010, 72(4):339-48. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3083.2010.02447.

 

Lab Members

Contact information for all lab members:
(870) 543-7121
NCTRResearch@fda.hhs.gov

Brandon Canup, Ph.D.
Staff Fellow

Katelyn McBride 
Biologist

Contact Information
Tariq Fahmi
(870) 543-7121
Expertise
Expertise
Approach
Domain
Carcinogenicity
Technology & Discipline
Immunology
Nanotechnology
Toxicology
Back to Top