Assistant Research Professor of Neurosurgery, Academic Institute
Houston Methodist
Weill Cornell Medical College
Dr. Ijare is an analytical chemist trained in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS) techniques. His research is centered on applying NMR and MS techniques to biomedical problems. Previously he worked on the detection of hepatobiliary and pancreatic malignancies through the analysis of pancreaticobiliary fluids such as bile and pancreatic juice using NMR spectroscopy. He has also worked on the analysis of sputum and exhaled breath condensate to detect lung cancer. At the Kenneth R. Peak Brain and Pituitary Tumor Treatment Center, he is studying the metabolism of brain tumors (gliomas/DIPG/GBM, meningiomas, and pituitary adenomas) and brain metastases through the analysis of surgically resected brain tumor tissues and patient-derived primary brain tumor cell lines, by 1H/13C NMR spectroscopy and MS based metabolic flux analysis using 13C-labeled substrates (e.g.,13C-glucose, 13C-glutamine, 13C-betahydroxybutyrate) as stable isotope tracers. Based on the preliminary data on the ex vivo analysis of pituitary and meningioma tumors, he is also working on an in vivo MRS study using 7.0T Siemens MRI scanner to unravel metabolism of these tumors non-invasively with the goal of identifying metabolite markers to distinguish different histological types of pituitary tumors and meningiomas. Such studies will help identify biomarkers for the diagnostics of brain tumors including the identification of specific metabolic pathways which can be targeted to develop novel drugs for the treatment of brain tumors. He is also interested in developing new diagnostic methods for the early detection of human cancers.