Research Summary

I am a neurosurgeon-scientist, and I have been running a neurosurgical practice caring for brain tumor patients and a basic science lab in the UCSF Brain Tumor Research Center (BTRC) since my initial faculty appointment at UCSF in 2008. Throughout that time, my lab has been well funded by the NIH and numerous private foundations, with the central focus of the lab being mechanisms of angiogenesis, invasion, and therapeutic resistance in brain tumors like glioblastoma, metastases, and pituitary tumors. My clinical practice has developed in parallel with my laboratory, with my glioblastoma and pituitary tumor surgical cases often providing valuable tissue for lab research as part of my clinical and translational research programs. The expertise from my scientific and clinical research has been supplemented by numerous successful collaborations with academic and industry investigators in the past eight years. As a neurosurgeon-scientist, I have mentored numerous medical and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and neurosurgery residents on scientific and clinical projects, as well as assisting them developing their careers integrating dual roles combining neurosurgical practices with scientific investigation. My position as a neurosurgeon and scientist specializing in the care of patients with aggressive brain tumors and the role of the tumor microenvironment in driving this aggressive biology and therapeutic resistance uniquely positions me to serve as PI for a variety of grants.

Research Funding

  • September 17, 2018 - August 31, 2023 - Modeling and druggable-genome screening of glioblastoma invasion using regional biopsy-guided biomaterials systems , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA227136
  • September 30, 2013 - June 30, 2022 - Tumor cell and microenvironment changes causing antiangiogenic therapy resistance , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01NS079697
  • July 1, 2009 - June 30, 2014 - Characterizing and Targeting Tumoral Factors Recruiting Perivascular Progenitors , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: K02NS064167

Education

Stanford University (Stanford, CA), BS, 1993, Biological Sciences
Stanford University (Stanford, CA), MS, 1993, Biological Sciences
Harvard Medical School (Boston, MA), MD, 2000, Medicine
Harvard Medical School (Boston, MA), PhD, 2000, Neuroscience

Honors & Awards

  • 2004
    Preuss Award, best basic science brain tumor research, American Association of Neurologic Surgeons (AANS) meeting, "Generation of Brain Tumor Neovasculature from Transplanted Bone Marrow."
  • 2005
    Ronald L. Bittner Award, best brain tumor research, American Association of Neurologic Surgeons (AANS) meeting
  • 2005
    William Scoville Resident Research Award, New England Neurosurgery meeting, "Generation of Glioma Neovasculature from Transplanted Bone Marrow."
  • 2005
    Congress of Neurologic Surgeons (CNS) Resident Research Award, "Enhanced Replication of Oncolytic HSV in Glioma Cells that Evade Temozolomide Chemotherapy Through DNA Repair."
  • 2005
    American Academy of Neurologic Surgeons Resident Research Award, "Stromal Derived Factor-1 Interacts with Environmental Cues to Induce Bone Marrow-Derived Cells to Differentiate into Tumor Endothelium and Pericytes."
  • 2006
    Mahaley Award, best clinical study in neuro-oncology, presented at American Association of Neurologic Surgeons (AANS) meeting
  • 2006
    Integra Foundation Award, best benign brain and peripheral nerve tumor research, presented at Congress of Neurologic Surgeons (CNS) meeting
  • 2007
    Synthes Skull Base Award, Congress of Neurologic Surgeons (CNS) meeting
  • 2009
    American Brian Tumor Association (ABTA) Young Investigator Award, Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) meeting

Selected Publications

  1. Chen J, Oberheim Bush NA, Grabowsky JA, Kline C, Kroetz DL, Taylor JW, Villanueva-Meyer J, Molinaro AM, de Groot JF, Butowski NA, Tedesco M, Rabbitt J, Phillips JJ, Hervey-Jumper S, Aghi MK, Berger MS, Chang EF, Chang SM, Solomon DA, Clarke JL. A genomically-tailored multi-agent precision medicine clinical trial for adults with recurrent glioblastoma. Clin Cancer Res. 2026 Feb 06. View on PubMed
  2. Kidwell RL, Trippett J, Aghi MK. Molecular biology of pituitary neuroendocrine tumors. J Neurooncol. 2026 Feb 04; 176(3):197. View on PubMed
  3. Prakash P, Trippett J, Ehsan C, Namkung J, Lad M, Aghi MK. Tumor Microenvironment Shapes the Spatial Organization of Glioblastoma Cell States. Neuro Oncol. 2026 Jan 10. View on PubMed
  4. Nguyen MP, Al-Adli NN, Theodosopoulos PV, Hervey-Jumper SL, Braunstein SE, Vasudevan HN, Morshed RA, Aghi MK. Association of cystic features with more rapid recovery of neurological deficits following resection of brain metastases. J Neurosurg. 2025 Dec 12; 1-10. View on PubMed
  5. Haddad AF, Ramesh R, Zakimi N, Chen JS, Quintana D, Gil E, Kabir AS, Sibih YE, Lugo BM, Bhalla S, Chen WC, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Narsinh KH, Magill ST, Morshed RA, Winkler E, Theodosopoulos PV, McDermott MW, Aghi MK, Raleigh DR. Preoperative embolization improves local control and modulates gene expression in atypical WHO grade 2 meningioma. Neuro Oncol. 2025 Dec 01; 27(12):3176-3188. View on PubMed
  6. Quintana D, Ramesh R, Osorio RC, Shoap W, McMillan Villalobos P, Theodosopoulos PV, Kunwar S, Gurrola J, El Sayed IH, Aghi MK, Goldschmidt E. Geographic and Socioeconomic Predictors of Early Follow-Up Loss in Patients Undergoing Pituitary Neuroendocrine Tumors (PitNETs) Resection: A Retrospective Review of 1143 Cases. World Neurosurg. 2026 Jan; 205:124643. View on PubMed
  7. Shih PE, Osorio RC, Leng L, Lugo BM, Gupta S, Blevins L, Theodosopoulos P, Gurrola J, El Sayed IH, Kunwar S, Villanueva-Meyer J, Aghi MK. Hyperenhancement of pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs) on preoperative MRI: implications on tumor characteristics and outcomes. J Clin Neurosci. 2026 Jan; 143:111747. View on PubMed
  8. Krasnow NA, Jayaraj M, Salans M, Kuwahara K, Zhou MH, Fisch S, Boreta L, Braunstein SE, Aghi MK, Batra-Sharma H, Majure M, Chien J, Rugo HS, Morshed RA, Vasudevan HN, Melisko ME, Huppert LA. Evaluating survival trends over time in patients with metastatic breast cancer and brain metastases: a single center retrospective cohort study. Breast Cancer Res. 2025 Oct 28; 27(1):191. View on PubMed
  9. Chandra A, Hayes A, Ehsan C, Zima L, Trippett J, Bueno A, Kim MJ, Johnson WR, Aghi M. Determinants of Neurosurgery Match Success Among Osteopathic Graduates: A Retrospective Analysis of 111 Applicants. World Neurosurg. 2025 Dec; 204:124554. View on PubMed
  10. Callander JK, Erickson TS, Abdulbaki H, Theodosopoulos PV, Aghi MK, Goldschmidt ED, El-Sayed IH, Gurrola JG. Surgical Experience and Validation of the "Bow Tie" Trilayer Graft Technique for Closure of Anterior Skull Base Defects. Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol. 2025 Oct; 10(5):e70281. View on PubMed
  11. Ewing-Crystal NA, Mroz NM, Larpthaveesarp A, Lizama CO, Pennington R, Chiaranunt P, Dennis JI, Chang AA, Merrill ED, Caryotakis SE, Kirthivasan N, Teo L, Tsukui T, Katewa A, McKinsey GL, Nelson SCK, Ciesielska A, Lummis NC, Pintaric L, Dahlgren MW, Atakilit A, Paidassi H, Jain S, Liu X, Xu D, Aghi MK, Bourne JA, Paz JT, Daneman R, Gonzalez FF, Sheppard D, Molofsky AV, Arnold TD, Molofsky AB. Dynamic fibroblast-immune interactions shape recovery after brain injury. Nature. 2025 Oct; 646(8086):934-944. View on PubMed
  12. Akins EA, Wilkins D, Abou-Mrad Z, Hopland K, Osorio RC, Yu KK, Aghi MK, Kumar S. An engineered glioblastoma model yields macrophage-secreted drivers of invasion. JCI Insight. 2025 Aug 22; 10(16). View on PubMed
  13. Junn JC, Post KD, Aghi MK, Zada G, Prevedello D, Delman B, Belani P, Ormond DR, Germano IM. Congress of Neurological Surgeons Systematic Review and Evidence-Based Guidelines for the Role of Imaging for Patients With Functioning Pituitary Adenomas. Neurosurgery. 2025 Aug 15; 97(3S):S15-S23. View on PubMed
  14. Peeran Z, Osorio RC, Perez M, Kabir AS, Mehari M, Dada A, Badani A, Khela HS, Young JS, El-Sayed IH, Gurrola JG, Theodosopoulos P, Blevins L, Kunwar S, Aghi MK. Functional Gonadotroph Adenomas in Male Patients: Clinical Characteristics, Surgical Outcomes, and Hormonal Follow-up. Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown). 2025 Jul 16. View on PubMed
  15. Chandra A, Ehsan C, Trippett J, Kim MJ, Brandel MG, Hanan C, Sheinberg D, Bueno A, Aghi MK. Factors associated with matching into highly ranked U.S. neurosurgical residencies. Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2025 Oct; 257:109058. View on PubMed
  16. Quintana D, Ramesh R, Shoap W, Osorio RC, Jimenez C, Theodosopoulos PV, Kunwar S, Gurrola J, El-Sayed IH, Aghi MK, Goldschmidt E. Association of non-English language preference with tumor characteristics and postoperative outcomes following pituitary neuroendocrine tumor resection:
a retrospective review of 1143 cases. J Neurosurg. 2025 Nov 01; 143(5):1387-1397. View on PubMed
  17. Osorio RC, Oh JY, Jung J, Ehrenberg AJ, Saha A, Lad M, Khela H, Brennick N, Giannikopoulos P, Seeley WW, Grinberg LT, Diaz A, Aghi MK. Developmental Plasticity and Stromal Co-option Shape a Pituitary Neuroendocrine Tumor Transcriptional Continuum. bioRxiv. 2025 Jun 24. View on PubMed
  18. Young JS, Cho NW, Lucas CG, Najem H, Mirchia K, Chen WC, Seo K, Zakimi N, Daggubati V, Casey-Clyde T, Nguyen MP, Chen A, Phillips JJ, Ozawa T, Aghi MK, Taylor JW, DeRisi JL, Bhaduri A, Berger MS, Heimberger AB, Butowski N, Spitzer MH, Raleigh DR. IL-6 underlies microenvironment immunosuppression and resistance to therapy in glioblastoma. bioRxiv. 2025 Mar 14. View on PubMed
  19. Shukla PD, Nguyen MP, Lui A, Catalan T, Young JS, Berger MS, Theodosopoulos PV, Hervey-Jumper SL, Huppert LA, Aghi MK, Vasudevan HN, Morshed RA. Association of lower tumor mutation burden with rapid local progression in patients with brain metastases. J Neurosurg. 2025 Jun 01; 142(6):1701-1709. View on PubMed
  20. Hu M, Weldy A, Lovalvo I, Akins E, Jain S, Chang A, Sati A, Lad M, Lui A, Rajidi A, Kothekar A, Ding E, Kumar S, Aghi MK. Druggable genome CRISPRi screen in 3D hydrogels reveals regulators of cortactin-driven actin remodeling in invading glioblastoma cells. bioRxiv. 2025 Jan 24. View on PubMed

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