Omkar B. Ijare

Omkar B. Ijare, PhD

Assistant Research Professor of Neurosurgery, Academic Institute
Assistant Research Member, Research Institute
Houston Methodist
Weill Cornell Medical College


Baskin Lab


oijare@houstonmethodist.org
Biography

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.

Areas Of Expertise

Nuclear magnetic resonance Cell metabolism Metabolomics
Publications

Glutamine anaplerosis is required for amino acid biosynthesis in human meningiomas
Ijare, OB, Hambarde, S, Brasil Da Costa, FH, Lopez, S, Sharpe, MA, Helekar, SA, Hangel, G, Bogner, W, Widhalm, G, Bachoo, RM, Baskin, DS & Pichumani, K 2022, , Neuro-oncology, vol. 24, no. 4, pp. 556-568. https://doi.org/10.1093/neuonc/noab219

Single-cell analysis of human glioma and immune cells identifies S100A4 as an immunotherapy target
Abdelfattah, N, Kumar, P, Wang, C, Leu, JS, Flynn, WF, Gao, R, Baskin, DS, Pichumani, K, Ijare, OB, Wood, SL, Powell, SZ, Haviland, DL, Parker Kerrigan, BC, Lang, FF, Prabhu, SS, Huntoon, KM, Jiang, W, Kim, BYS, George, J & Yun, K 2022, , Nature Communications, vol. 13, no. 1, 767, pp. 767. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28372-y, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28372-y

Single-cell analysis of human glioma and immune cells identifies S100A4 as an immunotherapy target
Abdelfattah, N, Kumar, P, Wang, C, Leu, JS, Flynn, WF, Gao, R, Baskin, DS, Pichumani, K, Ijare, OB, Wood, SL, Powell, SZ, Haviland, DL, Parker Kerrigan, BC, Lang, FF, Prabhu, SS, Huntoon, KM, Jiang, W, Kim, BYS, George, J & Yun, K 2022, , Nature Communications, vol. 13, no. 1, 767. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28372-y

Rotating Magnetic Fields Inhibit Mitochondrial Respiration, Promote Oxidative Stress and Produce Loss of Mitochondrial Integrity in Cancer Cells
Sharpe, MA, Baskin, DS, Pichumani, K, Ijare, OB & Helekar, SA 2021, , Frontiers in Oncology, vol. 11, 768758. https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2021.768758

Rotating Magnetic Fields Inhibit Mitochondrial Respiration, Promote Oxidative Stress and Produce Loss of Mitochondrial Integrity in Cancer Cells
Sharpe, MA, Baskin, DS, Pichumani, K, Ijare, OB & Helekar, SA 2021, , Frontiers in Oncology, vol. 11, 768758. https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2021.768758

Glutamine anaplerosis is required for amino acid biosynthesis in human meningiomas
Ijare, OB, Hambarde, S, Brasil Da Costa, FH, Lopez, S, Sharpe, MA, Helekar, SA, Hangel, G, Bogner, W, Widhalm, G, Bachoo, RM, Baskin, DS & Pichumani, K 2021, , Neuro-oncology, vol. 24, no. 4, https://doi.org/10.1093/neuonc/noab219, pp. 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1093/neuonc/noab219

The leloir cycle in glioblastoma: Galactose scavenging and metabolic remodeling
Sharpe, MA, Ijare, OB, Baskin, DS, Baskin, AM, Baskin, BN & Pichumani, K 2021, , Cancers, vol. 13, no. 8, 1815. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers13081815

Selective induction of rapid cytotoxic effect in glioblastoma cells by oscillating magnetic fields
Helekar, SA, Hambarde, S, Ijare, OB, Pichumani, K, Baskin, DS & Sharpe, MA 2021, , Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology, vol. 147, no. 12, pp. 3577-3589. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-021-03787-0

Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy characterization of Rathke’s cleft cysts (RCCs): Relevance to the differential diagnosis of pituitary adenomas and RCCs
Ijare, OB, Sharpe, MA, Baskin, DS & Pichumani, K 2020, , Cancers, vol. 12, no. 2, 360. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers12020360

Elevated levels of circulating betahydroxybutyrate in pituitary tumor patients may differentiate prolactinomas from other immunohistochemical subtypes
Ijare, OB, Holan, C, Hebert, J, Sharpe, MA, Baskin, DS & Pichumani, K 2020, , Scientific Reports, vol. 10, no. 1, 1334, pp. 1334. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-58244-8

Metabolic fate of glucose in atypical meningioma studied by 13C NMR isotopomer analysis
Pichumani, K, Ijare, OB & Baskin, DS 2019, . in Metabolic fate of glucose in atypical meningioma studied by 13C NMR isotopomer. Proc. Intl. Soc. Mag. Reson. Med. 27 (2019) 2507 edn, vol. 27, Internatioal Society for magnetic resonance in medicine, pp. 2507. <https://index.mirasmart.com/ISMRM2019/PDFfiles/2507.html>

In vivo 1 H MRS of human gallbladder bile in understanding the pathophysiology of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC): Immune-mediated disease versus bile acid-induced injury
Mohajeri, S, Bezabeh, T, Ijare, OB, King, SB, Thomas, MA, Minuk, G, Lipschitz, J, Kirkpatrick, I, Micflikier, AB, Summers, R & Smith, ICP 2019, , NMR in Biomedicine, vol. 32, no. 5, e4065. https://doi.org/10.1002/nbm.4065

Ex Vivo 1 H NMR study of pituitary adenomas to differentiate various immunohistochemical subtypes
Ijare, OB, Baskin, DS & Pichumani, K 2019, , Scientific Reports, vol. 9, no. 1, 3007. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-38542-6

NMR-Based Urinary Metabolomics Applications
Bezabeh, T, Capati, A & Ijare, OB 2019, . in Methods in Molecular Biology. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 2037, Humana Press, pp. 215-229. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-9690-2_13

Metabolism of fructose in B-cells: A 13C NMR spectroscopy based stable isotope tracer study
Ijare, OB, Baskin, DS, Sharpe, MA & Pichumani, K 2018, , Analytical Biochemistry, vol. 552, pp. 110-117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ab.2018.04.003

Measurement of 13C turnover into glutamate and glutamine pools in brain tumor patients
Pichumani, K, Mashimo, T, Vemireddy, V, Ijare, OB, Mickey, BE, Malloy, CR, Marin-Valencia, I, Baskin, DS, Bachoo, RM & Maher, EA 2017, , FEBS Letters, vol. 591, no. 21, pp. 3548-3554. https://doi.org/10.1002/1873-3468.12867

In vivo 1H MRS of human gallbladder bile at 3 T in one and two dimensions: Detection and quantification of major biliary lipids
Mohajeri, S, Ijare, OB, Bezabeh, T, King, SB, Thomas, MA, Minuk, G, Lipschitz, J, Kirkpatrick, I, Smith, M & Smith, ICP 2014, , NMR in Biomedicine, vol. 27, no. 10, pp. 1192-1202. https://doi.org/10.1002/nbm.3173

Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy of sputum for the non-invasive diagnosis of lung cancer: Preliminary findings
Bezabeh, T, Ijare, OB, Marginean, EC & Nicholas, G 2012, , Journal of Analytical Oncology, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 14-18. https://doi.org/10.6000/1927-7229.2012.01.01.3

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy of bile in the detection of cholangiocarcinoma
Ijare, OB, Bezabeh, T, Albiin, N & Smith, ICP 2011, , Journal of Hepatology, vol. 54, no. 2, pp. 398-399. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhep.2010.08.039

Simultaneous quantification of glycine- and taurine-conjugated bile acids, total bile acids, and choline-containing phospholipids in human bile using 1H NMR spectroscopy
Ijare, OB, Bezabeh, T, Albiin, N, Bergquist, A, Arnelo, U, Lindberg, B & Smith, ICP 2010, , Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, vol. 53, no. 3, pp. 667-673. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpba.2010.05.028

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