Reem Karmali MD

Dr. Karmali is an Assistant Professor at Rush University Medical Center. Her LRF Clinical Research Mentoring Program (LCRMP) project investigates a process known as cancer cachexia, a metabolic syndrome that causes the loss of muscle mass and occasionally fat tissue in cancer patients. In aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas (B-NHL), cachexia has a demonstrated association with poor clinical outcomes.

Dr. Karmali’s project seeks to measure changes in muscle mass and fatty tissue in a group of aggressive B-NHL patients, comparing their change in muscle mass to their survival rates, and identifying proteins circulating in the blood that are associated with cachexia. “With this, we anticipate revealing previously unappreciated processes in cancer cachexia that may lead to better treatment strategies and new treatment options for patients with aggressive B-cell lymphoma that may provide a greater chance of cure,” she says. After completing her MD at the University of Western Ontario, Dr. Karmali joined Rush University Medical Center to complete her residency and fellowship, as well as an MS in clinical research. During her studies, she witnessed the rapid evolution of the understanding of lymphoma biology as well as its translation to clinical practice in the approval of new novel therapies.