Marc Machaalani, MD

Marc Machaalani, MD

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

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publications

Contribution of Arab World in Transplant Research: A PubMed-Based Bibliometric Analysis

Published in Transplant Immunology, 2021

Bibliometric analysis evaluating the volume, trends, and global contribution of transplant-related research output from the Arab world between 2005 and 2019.

Recommended citation: El Ayoubi LM, El Masri J, Machaalani M, El Hage S, Salameh P. Contribution of Arab World in Transplant Research: A PubMed-Based Bibliometric Analysis. Transpl Immunol. 2021;68:101432. doi:10.1016/j.trim.2021.101432.
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Overcoming Therapy Resistance in Colon Cancer by Drug Repurposing

Published in Cancers, 2022

Comprehensive review of repurposed pharmacologic agents as strategies to overcome therapeutic resistance in colorectal cancer.

Recommended citation: El Zarif T, Yibrin M, De Oliveira-Gomes D, Machaalani M, Nawfal R, Bittar G, Bahmad HF, Bitar N. Overcoming Therapy Resistance in Colon Cancer by Drug Repurposing. Cancers (Basel). 2022;14(9):2105. doi:10.3390/cancers14092105.
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Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Toward Hypertension Among Hypertensive Patients Residing in Lebanon

Published in Vascular Health and Risk Management, 2022

Cross-sectional study evaluating hypertension knowledge, attitudes, and clinical practices among hypertensive patients in Lebanon.

Recommended citation: Machaalani M, Seifeddine H, Ali A, Bitar H, Briman O, Chahine MN. Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Toward Hypertension Among Hypertensive Patients Residing in Lebanon. Vasc Health Risk Manag. 2022;18:541-553. doi:10.2147/VHRM.S367187.
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Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Toward Cardiovascular Diseases in the Lebanese Population

Published in Global Heart, 2022

Case-control study assessing cardiovascular disease knowledge, attitudes, and preventive practices among Lebanese adults.

Recommended citation: Machaalani M, Fakhry B, Zwaideh M, Mendelek K, Mahmoud N, Hammoud T, Chahine MN. Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Toward Cardiovascular Diseases in the Lebanese Population. Global Heart. 2022;17(1):47. doi:10.5334/gh.1138.
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Cancer research activity in the Arab world: a 15-year bibliometric analysis

Published in Journal of the Egyptian Public Health Association, 2022

Bibliometric evaluation of cancer research productivity across Arab countries between 2005 and 2019.

Recommended citation: Machaalani M, El Masri J, El Ayoubi LM, Matar B. Cancer research activity in the Arab world: a 15-year bibliometric analysis. J Egypt Public Health Assoc. 2022;97(1):26. doi:10.1186/s42506-022-00120-6.
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TERT Promoter Mutations Frequency Across Race, Sex, and Cancer Type

Published in The Oncologist, 2024

Genomic study defining differences in TERT promoter mutation prevalence across racial and sex-based groups and cancer types.

Recommended citation: El Zarif T†, Machaalani M†, Nawfal R†, Nassar AH, Xie W, Choueiri TK, Pomerantz M. TERT Promoter Mutations Frequency Across Race, Sex, and Cancer Type. Oncologist. 2024;29(1):8-14. doi:10.1093/oncolo/oyad208. †Equal contribution
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Liquid biopsy in renal cell carcinoma

Published in The Oncologist, 2024

Expert commentary on the prognostic significance of circulating tumor DNA in renal cell carcinoma.

Recommended citation: Machaalani M, Eid M, Semaan K, El Hajj Chehade R, Nawfal R, Baca SC, Choueiri TK. Liquid biopsy in renal cell carcinoma. Oncologist. 2024;29(10):821-823. doi:10.1093/oncolo/oyae230.
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Progressive natural killer cell dysfunction in advanced-stage clear-cell renal cell carcinoma and association with clinical outcomes

Published in ESMO Open, 2025

Single-cell and functional immunogenomic analysis identifying progressive tumor-resident NK cell dysfunction as a predictor of poor outcomes in advanced clear-cell renal cell carcinoma.

Recommended citation: Xu W, Birch G, Melki A, Moritz V, Bharadwaj M, Schindler NR, Labaki C, Saliby RM, Dinh K, Horst JT, Sun M, Kashima S, Hugaboom M, Dighe A, Machaalani M, Lee GS-M, Hurwitz M, McGregor BA, Hirsch MS, Shukla SA, McDermott DF, Signoretti S, Romee R, Choueiri TK, Braun DA. Progressive natural killer cell dysfunction in advanced-stage clear-cell renal cell carcinoma and association with clinical outcomes. ESMO Open. 2025;10(2):104105. doi:10.1016/j.esmoop.2024.104105.
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AXL signaling in cancer: from molecular insights to targeted therapies

Published in Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, 2025

Comprehensive review of AXL receptor tyrosine kinase signaling, therapeutic targeting strategies, and resistance mechanisms across cancer types.

Recommended citation: Yadav M, Sharma A, Patne K, Tabasum S, Suryavanshi J, Rawat L, Machaalani M, Eid M, Singh RP, Choueiri TK, Pal S, Sabarwal A. AXL signaling in cancer: from molecular insights to targeted therapies. Signal Transduct Target Ther. 2025;10(1):37. doi:10.1038/s41392-024-02121-7.
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KIM-1 as a prognostic marker in renal cell carcinoma

Published in European Urology Focus, 2025

Review and clinical perspective highlighting KIM-1 as a promising noninvasive prognostic biomarker in renal cell carcinoma.

Recommended citation: Steiner C†, Machaalani M†, Bonventre JV, McDermott DF, Choueiri TK, Xu W. KIM-1 as a prognostic marker in renal cell carcinoma. Eur Urol Focus. 2025;11(3):432-435. doi:10.1016/j.euf.2025.06.012. †Equal contribution.
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Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for Patients With Preexisting Autoimmune Neurologic Disorders

Published in JAMA Network Open, 2025

Multicenter retrospective cohort study evaluating the safety and clinical outcomes of immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with preexisting autoimmune neurologic disorders.

Recommended citation: Fletcher K, Machaalani M, El Hajj Chehade R, Nassar AH, Nawfal R, Manos M, Menzies AM, Aboubakar-Nana F, Hasse JC, Pinato DJ, Johnson A, Olsson-Brown AC, Carlino MS, Malgieri A, Cortellini A, Singh A, Parikh K, Kim SY, Naqash AR, Long GV, Challa P, Choueiri TK, Sharon E, Shah S, Johnson DB. Immune checkpoint inhibitors for patients with preexisting autoimmune neurologic disorders. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8(6):e2513727. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.13727.
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International Medical Graduates Representation at International Oncology Conference Meetings: An Analysis of ASCO Annual Meetings

Published in JCO Oncology Practice, 2025

Analysis of oral and invited faculty representation of international medical graduates at the ASCO Annual Meetings.

Recommended citation: Roy AM, Bakouny Z, Dizman N, Paul MA, Ozay ZI, Lal BM, Nawfal R, Eid M, El Hajj Chehade R, Machaalani M, Butt A, Aggarwal C, Bekaii-Saab T, Chavez-MacGregor M, Lopes G, Marshall A, Murphy M, Owonikoko T, Xie W, Lee AJ, Choueiri TK. International Medical Graduates Representation at International Oncology Conference Meetings: An Analysis of ASCO Annual Meetings. JCO Oncol Pract. 2025;OP2500067. doi:10.1200/OP-25-00067.
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Comorbidity burden and effectiveness of immunotherapy in metastatic renal cell carcinoma

Published in Clinical Genitourinary Cancer, 2025

Multi-institutional study evaluating the impact of comorbidity burden on treatment outcomes and adverse events in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma treated with first-line immune checkpoint inhibitor–based combinations.

Recommended citation: Yekeduz E, Zarba M, Saad E, El Hajj Chehade R, Eid M, Saliby RM, Steiner C, Machaalani M, Nawfal R, Semaan K, Ürün Y, Heng DYC, Choueiri TK. Comorbidity burden and effectiveness of immunotherapy in metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Clin Genitourin Cancer. 2025;23(4):102385. doi:10.1016/j.clgc.2025.102385.
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Tumor-Intrinsic and Microenvironmental Determinants of Impaired Antitumor Immunity in Chromophobe Renal Cell Carcinoma

Published in Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2025

Integrated single-cell and immunogenomic analysis defining the immune-depleted tumor microenvironment and impaired antitumor immunity in chromophobe renal cell carcinoma.

Recommended citation: Labaki C, Saad E, Madsen KN, Hobeika C, Bi K, Alchoueiry M, Camp S, Hou Y, Bakouny Z, Matar S, El Ahmar N, Nyman J, Zhang L, Priolo C, Rout R, Daou M, Khabibullin D, Salem S, Schindler N, Saliby RM, Meli K, Wells C, Pimenta E, Takemura K, Marji J, Eid M, Sarlemi K, Xu J, Denize T, El Hajj Chehade R, Machaalani M, Nawfal R, Khattoun W, Saleh M, El Masri J, Haddad NR, Xu W, McGregor BA, Hirsch MS, Yilmaz R, Cheng DY, McDermott DF, Signoretti S, Romee R, Choueiri TK, Braun DA. Tumor-Intrinsic and Microenvironmental Determinants of Impaired Antitumor Immunity in Chromophobe Renal Cell Carcinoma. J Clin Oncol. 2025;43(23):2639-2654. doi:10.1200/JCO-25-00234.
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Targeting AXL can effectively overcome c-Met-induced therapeutic resistance in renal cancer and promote tumor cell death through increased oxidative stress

Published in Cancer Letters, 2025

Preclinical study demonstrating that AXL inhibition overcomes c-Met–driven therapeutic resistance in renal cancer and promotes tumor cell death through enhanced oxidative stress.

Recommended citation: Sabarwal A, Machaalani M, Rawat L, Wedel J, Tabasum S, Sasamoto Y, Buerger F, Ascione J, Eid M, Semaan K, Saad E, Yang Y, Lee D, Hodi FS, Freedman ML, Lee GSM, Balan M, Choueiri TK, Pal S. Targeting AXL can effectively overcome c-Met-induced therapeutic resistance in renal cancer and promote tumor cell death through increased oxidative stress. Cancer Lett. 2025;633:217984. doi:10.1016/j.canlet.2025.217984.
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MLH1 mismatch repair deficiency predicts exceptional response to immune checkpoint inhibition in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma

Published in European Urology, 2025

Genomic and immunohistochemical analysis identifying somatic MLH1 deficiency as a rare but robust predictor of exceptional response to immune checkpoint inhibition in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma.

Recommended citation: Dawidek MT, Posada Calderon L, Shah PK, Mittal R, Agridag Ucpinar B, Bakouny Z, Meli K, Saad E, Saliby RM, Woo HJ, Khandwala YS, Eid M, Labaki C, Machaalani M, Coleman J, Russo P, Kotecha RR, Carlo MI, Akin O, Braun DA, Choueiri TK, Reznik E, Chen YB, Motzer RJ, Voss MH, Hakimi AA. MLH1 mismatch repair deficiency predicts exceptional response to immune checkpoint inhibition in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma. Eur Urol. 2025. doi:10.1016/j.eururo.2025.09.4162.
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The SLC1A1/EAAT3 dicarboxylic amino acid transporter is an epigenetically dysregulated nutrient carrier that sustains oncogenic metabolic programs

Published in Nature Communications, 2025

Mechanistic study identifying SLC1A1/EAAT3 as an epigenetically regulated metabolic dependency in clear cell renal cell carcinoma that sustains oncogenic metabolism, promotes immune exclusion, and drives metastatic progression.

Recommended citation: Grubb T, Koochaki P, Matar S, Ghandour F, Machaalani M, Saad E, Tang C, Reznik E, Khatun J, Salem C, Dubasik N, Orlando DA, Guenther MG, Parajuli G, Srivastava RM, Martinez SR, Coker JA, Kotecha RR, Hakimi AA, Asara JM, Chan TA, Vanharanta S, Stauffer SR, Kaelin WG Jr, Signoretti S, Choueiri TK, Chakraborty AA. The SLC1A1/EAAT3 dicarboxylic amino acid transporter is an epigenetically dysregulated nutrient carrier that sustains oncogenic metabolic programs. Nat Commun. 2025;16(1):10012. doi:10.1038/s41467-025-64983-x.
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Targeting of HIF2-driven cachexia in kidney cancer

Published in Nature Medicine, 2025

Mechanistic and translational study demonstrating that HIF2-driven PTHLH mediates hypercalcemia and cachexia in clear cell renal cell carcinoma and is rapidly reversed by HIF2 inhibition.

Recommended citation: Abu-Remaileh M, Stransky LA, Bhalerao N, Shirole NH, Jiang Q, Saad E, Machaalani M, Vigeant SM, Woldemichael H, Xu C, Lu J, Wei H, Liu Z, Sun W, Enomoto K, Choueiri TK, Pitarresi JR, Carr SA, Udeshi ND, Kaelin WG Jr. Targeting of HIF2-driven cachexia in kidney cancer. Nat Med. 2025. doi:10.1038/s41591-025-04054-2.
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Molecular and clinical insights of trastuzumab deruxtecan efficacy in advanced breast cancer

Published in Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 2025

Comprehensive clinical, genomic, and immune correlates of T-DXd outcomes in advanced breast cancer across two independent institutional cohorts.

Recommended citation: Nassar AH, Bou Farhat E, Abushukair H, Alchoueiry M, Salem S, Machaalani M, Adib E, Henske E, Babu P, Choueiri TK, Rakaee M, Busund LTR, Takabe Y, Lau SF, Rall K, Naqash AR, Jansen C, Wang X, Challa P, Tarantino P, Partridge AH, Tolaney SM, Kwiatkowski DJ, Winer EP. Molecular and clinical insights of trastuzumab deruxtecan efficacy in advanced breast cancer. JNCI. 2025. doi:10.1093/jnci/djaf344.
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Soluble MAdCAM-1 as a biomarker in metastatic renal cell carcinoma

Published in Nature Medicine, 2026

Evaluation of soluble MAdCAM-1 as a prognostic biomarker in metastatic renal cell carcinoma, linking clinical outcomes to gut microbiota composition and immune regulation across three independent clinical trials.

Recommended citation: Alves Costa Silva C†, Machaalani M†, Saliby RM†, Zhong C, Xie W, Pasolli E, Piccinno G, Dalban C, Fidelle M, Meurisse A, Vernerey D, Lee GS, Birebent R, Saad E, Steiner C, Flippot R, Barros-Monteiro J, Segata N, Thiery-Vuillemin A, Formenti S, Kuznetsova T, Escudier B, Derosa L, Zitvogel L, Albiges L. Soluble MAdCAM-1 as a biomarker in metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Nature Medicine. 2026. doi:10.1038/s41591-025-04067-x. †Equal contribution.
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Integrative Clinical and Molecular Evaluation of Renal Cell Carcinoma with Merlin Protein Deficiency and Biallelic Loss of NF2

Published in Clinical Cancer Research, 2026

Integrated clinical, genomic, and transcriptomic analysis of renal cell carcinoma with NF2 biallelic loss and merlin protein deficiency, demonstrating an aggressive phenotype characterized by high proliferation, immune dysfunction, frequent cell-cycle and DNA damage–response alterations, and limited benefit from immunotherapy.

Recommended citation: Yekedüz E, Bian W, Siegmund SE, Machaalani M, El Masri J, Saleh M, Saad E, Ascione L, El Halabi R, Steiner C, Mourad P, Berg SA, McGregor B, Mantia C, Ravi P, Xu W, Hirsch MS, Choueiri TK, Serzan M. Integrative Clinical and Molecular Evaluation of Renal Cell Carcinoma with Merlin Protein Deficiency and Biallelic Loss of NF2. Clinical Cancer Research. 2026. doi:10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-25-2871.
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talks

teaching

Teaching experience 1

Undergraduate course • University 1, Department, 2014

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Teaching experience 2

Workshop • University 1, Department, 2015

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