My lab investigates fungal pathogens including Candida, Aspergillus and Cryptococcus, in addition to fungal virulence factors including phospholipase B, germination, adhesion, and biofilm formation.
Research Information
Research Interests
Dr. Ghannoum's research is focused on defining the role of the bacteriome and mycobiome (the bacterial and fungal community) in cancer. His expertise in the area of polymicrobial biofilms provides an important area of cancer research in view of the recent association of polymicrobial biofilms in colorectal cancer and Crohn’s disease.
External Appointments
Publications
Additional Information
Mahmoud Ghannoum joined the faculty at the Case Western Reserve University Department of Dermatology in 1996 and has served as the director of the Center for Medical Mycology ever since and more recently established the Integrated Microbiome Core, a Cancer Resource sharing core. He holds an MSc in Medicinal Chemistry and PhD in Microbial Physiology from the University of Technology in Loughborough, England, and an MBA from the Weatherhead School of Management. He is also a Fellow of the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA), past President of the Medical Mycological Society of the Americas (MMSA). Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology (FAAM), and the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (FESCMID).
Dr. Ghannoum has been in the top 1% of cited scientists worldwide, and pioneered studies on the fungal communities residing in and on our body, coining the term ‘Mycobiome” as he did so. He has been published in more than 450 peer reviewed publications and six scientific books and established a multidisciplinary Center of Excellence that combines basic and translational research that spans test tube to the bedside capabilities. Over the course of his career, he has been awarded the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science, the Rhoda Benham Award from the Medical Mycological Society of the Americas (MMSA), and the Freedom to Discover Award from Bristol-Myers Squibb for his outstanding and meritorious contributions to the fields of medical mycology and microbial biofilms. Dr. Ghannoum has also served as president of MMSA, and is an entrepreneur scientist, having launched several companies focused on the treatment of biofilm infections, upper respiratory tract infections as well as microbial dysbiosis.