Q&A with Ahmad Salman Sirajee: How Checking the Wrong Box Led to the Right Career Path in Cancer Research

A simple mistake on a university admissions form changed the trajectory of Ahmad Salman Sirajee’s career. He intended to study computer science but accidentally selected microbiology as his preferred major.

After he was admitted to the microbiology program, one of his professors heard about his passion for computers and introduced him to bioinformatics. “That’s the first time I heard about this bioinformatics field, which combines the knowledge of biology and the power of computers to address important questions in health and disease,” Sirajee said.

Sirajee is now a PhD student in cellular and molecular pharmacology at Rutgers University, and he received a PhRMA Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship in Translational Medicine for his work to develop a noninvasive diagnostic tool for bladder cancer.

Tumors release tiny fragments of DNA into the bloodstream, and these fragments carry clues about the cancer, such as how much tumor is present and how it might respond to treatment. Sirajee is creating a new measure, called the FRAGILE score, that identifies patterns in these fragments to help doctors better classify and monitor bladder cancer patients. This tool could lead to more personalized treatment decisions, better monitoring of disease progress, and improved outcomes for patients.

Watch this video to learn more about Sirajee and his research.