Hassan Fakih, PhD

Postdoctoral Associate
RNA Therapeutics Institute, UMass Chan Medical School
Hassan.Fakih(at)umassmed.edu

Hassan grew up in Lebanon, where he received his BS in premedical chemistry from American University of Beirut (AUB). He then pursued his Ph.D. in chemistry and chemical biology at McGill University, working under the supervision of Hanadi Sleiman (2016-2021). His doctoral research centered on designing and optimizing DNA nanocarriers for nucleic acid therapeutics, aiming to accelerate their clinical translation. Hassan joined the Khvorova Lab as an exchange student in 2020 and 2021, later returning as a postdoctoral associate in 2022. Currently, his research focuses on enhancing the extra-hepatic delivery of siRNA therapeutics. He employs self-assembled nucleic acid particles and lipophilic conjugation strategies to precisely control protein binding and siRNA pharmacokinetics. Ultimately, Hassan aims to develop effective siRNA-based therapeutics for muscle diseases, oncology, and CNS disorders.