Elias Sayour, MD, PHD

University of Florida Health – Professor for Pediatric Oncology Research; Assistant Dean
Preston A. Wells, Jr. Center for Brain Tumor Therapy – Principal Investigator

Dr. Sayour is the Stop Children’s Cancer/Bonnie R. Freeman Professor for Pediatric Oncology Research in the UF departments of neurosurgery and pediatrics at the University of Florida. He is also a principal investigator of the ribonucleic acid engineering laboratory at the Preston A. Wells, Jr. Center for Brain Tumor Therapy. His primary research focus is developing tumor RNA loaded nanocarriers to redirect host immunity against pediatric brain tumors. Dr. Sayour is an NIH-funded investigator focused on developing new nanotech vaccines to reprogram the immune system against cancer cells. His group is investigating the safety and efficacy of this novel vaccine formulation in canines with malignant brain tumors before translation into dedicated human studies. His work has been nationally recognized by the American Society of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, National Institutes of Health, and US Department of Defense.

Dr. Sayour earned his medical degree from the University of Buffalo and his doctorate from Duke University. He completed his residency in pediatrics at Cohen’s Children’s Medical Center in New York and his fellowship at Duke University Medical Center. During his fellowship training, he completed a two-year National Institutes of Health research fellowship in cancer biology and developmental therapeutics.