Computational Biophysical Chemistry

Computational Biophysical Chemistry

Osama Abusara Photo

Osama Abusara

Associate Professor of Pharmacology
Affiliation: Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
Education:
* Ph.D., Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Manchester, United Kingdom
* B.S., Pharmacy, The University of Jordan, Jordan
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Curriculum Vitae: Download

Academic Biography

Professor Abusara earned his Ph.D. in Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences from The University of Manchester, United Kingdom, in 2017. His doctoral research centered on neuropeptide antagonists for cancer treatment, a field that has significant implications for targeted cancer therapies. He completed his B.Sc. in Pharmacy at The University of Jordan in 2014, following his high school education at the Modern American School in Amman, Jordan.

Since joining Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan in 2017, Professor Abusara has held various academic and administrative positions. He was first appointed as Assistant Professor-B of Pharmacology (2017–2023) before being promoted to Assistant Professor-A (2023) and subsequently to Associate Professor in December 2023. His dedication to academia and research excellence has also led to key administrative roles, including Vice Head of the Department of Pharmacy (2019–2020, 2023–2024) and Head of the Department (2020–2022). In these roles, he contributed significantly to curriculum development, faculty collaboration, and student engagement.

Beyond academia, Professor Abusara has practical experience in the pharmaceutical industry, having worked as a Staff Pharmacist at Aster Orange Pharmacy in Amman, Jordan, between 2018 and 2019. His contributions to pharmaceutical research and practice continue to influence both academia and industry.

Professor Abusara is an active member of the Jordan Pharmacists Association, a membership he has held since February 2014. He has also received notable academic honors, including the “Edexcel Top Achievers’ Certificate” from Edexcel International, United Kingdom, for his outstanding results in Arabic, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics during the General Certificate of Education (GCE) A Level examinations in 2009.

His academic journey has been supported by a prestigious Ph.D. scholarship from Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan (2014–2017). His research interests include pharmacological modeling, drug-receptor interactions, and the development of novel therapeutic agents for cancer and other diseases. With a strong commitment to teaching, research, and academic leadership, Professor Abusara remains a driving force in the advancement of pharmaceutical education and research.

Research Interest

Research Areas:

  • Pharmacology
  • Clinical Pharmacology
  • Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice
  • Experimental Therapeutics
  • Drug Discovery and Peptide Synthesis

Professor Osama Abusara’s research interests lie within the field of Cancer Pharmacology. In his lab, Professor Abusara investigates the anticancer activity of various natural compounds, natural extracts, and/or novel synthetic compounds via in vitro testing on several cancer cell lines. Also, the identification of the cancer selectivity of such compounds/extracts are identified via the use of normal fibroblasts cell lines.

Moreover, another aspect of Professor Abusara’s research interest lies within the identification of the mechanism of cytotoxicity of the tested compounds/extracts. These are performed via a number of fluorometric assays, such as using fluorescent dyes and/or flow cytometry. Professor Abusara’s current research interests also lie within the fields of drug combination and drug repurposing in cancer treatment.

Professor Abusara also collaborates with other Faculty members within the field of experimental therapeutics using in vivo models for different pharmacological experiments, such as tobacco use and cellular biochemical alterations.

Professor Abusara is also interested and has experience in peptide synthesis using solid phase peptide synthesis techniques (Fmoc and Boc chemistry) along with their biological evaluation, such as in cancer. Professor Abusara is also interested in pharmacy practice research areas that deals with medication use and adherence.

Publications

Peer-Reviewed Articles

  1. Rima Hajjo, Dima A. Sabbah, Sanaa K. Bardaweel, Osama H. Abusara; Epidemiology Analysis of COVID-19 Data and Associated Effects of Pandemic Containment Procedures, Viral Variants and Vaccines: Lessons Learned from Middle Eastern Jordan’s Experience; Advances in Public Health; Volume 2024, Article ID 2977631, 18 pages. https://doi.org/10.1155/adph/2977631

  2. Osama H. Abusara, Alaa M. Hammad, Rasha Debas, Eveen Al-Shalabi, Mohammed Waleed, F. Scott Hall; The inflammation and oxidative status of rat lung tissue following smoke/vapor exposure via E-cigarette, cigarette, and waterpipe; Gene 935, 149066. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gene.2024.149066

  3. Otrujja Alkhaldi, Samah Abusulieh, Osama H. Abusara, Suhair Sunoqrot; Development of Mitoxantrone-Loaded Quercetin Nanoparticles for Breast Cancer Therapy with Potential for Synergism with Bioactive Natural Products; International Journal of Pharmaceutics 665, 124674. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2024.124674

  4. Alaa M. Hammad, Osama H. Abusara, Suhair Sunoqrot, Sawsan I. Khdair, F. Scott Hall; Sex Differences in Withdrawal-Induced Anxiety in Rats After Exposure to Tobacco Smoke; Neuroscience Letters 833, 137834. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2024.137834

  5. Hamza Abumansour, Osama H. Abusara, Wiam Khalil, Hassan Abul-Futouh, Ali I. M. Ibrahim, Mohammad K. Harb, Dina H. Abulebdah, Worood H. Ismail; Biological evaluation of levofloxacin and its thionated derivatives: antioxidant activity, aldehyde dehydrogenase enzyme inhibition, and cytotoxicity on A549 cell line; Naunyn-Schmiedeberg’s Archives of Pharmacology 397, 6963-6973. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00210-024-03075-x

  6. Balqis A. Ikhmais, Alaa M. Hammad, Osama H. Abusara, Lama Hamadneh, Hamza Abumansour, Qasem M. Abdallah, Ali I. M. Ibrahim, Lina Elsalem, Mariam Awad, Rahaf Alshehada; Investigating Carvedilol’s Repurposing for the Treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer via Aldehyde Dehydrogenase Activity Modulation in the Presence of β-Adrenergic Agonists; Current Issues in Molecular Biology 45 (10), 7996-8012. https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb45100505

  7. Suhair Sunoqrot, Samah Abusulieh, Osama H. Abusara; Identifying synergistic combinations of Doxorubicin-Loaded polyquercetin nanoparticles and natural Products: Implications for breast cancer therapy; International Journal of Pharmaceutics 645, 123392. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2023.123392

  8. Hala H. Halawah, Nimer S. Alkhatib, Abdulaali R. Almutairi, Mohammad Saleh, Shiraz S. Halloush, Omar Rashdan, Lama Masadh, Osama H. Abusara, Ivo Abraham; Cost-Efficiency Analysis and Expanded Treatment Access Modeling of Conversion to Rituximab Biosimilars from Reference Rituximab in Jordan; Journal of Medical Economics 26 (1), 835-842. https://doi.org/10.1080/13696998.2023.2226007

  9. Osama H. Abusara, Samar Bishtawi, Walid Al-Qerem, Wassan Jarrar, Lubna Al-Khareisha, Sawsan I. Khdair; Pharmacists’ knowledge, familiarity, and attitudes towards biosimilar drugs among practicing Jordanian pharmacists: A cross sectional study; Journal of King Saud University – Science 35 (6), 102767. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jksus.2023.102767

  10. Malek Zihlif, Osama H. Abusara, Walid Al-Qerem, Mahmood Al-Ibadah, Tareq M. Mahafza, Fatima M. Al-Akhras and Naseem T. Mahafza; CRHR1 polymorphism at rs242941, rs242940, and rs72834580: association of symptoms improvement with intranasal corticosteroids in allergic rhinitis Jordanian patients; Drug Metabolism and Personalized Therapy 38(4):331-338. https://doi.org/10.1515/dmpt-2023-0014

  11.  Worood H. Ismail, Osama H. Abusara, Balqis Ikhmais, Hassan Abul-Futouh, Suhair Sunoqrot, Ali I. M. Ibrahim; Design, Synthesis, and Biological Activity of Coniferyl Aldehyde Derivatives as Potential Anticancer and Antioxidant Agents; Jordan Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 16 (2-Supplement 1), 368-380. https://doi.org/10.35516/jjps.v16i2.1463

  12. Osama H. Abusara, Ali I. M. Ibrahim, Hamzah Issa, Alaa M. Hammad, Worood H. Ismail; In Vitro Evaluation of ALDH1A3-Affinic Compounds on Breast and Prostate Cancer Cell Lines as Single Treatments and in Combination with Doxorubicin; Current Issues in Molecular Biology 45 (3), 2170-2181. https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb45030139

  13. Rima Hajjo, Dima A. Sabbah, Osama H. Abusara, Reham Kharmah, Sanaa Bardaweel; Targeting Human Proteins for Antiviral Drug Discovery and Repurposing Efforts: A Focus on Protein Kinases; Viruses 15 (2), 568. https://doi.org/10.3390/v15020568

  14. Rima Hajjo, Dima A. Sabbah, Osama H. Abusara, Abdel Qader Al Bawab; A Review of the Recent Advances in Alzheimer’s Disease Research and the Utilization of Network Biology Approaches for Prioritizing Diagnostics and Therapeutics; Diagnostics 12 (12), 2975. https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics12122975

  15. Rania Hamed, Amani D Abu Kwiak, Yasmeen Al-Adhami, Alaa M Hammad, Rana Obaidat, Osama H Abusara, Rana Abu Huwaij; Microemulsions as Lipid Nanosystems Loaded into Thermoresponsive In Situ Microgels for Local Ocular Delivery of Prednisolone; Pharmaceutics 14 (9), 1975. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics14091975

  16. Walid Al-Qerem, Abdel Qader Al Bawab, Osama Abusara, Nimer Alkhatib, Robert Horne; Validation of the Arabic version of medication adherence report scale questionnaire and beliefs about medication -specific questionnaire: A factor analysis study; PLOS ONE 17 (4), e0266606. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0266606

  17. Abdel Qader Al Bawab, Walid Al-Qerem, Osama Abusara, Nimer Alkhatib, Maha Mansour, Robert Horne; What Are the Factors Associated with Nonadherence to Medications in Patients with Chronic Diseases?; Healthcare 9 (9), 1237. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9091237

  18. Balqis Ikhmais, Alaa M Hammad, Walid Al-Qerem, Osama H Abusara, Jonathan Ling; Conducting COVID-19-Related Research in Jordan: Are We Ready?; Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness 16 (3), 967-974. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2020.437

  19. Suhair Sunoqrot, Eveen Al-Shalabi, Dima A. Sabbah, May Al-Majawleh, Osama H. Abusara; Remote Teaching and Learning in a Pandemic: Reflections from Chemistry Instructors at a Pharmacy School in Jordan; Journal of Chemical Education 97 (9), 3129-3134. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00735

  20. Osama Haitham Abusara, Sally Freeman, Harmesh Singh Aojula; Pentapeptides for the treatment of small cell lung cancer: Optimisation by Nind-alkyl modification of the tryptophan side chain; European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 137, 221-232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejmech.2017.05.053

  21. Shaun C Offerman, Manikandan Kadirvel, Osama H Abusara, Jennifer L Bryant, Brian A Telfer, Gavin Brown, Sally Freeman, Anne White, Kaye J Williams, Harmesh S Aojula; N-tert-Prenylation of the indole ring improves the cytotoxicity of a short antagonist G analogue against small cell lung cancer; MedChemComm 8 (3), 551-558. https://doi.org/10.1039/c6md00691d

Conferences, Symposiums, and Workshops

  1.  Abusara, Osama.  Workshop Entitled “Projecting Human Pharmacokinetics in Drug Discovery and Development: Insider Perspective”. Aug 5–6, 2024. Amman, Jordan. [Talk]
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