Molecular Biophysical Sciences

Molecular Biophysical Sciences

From Molecular Structure to Biological Function

Osama Abusara

Associate Professor of Pharmacology

Photo: Osama Abusara

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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Academic Biography

Education

Dr. Osama Abusara earned his Ph.D. in Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences from The University of Manchester, United Kingdom, in 2017, where his research focused on neuropeptide antagonists for cancer therapy. He received his B.Sc. in Pharmacy from The University of Jordan in 2014.

Academic Appointments

Dr. Abusara has been an Associate Professor of Pharmacology at Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan since 2017, where he has also served as Head and Vice Head of the Department of Pharmacy. He additionally has professional experience as a community pharmacist.

Research Focus

Dr. Abusara's research focuses on pharmacology, drug discovery, and cancer therapeutics, with particular interests in pharmacological modeling, drug–receptor interactions, and the development of novel therapeutic agents. His work combines experimental and computational approaches to advance the understanding of disease mechanisms and support the design of targeted therapies.

Research Interests

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

Dr. Osama Abusara's research focuses on cancer pharmacology, with an emphasis on discovering and evaluating novel anticancer agents derived from natural products, plant extracts, and synthetic compounds. His work employs in vitro cancer models to assess cytotoxicity, selectivity, and anticancer efficacy while evaluating compound safety using normal cell lines.

A major aspect of his research is investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying anticancer activity through fluorometric assays, fluorescent probes, and flow cytometry. His interests also include drug repurposing, drug combination therapies, and the development of more effective cancer treatments.

In addition, Dr. Abusara collaborates on experimental therapeutics using in vivo pharmacological models to study disease mechanisms and therapeutic interventions. His research expertise also includes solid-phase peptide synthesis (Fmoc and Boc chemistry) and the biological evaluation of peptide-based therapeutics. Beyond cancer research, he is actively engaged in pharmacy practice research, particularly in medication use, adherence, and pharmaceutical care.

Publications

Member 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://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/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://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0378111924009478
  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://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0378517324009086
  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://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S030439402400212X
  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://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00210-024-03075-x?error=cookies_not_supported&code=948b3e0b-226c-46f5-8702-a5ba7d945840
  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://www.mdpi.com/1467-3045/45/10/505
  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://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S037851732300813X
  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://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/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://jksus.org/pharmacists-knowledge-familiarity-and-attitudes-towards-biosimilar-drugs-among-practicing-jordanian-pharmacists-a-cross-sectional-study/
  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://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/dmpt-2023-0014/html
  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://jjournals.ju.edu.jo/index.php/jjps/article/view/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://www.mdpi.com/1467-3045/45/3/139
  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://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/15/2/568
  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://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/12/12/2975
  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://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/14/9/1975
  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://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=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://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/9/9/1237
  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://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/disaster-medicine-and-public-health-preparedness/article/conducting-covid19related-research-in-jordan-are-we-ready/A0F6E74C1D04E0C885F66EDCDDE8FE3C
  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://pubs.acs.org/doi/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://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0223523417304221
  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://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2017/md/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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