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Bakhtiar Yamini

Bakhtiar Yamini, M.D.

Vice Chair for Academic Affairs
Director, Neurosurgical Oncology
Professor of Neurological Surgery & Radiation and Cellular Oncology
Schedule: (773) 702-2123

About Dr. Yamini

Dr. Yamini is a true UChicago product — he trained here as a resident, rose to full Professor, and now holds joint appointments in both Neurological Surgery and Radiation and Cellular Oncology. His NIH-funded laboratory has spent years unraveling how the NF-kB signaling pathway drives treatment resistance in glioblastoma, identifying CDK1 as a druggable target to enhance chemotherapy response. He's also developing biodegradable nanoparticle vectors to deliver drugs directly to brain tumors — bypassing the blood-brain barrier that makes most chemotherapy ineffective against brain cancer. He is currently leading a multi-institutional Phase I trial combining acetazolamide with temozolomide for newly diagnosed malignant gliomas. He speaks English, Farsi, and Spanish.

Education & Training

  • B.S. Biochemistry, Michigan State University
  • M.D., University of Michigan
  • Residency, Neurosurgery, University of Chicago (Chief Resident)

Research Programs

  • NIH-funded NF-kB / glioblastoma resistance lab
  • Nanoparticle drug delivery for CNS tumors
  • Phase I acetazolamide + temozolomide trial
  • Member, Committee on Cancer Biology

Selected Publications

Cahill KE, Morshed RA, Yamini B. Nuclear factor-kB in glioblastoma: insights into regulators and targeted therapy. Neuro-Oncology. 2016. PMID: 26534766
Voce DJ, et al. CDK1 is up-regulated by temozolomide in an NF-kB dependent manner in glioblastoma. Scientific Reports. 2021. PMID: 33707466

Areas of Expertise

Brain Tumors Glioblastoma Laser Ablation Stereotactic Biopsy Pediatric Brain Tumors Neuroendoscopy

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