Vesal Yaghoobi, MD, MSc
Research Associate 2 - Rimm LabCards
About
Research
Publications
2026
Quantitative Assays for TROP2 Measurement in Breast Cancer and Comparison to H-Score.
He M, Chan N, Liu M, Robbins C, Bates K, Benanto J, Colón-Cartagena L, Kahila M, Zhan H, Krishnamurti U, Moutafi M, Yaghoobi V, Liebler D, Fulton R, Rimm D. Quantitative Assays for TROP2 Measurement in Breast Cancer and Comparison to H-Score. Applied Immunohistochemistry & Molecular Morphology 2026 PMID: 41709478, DOI: 10.1097/pai.0000000000001311.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchTrophoblast cell surface antigen 2Trophoblast cell surface antigen 2 expressionH-scoreBreast cancerQuantitative immunofluorescenceSacituzumab govitecanPathologists' readingsTNBC cohortAntibody-drug conjugate targetsExpression of trophoblast cell surface antigen 2H-score methodSolid tumor typesBreast cancer cohortBreast cancer biopsiesYale-New Haven HospitalBreast cancer samplesCompanion diagnostic testsSurface antigen 2H-score assessmentTumor typesClinical outcomesNew Haven HospitalCancer biopsiesTumor samplesCancer cohort
2024
Spatially Informed Gene Signatures for Response to Immunotherapy in Melanoma.
Aung T, Warrell J, Martinez-Morilla S, Gavrielatou N, Vathiotis I, Yaghoobi V, Kluger H, Gerstein M, Rimm D. Spatially Informed Gene Signatures for Response to Immunotherapy in Melanoma. Clinical Cancer Research 2024, 30: 3520-3532. PMID: 38837895, PMCID: PMC11326985, DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-23-3932.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchGene signatureResistance to immunotherapyResponse to immunotherapyPrediction of treatment outcomeResistant to treatmentAccurate prediction of treatment outcomePredictive of responseImmunotherapy outcomesMelanoma patientsMelanoma specimensValidation cohortPatient stratificationDiscovery cohortTreatment outcomesImmunotherapyMelanomaTumorPatientsCohortS100BOutcomesGene expression dataGenesCD68+macrophagesExpression data
2022
Objective assessment of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes as a prognostic marker in melanoma using machine learning algorithms
Aung TN, Shafi S, Wilmott JS, Nourmohammadi S, Vathiotis I, Gavrielatou N, Fernandez A, Yaghoobi V, Sinnberg T, Amaral T, Ikenberg K, Khosrotehrani K, Osman I, Acs B, Bai Y, Martinez-Morilla S, Moutafi M, Thompson JF, Scolyer RA, Rimm DL. Objective assessment of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes as a prognostic marker in melanoma using machine learning algorithms. EBioMedicine 2022, 82: 104143. PMID: 35810563, PMCID: PMC9272337, DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2022.104143.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsTumor-infiltrating lymphocytesMelanoma patientsPrognostic valuePrognostic markerPrimary melanoma patientsRobust prognostic markerStage II patientsSpecific molecular subtypesTIL phenotypeAdjuvant therapyOverall survivalSurgical treatmentTIL scoreII patientsSurvival outcomesLung cancerClinical trialsPrimary melanomaClinical impactT cellsMolecular subtypesHigh riskIndependent cohortLower riskEosin stainingProgrammed Death-Ligand 1 and Programmed Death-Ligand 2 mRNAs Measured Using Closed-System Quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction Are Associated With Outcome and High Negative Predictive Value in Immunotherapy-Treated NSCLC
Fernandez AI, Gavrielatou N, McCann L, Shafi S, Moutafi MK, Martinez-Morilla S, Vathiotis IA, Aung TN, Yaghoobi V, Bai Y, Chan YG, Weidler J, Herbst R, Bates M, Rimm DL. Programmed Death-Ligand 1 and Programmed Death-Ligand 2 mRNAs Measured Using Closed-System Quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction Are Associated With Outcome and High Negative Predictive Value in Immunotherapy-Treated NSCLC. Journal Of Thoracic Oncology 2022, 17: 1078-1085. PMID: 35764237, DOI: 10.1016/j.jtho.2022.06.007.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsImmune checkpoint inhibitorsHigh negative predictive valueLow stage patientsICI therapyPD-L1Negative predictive valueAdjuvant settingLong-term benefitsPredictive valueProgrammed Death Ligand 1PD-L1 mRNA levelsCurrent predictive biomarkersHigh PD-L1Death ligand 1Lung cancer managementPD-L1 mRNAUseful objective methodReal-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reactionMRNA levelsStandard of careReverse transcription-polymerase chain reactionQuantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reactionTranscription-polymerase chain reactionMRNA expression levelsAdvanced NSCLCQuantitative assessment of Siglec-15 expression in lung, breast, head, and neck squamous cell carcinoma and bladder cancer
Shafi S, Aung TN, Xirou V, Gavrielatou N, Vathiotis IA, Fernandez A, Moutafi M, Yaghoobi V, Herbst RS, Liu LN, Langermann S, Rimm DL. Quantitative assessment of Siglec-15 expression in lung, breast, head, and neck squamous cell carcinoma and bladder cancer. Laboratory Investigation 2022, 102: 1143-1149. PMID: 35581307, PMCID: PMC10211373, DOI: 10.1038/s41374-022-00796-6.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSiglec-15 expressionNon-small cell lung cancerNeck squamous cell carcinomaProgression-free survivalSquamous cell carcinomaCancer typesOverall survivalCell carcinomaBladder cancerImmune cellsSiglec-15PD-1/PD-L1 blockadePotential future clinical trialsQuantitative immunofluorescencePD-L1 blockadeStromal immune cellsImmune checkpoint blockadeCell lung cancerFuture clinical trialsNew potential targetsCheckpoint blockadePD-L1Lung cancerClinical trialsIntra-tumoral heterogeneityDiscovery of Biomarkers of Resistance to Immune Checkpoint Blockade in NSCLC Using High-Plex Digital Spatial Profiling
Moutafi M, Martinez-Morilla S, Divakar P, Vathiotis I, Gavrielatou N, Aung TN, Yaghoobi V, Fernandez AI, Zugazagoitia J, Herbst R, Schalper KA, Rimm DL. Discovery of Biomarkers of Resistance to Immune Checkpoint Blockade in NSCLC Using High-Plex Digital Spatial Profiling. Journal Of Thoracic Oncology 2022, 17: 991-1001. PMID: 35490853, PMCID: PMC9356986, DOI: 10.1016/j.jtho.2022.04.009.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsImmune checkpoint inhibitorsICI resistanceDigital spatial profilingICI therapyOverall survivalPretreatment samplesQuantitative immunofluorescenceImmune checkpoint blockadeRole of neutrophilsShorter overall survivalCandidate biomarker proteinsCandidate protein biomarkersCohort validationOperable NSCLCUntreated NSCLCCheckpoint inhibitorsCheckpoint blockadeCD66b expressionAdditional patientsClinical efficacyPoor outcomeDiscovery of biomarkersUnivariate analysisNSCLCPatientsDevelopment of an immunohistochemical assay for Siglec-15
Shafi S, Aung TN, Robbins C, Zugazagoitia J, Vathiotis I, Gavrielatou N, Yaghoobi V, Fernandez A, Niu S, Liu LN, Cusumano ZT, Leelatian N, Cole K, Wang H, Homer R, Herbst RS, Langermann S, Rimm DL. Development of an immunohistochemical assay for Siglec-15. Laboratory Investigation 2022, 102: 771-778. PMID: 35459795, PMCID: PMC9253057, DOI: 10.1038/s41374-022-00785-9.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSiglec-15IHC assaysPD-L1PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitionPD-L1 blockadePD-L1 inhibitionHigh expressionFuture clinical trialsImmunoglobulin-type lectinsSiglec-15 expressionCompanion diagnostic assayPromising new targetTumor histologyImmunotherapeutic targetLung cancerImmune cellsClinical trialsNovel recombinant antibodiesCancer histologyImmunohistochemical assaysMyeloid cellsTumor typesScoring systemNew targetsHigh concordancePredictive Markers of Response to Neoadjuvant Durvalumab with Nab-Paclitaxel and Dose-Dense Doxorubicin/Cyclophosphamide in Basal-Like Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.
Blenman KRM, Marczyk M, Karn T, Qing T, Li X, Gunasekharan V, Yaghoobi V, Bai Y, Ibrahim EY, Park T, Silber A, Wolf DM, Reisenbichler E, Denkert C, Sinn BV, Rozenblit M, Foldi J, Rimm DL, Loibl S, Pusztai L. Predictive Markers of Response to Neoadjuvant Durvalumab with Nab-Paclitaxel and Dose-Dense Doxorubicin/Cyclophosphamide in Basal-Like Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. Clinical Cancer Research 2022, 28: 2587-2597. PMID: 35377948, PMCID: PMC9464605, DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-21-3215.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsBasal-like triple-negative breast cancerPathologic complete responseResidual diseaseNeoadjuvant durvalumabDNA damage repairSomatic mutationsBreast cancerWnt/β-cateninHigh expressionTriple-negative breast cancerBasal-Like TripleDoxorubicin/cyclophosphamideDNA repairTumor mutation burdenRNA sequencingEpithelial-mesenchymal transitionFive-gene signatureB-cell markersCancer driversEnrichment analysisNegative breast cancerDamage repairGene expressionJAK-STATCell cycle
2021
Quantitative assessment of the immune microenvironment in African American Triple Negative Breast Cancer: a case–control study
Yaghoobi V, Moutafi M, Aung TN, Pelekanou V, Yaghoubi S, Blenman K, Ibrahim E, Vathiotis IA, Shafi S, Sharma A, O’Meara T, Fernandez AI, Pusztai L, Rimm DL. Quantitative assessment of the immune microenvironment in African American Triple Negative Breast Cancer: a case–control study. Breast Cancer Research 2021, 23: 113. PMID: 34906209, PMCID: PMC8670126, DOI: 10.1186/s13058-021-01493-w.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsNegative breast cancerT cellsTumor microenvironmentAA patientsImmune cellsAA tumorsBreast cancerPurposeTriple-negative breast cancerAfrican AmericansTriple-negative breast cancerCase-control studySignificant differencesActivated T cellsImmunologic biomarkersPD-L1Lymphocytic infiltrationLymphoid infiltrationImmune microenvironmentControl cohortTNBC tumorsMyeloid markersQuantitative immunofluorescenceMean expression levelPatientsTNBC240 Discovery of biomarkers of resistance to immune checkpoint blockade in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using high-plex digital spatial profiling
Moutafi M, Martinez-Morilla S, Divakar P, Vathiotis I, Gavrielatou N, Aung T, Yaghoobi V, Fernandez A, Fraile J, Schalper K, Rimm D. 240 Discovery of biomarkers of resistance to immune checkpoint blockade in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using high-plex digital spatial profiling. 2021, a258-a258. DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-sitc2021.240.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchImmune checkpoint inhibitorsPre-treatment samplesQuantitative immunofluorescencePredictive biomarkersLung cancerHigh PD-L1 expressionExpression of CD66bInitial biomarker discoveryOperable NSCLC patientsStromal immune cellsTwo-sided significance levelPD-L1 expressionImmune checkpoint blockadeRole of neutrophilsCell lung cancerPotential predictive biomarkersGood predictive valueDigital spatial profilingDigital Spatial ProfilerCohort validationICI therapyCheckpoint inhibitorsCheckpoint blockadeNSCLC cohortNSCLC patients