Legacy Research Institute

EMMANUEL AKPORIAYE, PH.D.

Adjunct Scientist, Legacy Research Institute
Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Veana Therapeutics Inc.
Adjunct Member, Earle A. Chiles Research Institute  

Peer reviewed publications
Veana Therapeutics Inc.

Short Bio:

Dr. Akporiaye received his PhD in Microbiology from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, and completed his post-doctoral training in cancer biology and immunology in the Life Sciences Division at The Los Alamos National Laboratory. 

Until recently, Dr. Akporiaye was Division Chief of Experimental Biology and Scientific Career Development at Sidra Medical and Research Center, Doha, Qatar. Prior to joining Sidra, Dr. Akporiaye was Chief of The Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Therapeutics at the Robert W. Franz Cancer Research Center in the Earle A. Chiles Research Institute (EACRI) in Portland, Oregon, where he led the discovery, development and production of a novel anti-cancer agent that was advanced to a first-in-human clinical trial at the Providence Cancer Institute. Prior to joining the EACRI, Dr. Akporiaye was Professor and later Department Head of Microbiology and Immunology at The University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona.

While at EACRI, Dr. Akporiaye was appointed as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine at Oregon Health and Science University. Dr. Akporiaye currently holds the position of Adjunct Member at the EACRI. 

Dr. Akporiaye is the Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Veana Therapeutics Inc., a biotechnology company founded as a spin-off from the Earle A. Chiles Research Institute of the Providence Cancer Institute.

Publication Highlights:

Enhancement of anti-tumor efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade by alpha-TEA.
Redmond WL, Kasiewicz MJ, and Akporiaye ET.
Front Immunol. 2023 Feb 22;14:1057702
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38166559/

Reverting Immune Suppression to Enhance Cancer Immunotherapy. 
Guerrouahen BS, Maccalli C, Cugno C, Rutella S, Akporiaye ET.
Front Oncol.  2020 Jan 21;9:1554.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35469824/

Blockade of TGF-β signaling to enhance the antitumor response is accompanied by dysregulation of the functional activity of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ and CD4+CD25-Foxp3+ T cells.
Polanczyk MJ, Walker E, Haley D, Guerrouahen BS, Akporiaye ET. 
J Transl Med.  2019 Jul 9;17(1):219. 
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33917279/

The vitamin E analogue α-TEA stimulates tumor autophagy and enhances antigen cross-presentation. 
Li Y, Hahn T, Garrison K, Cui ZH, Thorburn A, Thorburn J, Hu HM, Akporiaye ET. 
Cancer Res. 2012 Jul 15;72(14):3535-45.

Molecular mechanism for the selective impairment of cancer mitochondrial function by a mitochondrially targeted vitamin E analogue.
Rodríguez-Enríquez S, Hernández-Esquivel L, Marín-Hernández A, Dong LF, Akporiaye ET, Neuzil J, Ralph SJ, Moreno-Sánchez R. 
Biochim Biophys Acta.  2012 Sep;1817(9):1597-607. 

Research Focus:

Dr. Akporiaye’s research is focused on understanding the interactions between cancer cells and immune cells that favour tumor growth and progression and developing novel therapies that are safe, effective, and less toxic while at the same time ensuring that the patient’s quality of life is not compromised. Dr. Akporiaye is a Fulbright Senior Scholar and has served on several national and regional Scientific Review Committees and Advisory Boards focused on cancer immunology and immunotherapy, including The National Institutes of Health, Susan Komen Race for the Cure Foundation, the DOD Breast Cancer Research Program, The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Ovarian Cancer SPORE and Legere Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Dr. Akporiaye was recently appointed to serve as Associate Editor of Frontiers in Immunology.

Dr. Akporiaye has authored over 70 peer-reviewed scientific publications and is a recognized expert in immune modulation of the tumor microenvironment to improve cancer immunotherapy.