Issam Ben-Sahra
Discovered that mTORC1 drives both halves of nucleotide synthesis, pyrimidines and purines, through two distinct mechanisms
PhD, Université Côte d'Azur, France (Frédéric Bost lab, 2010) · postdoc, Harvard T.H. Chan School (Brendan D. Manning lab) · now Associate Professor, Northwestern Feinberg (since 2023)
Ben-Sahra Lab, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine ↗
As Manning-lab postdoc, showed (BEN2013) mTORC1–S6K1 switches on de novo pyrimidine synthesis by phosphorylating CAD. Three years later (BEN2016), showed mTORC1 also drives purine synthesis via ATF4-dependent activation of the mitochondrial tetrahydrofolate cycle — completing the picture that mTORC1 controls both nucleotide families.
Trained in Nice, France before Harvard postdoc; now runs his own lab at Northwestern's Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center studying how growth signaling rewires metabolism in cancer and aging.
Milestones in the Atlas
| Year | Evidence | Study |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | M | Stimulation of de novo pyrimidine synthesis by growth signaling through mTOR and S6K1 BEN2013 mTORC1–S6K1 switches on de novo pyrimidine synthesis by phosphorylating CAD. |
| 2016 | M | mTORC1 induces purine synthesis through control of the mitochondrial tetrahydrofolate cycle BEN2016 mTORC1 drives purine synthesis via ATF4-dependent activation of the mitochondrial tetrahydrofolate cycle. |
On the programme
Meetings in the Atlas calendar where Issam Ben-Sahra is listed among the speakers or organisers.
- past Prague Metabolism and Signaling Symposium 2026 ↗ 24–27 Jun 2026 · Prague, Czech Republic · Tier 1