Pharmacometrics Africa: Egypt Chapter

Aya Ismail obtained her PhD in clinical pharmacology from the Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, where her research focused on the impact of immunogenetic polymorphisms and gene expression on the response to direct-acting antiviral therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C, published in Clinical and Experimental Medicine (2024). Her academic training is supported by expertise in clinical pharmacology, pharmacometrics, pharmacogenomics, and biostatistics. She is currently a clinical trial lead at DataClin CRO, where she leads and oversees clinical trial activities across Egypt and the MENA region, including study planning, execution, monitoring, and compliance with GCP and regulatory requirements. Previously, she held positions as a clinical pharmacologist and researcher at the Research and Development Center at Heliopolis University, where she contributed to preclinical and clinical drug development activities. She also worked as a staff member at the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA), gaining regulatory science experience. She is also a 2025 APT Fellow, gaining hands-on experience in the development of preclinical population PK/PD models for antimalarial compounds using Phoenix NLME and in integrating preclinical and clinical data to support early-phase and translational decision-making. Her professional focus is on advancing model-informed drug development and strengthening the integration of pharmacometrics into clinical research, education, and regulatory science in Egypt and the MENA region.

Dr. Ibrahim Komeil is an Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutics with a PhD and MSc in Pharmaceutics. His expertise spans product formulation and drug delivery, pharmacokinetics, pharmacometrics, and analytical chemistry. His research interests include formulation and drug delivery development, physiologically based pharmacokinetics modeling, PK/PD modeling, and population pharmacokinetics. As a 2025 APT Fellow, Dr. Komeil views the program as a great opportunity to learn more about pharmacometrics, meet tutors and have discussions about different pharmacometrics aspects, and gain hands-on tutorials on various pharmacometrics modules while working on real projects. His career aspiration is to integrate his extensive pharmaceutical industry experience with pharmacometrics knowledge to improve the treatment outcomes of different drugs. His work bridges pharmaceutical technology with advanced modeling approaches to optimize drug development and therapeutic outcomes.

Dr. Nouran Nassar is an Assistant Professor in Clinical Pharmacy at Future University in Egypt, holding a PhD, MSc, and BPharm. Her research interests focus on clinical research and evidence-based medicine, with expertise spanning cardiology, critical care, oncology, geriatrics, dose optimization, and pharmacoeconomics.. As a 2025 Applied Pharmacometrics Training Fellow with Pharmacometrics Africa, Dr. Nouran expanded her expertise in population PK/PD modeling (Phoenix NLME) and PBPK approaches (Open Systems Pharmacology Suite). She has applied these skills to explore quantitative systems pharmacology (QSP) in antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for oncology applications, with particular focus on modeling therapeutic optimization. Her goal is to lead pharmacometrics initiatives in Egypt by promoting and integrating pharmacometrics into pharmacy education, establishing a pharmacometrics research unit in Egypt, leading collaborative international clinical research projects, and developing model-informed protocols for optimizing drug therapy in special populations.

Dr. Nada El Hoffy is an Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Technology at Future University in Egypt. She holds a PhD in Pharmaceutical Technology and brings interdisciplinary expertise spanning green cosmetology, nanotechnology, pharmacometrics, and physiologically based modeling. Her research centers on innovative drug delivery systems and the application of Physiological Modeling and Pharmacometrics in research and drug development, leveraging advanced modeling and simulation platforms such as R, Phoenix NLME, Monolix Suite, GastroPlus, PK-Sim, and Simcyp. In parallel with her academic career, Dr. El Hoffy is currently pursuing an MBA at ESLSCA University, strengthening her leadership, strategic management, and innovation capabilities at the interface of science, education, and industry. She is also a fellow of the 2025 Applied Pharmacometrics Training (APT) cohort, through which she further advanced her expertise in pharmacometrics and model-informed drug development (MIDD), supporting her strategic transition toward impactful industry–academia integration. As part of this work, she contributed to the development of a natural disease progression model for Parkinson’s disease in collaboration with Eli Lilly. Dr. El Hoffy has taken a pioneering role in the region by establishing the first Pharmacometrics Excellence Center in Egypt and the Middle East, in cooperation with DAF Technology Solutions. This initiative aims to build regional capacity in pharmacometrics, provide applied and industry-relevant training, optimize decision-making in drug development, and prepare a new generation of highly skilled pharmacometricians. Through this center, she seeks to open a new chapter for the implementation of pharmacometrics in Egypt and the Middle East, with a long-term vision of expanding its impact across the African continent.

Amira earned her Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics from the Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, where her research focused on advanced drug delivery systems including oral and transdermal liposomes, ethosomes, nanoemulsions, nanoparticles, and physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling. She is currently an Associate Scientist at Certara Drug Development Solutions (since April 2023), where she works as a pharmacometric consultant supporting client projects through hands-on modeling, quality control of model codes and reports, and continuous training in advanced modeling and simulation approaches for small molecules and complex biologics, including bispecific antibodies, CAR-T therapies, and immuno-oncology products. Prior to this role, she served as an Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Technology at Future University in Egypt (2015–2023), where she taught pharmacokinetics, biopharmaceutics, and industrial pharmacy, conducted academic research, and mentored postgraduate students