Dr Rashida Karmali, a Uganda-born cancer scientist based in New York. Photo/Courtesy
Dr Rashida Karmali, a Uganda-born cancer scientist based in New York, has developed a groundbreaking drug, Carboxyamidotriazole Ototate (CTO), primarily designed for treatment of brain cancer Glioblastoma (GBM).
The drug, according to the developer, also has the potential benefits for other types of solid cancers and has undergone the final stages of approval from the Federal Drug Administration FDA in the United States of America.
Dr Karmali holds a Bachelor of Science (Biochemistry) from Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, and a Master of Science in animal nutrition from the University of Aberdeen.
She also has an MBA (Master of Business Administration) from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and also JD (Doctor of law) from Rutgers Law School, and is registered to practice in New York.
Dr Karmali’s journey toward this major breakthrough started at the University of Newcastle, where she earned a PhD in biochemistry in 1976.
As the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Tactical Therapeutics, Inc., she has spent over four decades pioneering advancements in cancer treatment, blending scientific innovation with legal and business expertise.
As a young girl in Kampala, Karmali would read stories about medicine and the human body. The deep curiosity about healing sparked something in her—a fascination with science that would one day lead her to the cutting edge of cancer research. Dr Rashida’s family has deep roots in Uganda.
Her mother, Sakina Bai, was born in 1922 in Bukandula, Gomba District, as was she.Her brother is professor Minaz Karmali born in FORT PORTAL is a director in Liberty ICD Ltd, a large indigenous Logistics Company in Namanve Industrial Park.
Dr Karmali’s journey began at Aga Khan School in Kampala, followed by a biochemistry degree at Makerere University before those higher qualifications for equipping herself with the tools to navigate the complex world of drug development, intellectual property, and regulatory law.
The fruits of her labour have led to a breakthrough, with CTO tests results published in the prestigious Journal of Clinical Oncology in 2018 and updated data CTO’s favourable safety profile and overall survival to be presented at the American Association of Cancer Research Conference in April 2025, in Chicago.
Throughout her career, Dr Karmali has been at the forefront of cancer research. Her work on Omega-3 fatty acids and COX-2 in cancer was featured on the cover of Cancer Research in December 1997.
Her research career has included time at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, where she worked under Dr. Robert A.
Good in the Department of Cellular Engineering, Immunology, and Cancer Therapy. Her research program focused on the role of eicosanoids and polyunsaturated fatty acids in cancer and in autoimmune diseases.
Over the years, she has authored more than 100 scientific publications and has been recognised for her lifetime contributions to cancer research, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from Marquis Who’s who in 2017.
From the classrooms of Kampala to the laboratories of New York, Dr Karmali’s story is one of perseverance, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of cancer treatment.
