Ali is a multidisciplinary scientist with a passion to bring his extensive experience in studying and genetically manipulating cellular metabolism with his knowledge in the field of gene therapy to develop innovative gene therapies that can add to a healthy human lifespan and push the limits on what is possible in the realm of human physical and mental performance with increasing age.

Beside his main occupation as a consultant for the pharmaceutical industry, he also actively pursues and advises projects and products that aim to improve human health and longevity and increase scientific and societal awareness and support for this vital human endeavor.

After graduating his Pharmacy studies with excellence from Damascus University, Ali moved to Heidelberg, Germany, and pursued his PhD (2013-2018). His doctoral research focused on identifying and targeting the metabolic vulnerabilities of cancer cells. His main doctoral project aimed to improve the understanding of glucose metabolism in rapidly proliferating cells, for which he established and drew insights from transgenic models of both cancer cell lines and the brewer's yeast.

Ali also initiated additional research projects to improve the understanding of the effects of hyperdosed vitamin C on breast cancer cells, and to recapitulate the liver xenobiotic metabolism in vitro with the use of microfluidic technology.

Following the successful completion of his PhD (Magna cum laude). After witnessing the power of genes in altering the metabolism of cells, and the huge promise that holds for improving human health, Ali opted to pursue his postdoctoral research in the field of gene therapy.

On a personal level, this was mainly driven by a fascination with the power of cellular metabolism and its key regulating genes in dictating life and health spans. The future outlook at the intersection of cell metabolism and in vivo gene transfer techniques extends far beyond treating genetic diseases to enhancing human biology, performance and maximizing the number of healthy years we can get out of our mortal bodies.

Motivated by this realization, Ali sought to absorp all that is to learn about gene therapy vectors, with a focus on the AAV vectors, the method of choice for gene transfer therapies. In his new learning course, he contributed to projects aiming to extend the specificity of AAV vectors from the organ to cell -type level, in addition to creating an AAV platform for repressing the replication of CoVid19 in respiratory epithelia.

Having gained hands-on research experience and fine technical knowledge in developing gene therapy vectors, Ali recognized that his larger career ambitions would be best served by gaining industry and clinical experience; hence, he pivoted to a new path in Pharma R&D consulting, while developing his scientific vision, contributing as an advisor to longevity research projects, and pursuing thought leadership at the intersection between gene and cell therapy, longevity biology, and lifespan extension.

Ali is a cosmopolitan multicultural person, influenced by his birth and early years in England, his upbringing in Syria, and his life, studies, and career in Germany. Ali enjoys traveling, cooking, reading books, and listening to podcasts and audiobooks. Beside science and technology, he is interested in history, economics, and geopolitics. Ali is a family man, a loving husband, and a proud father of adorable 1-year-old twins.