Dr. Halaby is a Professor of Biology and a Cancer Scientist. Breast cancer is the deadliest malignancy in women globally. However it also kills men, the transgendered, and people from all racial and ethnic backgrounds. Dr. Halaby's research focuses on investigating lysosomal-mediated apoptosis (LMA) in human breast cancer cells exposed to triptolide (Thunder God Vine). This Chinese herb has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for centuries to treat anti-inflammatory and autoimmune disorders. Dr. Halaby and his team showed that triptolide concentrations, which are 1,000X less than chemotherapeutic drugs, induce cell death in treatment-resistant breast cancer cell lines. This is significant because it suggests that LMA may serve as an effective therapy for tumors that become drug-resistant. Dr. Halaby's research utilizes cellular and molecular strategies that specifically and intentionally target lysosomes to kill cancer cells.