Cancer Biology Laboratory

We focus on understanding the mechanisms of DNA repair that can suppress tumor formation.
We employ biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, and next-generation sequencing technologies
to investigate the genome and epigenome of various cell lines, patient tumor samples, and mouse models
to address the following research questions:

  • How do cancer cells evade the tumor suppression system by corrupting their DNA repair processes?
  • How can we take advantage of the faulty DNA repair processes of cancer cells to kill them?
  • How does a cell with damaged DNA communicate with undamaged cells during the cancer development process?

Team

Current Members

  • Mrs. Fathima Hameed: Ph.D. Student (at RGCB, Thiruvananthapuram);
    Understanding the role of DNA damage repair in endometrial cancer.

We are actively looking for happy, healthy, and dynamic Ph.D. students who are willing to pursue a career in genomic instability and cancer biology.

Projects

Current

  • Investigating stress-induced cell-cell communication in lung cancer development:
    ICMR – Submitted as an Intermediate Grant.
  • Modeling genetic alterations in the development of human ovarian serous carcinoma:
    AACR – Submitted a Letter of Intent.

Past

  • Studies on the noncanonical role of tumor suppressor PTEN in endometrial adenocarcinoma:
    DBT-Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship (2018–2024).
  • Domain-specific role of tumor suppressor PTEN in genomic stability – A systematic approach:
    DST-SERB (2019–2022).

Admissions