Associate Professor


Research Area \ Research Statement \ Research Group Info

The major focus of our lab is to understand the molecular mechanisms that lead to cellular transformation, ultimately leading to cancer. We predominantly study the role of various protein kinases and phosphatases that regulate cellular processes like cell cycle/ mitosis and promote tumorigenesis. We have been using the small T antigen of Polyoma virus as a model to study the impact of such proteins on mitotic regulation. Expression of small T antigen is known to cause major mitotic abnormalities in mammalian cells like abnormal spindles, lack of chromosomal congression, aneuploidy etc, which lead to mitotic arrest, followed by apoptosis in mammalian cells. Using inducible small T expression system as a tool, we have already screened library of protein kinases to identify the ones that enable mitotically arrested cells to overcome cell death, and hence promote resistance. This system thus provides an excellent model to understand how cancer cells develop resistance against anti-mitotic and anti-cancer agents that are used for the treatment of cancer. Some of the prominent candidates that we are studying are Mastl/Greatwall kinase, FAK/PTK2, PCTAIRE1/CDK16, PLK1, DBC1/CCAR2, UNC5B, lipin1 and protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A).