Ganjam V. Kalpana PhD

Dr. Kalpana’s goal is to develop molecularly targeted therapies based on the understanding of the genesis of rhabdoid tumors. Majority of rhabdoid tumors have biallelic inactivation of the INI1 gene. Her previous studies demonstrated that Cyclin D1 is a direct downstream target of INI1 mediated repression and that rhabdoid tumors are exquisitely dependent on Cyclin D1 for genesis and survival.

Dr. Kalpana’s team conducted preclinical studies that provided proof of principle for their hypothesis that targeting Cyclin/cdk axis is an effective means of inhibiting rhabdoid tumors in vitro and in vivo. The current goal is to develop novel strategies to facilitate clinical translation of laboratory findings to establish an effective therapy for these tumors. For this purpose, they are using non-invasive imaging techniques such as microPET to monitor the effectiveness of novel therapeutic strategies in primary mouse tumor models, developing novel drugs to target these tumors and investigating the interaction between Cyclin D1, the cdk pathway and Ini1 in mouse models.