Professor Pharmacology & Toxicology
Carl Sanders Research & Education Building, CB260 rraju@augusta.edu Office: 706-443-4138 Lab: 706-446-0019
Dr. Raju’s research is focused on immuno-metabolic alterations in injury and aging. His laboratory uses a multidisciplinary approach to investigate the molecular basis of organ function changes following injury and the influence of aging. His current research intersects areas in inflammation, aging, mitochondrial biology, and metabolism. The following are some of the projects that are ongoing in Dr. Raju’s laboratory.
In this project, Dr. Raju’s laboratory investigates metabolic pathways converging on mitochondria and mitochondrial functional alterations following hemorrhagic shock and sepsis. He found that activation of Sirt1 improves organ function and survival following hemorrhagic shock. His continued studies showed that the NAD (Sirt1 co-substrate) precursor niacin also improved survival following hemorrhagic shock, and his lab dissected the roles of the niacin receptor (GPR109a) and NAD in niacin-mediated salutary effect (BBA Mol Bas Dis, 2019). Further studies directly targeting mitochondria (dichloroacetate) established that improving mitochondrial function following acute injury can improve organ function and survival. While mitochondria can exacerbate inflammation by releasing damage-associated molecular patterns, they can also negatively control inflammation. Dr. Raju’s laboratory continues investigations into the alterations in mitochondria-centered pathways to develop novel treatment strategies (Metabolism, 2022; Free Radic Biol Med., 2022).
Senescence plays a critical role in several biological processes and conditions, including cancer, aging, injury, and development. Dr. Raju’s recent studies show the emergence of a senescent-like cellular phenotype following hemorrhagic shock as well as sepsis, and the function of these cells is likely context-dependent. His laboratory is further investigating the functional role of these cells and the effect of senolytics in the context of aging and injury (Aging Cell, 2020; Npj Aging, 2024; Aging Cell, 2024, PMID: 39444093).
Dr. Raju’s laboratory has recently observed that young animals are more resilient to injury than mature or old animals. Subsequent studies from his laboratory demonstrated that circulating extracellular vesicles (EVs) from young mice have protective effects in old mice. One of his funded projects is focused on the mechanistic basis of plasma EV-induced protection in older animals (Aging Dis. 2022; Aging, 2023; Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, in press, 2025).
Dr. Raju collaborates with other investigators locally within the Medical College of Georgia, nationally, and internationally. His research and experience encompass areas in Biochemistry, Physiology, Immunology, Molecular Biology, Pharmacology, and Cell biology. Dr. Raju has authored over 90 peer-reviewed articles. His research is supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Defense.
Research Associate
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Postoctoral Training
University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN
PhD
All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi
2013 - Present Professor, Augusta University, Augusta, GA
2007 - 2013 Associate Professor, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
2001 - 2007 Senior Staff Fellow, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
2014 - present BBA - Molecular Basis of Disease
2013 - present PLOS ONE, Academic Editor
2010 - present Aging and Disease
2017 Guest Editor: BBA Mol Basis of Dis
2014 Guest Editor: Aging and Injury (Special Issue of Aging and Disease)
2006 - 2010 Journal of Immunology, Associate Editor
Frontiers in Intensive Care Medicine and Anesthesiology
Dr. Raju has served on several grant review panels including study sections of the National Institutes of Health, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, and American Heart Association. Dr. Raju has also served on an NIH study section as a Chartered member.
Cai L, Kar P, Liu Y, Chu X, Sharma A, Lee TJ, Arbab A, Raju RP. Plasma extracellular vesicle-derived miR-296-5p is a maturation-dependent rejuvenation factor that downregulates inflammation and improves survival after sepsis. Journal of Extracellular Vesicles (in press).
Lavarti R, Cai L, Alvarez-Diaz, Rodriguez TM, Bombin S and Raju RP. Senescence landscape in the liver following sepsis and senolytics as potential therapeutics. Aging cell, 2025 Jan;24(1):e14354. (Science News Story).
Kar P, Sivasailam A, Lavarti R, Cai L, Thangaraju M, Nguyen, E, Mundluru B and Raju RP. p53 dependence of senescence markers p21v1 and p21v2 in aging and acute injury. NPJ Aging, 2024 Oct 14;10(1):45.
Schoenmann N, Tannenbaum N, Hodgeman RM, Raju RP. Regulating mitochondrial metabolism by targeting pyruvate dehydrogenase with dichloroacetate, a metabolic messenger. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis. 2023 Oct;1869(7):166769.
Cai L, Arbab AS, Lee TJ, Sharma A, Thomas B, Igarashi K, Raju RP. BACH1-Hemoxygenase-1 axis regulates cellular energetics and survival following sepsis. Free Radic Biol Med. 2022 Jun 9;188:134-145.
