Muthusamy Thangaraju
Associate Professor
Academic Appointment(s)
Medical College of Georgia
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
The Graduate School
Bio
Dr. Muthusamy Thangaraju (Raju) is a breast cancer research scientist. I started my research career as a breast cancer Scientist in 1991 when I was a graduate student at the University of Madras, India. Then I moved to the McGill University, Montreal, Canada to do the post-doctoral fellowships where I studied the role of protein tyrosine phosphatases, SHP1 and SHP2, in breast cancer growth and progression. Then I joined the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, and expanded my research in breast cancer and investigated the role of BRCA1 and BRCA2, the two breast cancer susceptibility genes, in the regulation of DNA damage repair and apoptosis in breast cancer. Then I joined the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Frederick, MD where I explored the functional implication of CCAAT/Enhancer Binding Protein delta (CEBPD) in mammary gland development and its relevance to mammary tumor growth and progression. Currently, I am an Associate Professor at the Augusta University and studying the role of epigenetics and regulation of mammary gland development and its association with mammary stem cells (MaSC) and breast cancer stem cell (BCSC) self-renewal.
Education
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Ph.D., Biochemistry
University of Madras, 1996
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MS, Chemistry, General
Bharathidasan University, 1989
Awards & Honors
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Outstanding Young Scientist Award
Augusta University, 2010
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Spring Research Festivel Best Poster Award
National Cancer Institute (NCI), 2002
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NCI Research Fellowship
National Cancer Institute, 2001
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Travel grant
UICC, 1998
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Post-Doctoral Fellowship
Royal Victoria Hospital Research Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada, 1998
Courses Taught Most Recent Academic Year
Teaching Interests
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Signal Transduction, Epigenetics, Breast Cancer Stem Cell (BCSC) self-renewal, and Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD).
Scholarship
Selected Recent Publications
- SLC6A14, a Na+/Cl--coupled amino acid transporter, functions as a tumor promoter in colon and is a target for Wnt signaling., 2020
Journal Article, Academic Journal
- Corresponding Author, 2019
Book, Chapter in Scholarly Book-New
- Wasf3 Deficiency Reveals Involvement in Metastasis in a Mouse Model of Breast Cancer., 2019
Journal Article, Academic Journal
- Metabolic Reprogramming by MYCN Confers Dependence on the Serine-Glycine-One-Carbon Biosynthetic Pathway., 2019
Journal Article, Academic Journal
- Primary tumor-induced immunity eradicates disseminated tumor cells in syngeneic mouse model., 2019
Journal Article, Academic Journal
Research Interests
Role of epigenetics, especially DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1), in regulation of mammary stem and progenitor cells (MaSC) and breast cancer stem cell (BCSC) self-renewal and its association in breast cancer growth and progression.
The main focus of my laboratory is to understand the role of DNMT1 in regulation of MaSC and BCSC self-renewal and to explore the role histone deacetylases (HDACs) and histone methyltransferases (HMTs) in these cells. We are also interested in developing small molecules to target BCSCs by utilizing state of the art gene-targeting strategies and spontaneous mouse mammary tumor models.
We are also interested to understand the role of Epigenetics, especially DNMT1 and DNMT3b, in the cytogenesis of autosomal polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD).
Department Service
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Department Space Committee
2015 - Present
Role: Attendee, Meeting
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Faculty recruitment committee
2015 - Present
Role: Attendee, Meeting
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Medical Student Interview Committee
2015 - Present
Role: Attendee, Meeting
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Students Promotion and Academic Committee
2015 - Present
Role: Attendee, Meeting
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Department faculty recruitment and P & T committee
2014 - Present
Role: Committee Member
College Service
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Medical Admission Interview Committee
2020 - Present
Role: Committee Member
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Institutional Tumor Tissue Repository
2015 - Present
Role: Committee Member
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Institutional Chemical Safety
1913 - Present
Role: Committee Member
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Student Promotion committee
2016 - 2019
Role: Committee Member
University Service
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Tumor Tissue Bank
2013 - Present
Role: Committee Member
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Institutional Chemical Safety
2011 - Present
Role: Committee Member
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Extramural grant review
2008 - Present
Role: Committee Member
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MD admission committee
2012 - 2026
Role: Task Force Member
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Medical students P & T Committee
2015 - 2019
Role: Committee Member
