Subhra Mohapatra, PhD, FAAAS, FAIMBE, FASEMFL, FNAI

One of the major focus of my laboratory is to understand the role of onco-immune environment, which plays a critical role in tumor growth, drug resistance and recurrence. To this end, we have developed methods and technologies to expand cancer stem cells (CSCs) that drive tumor initiation and progression, identified novel drug candidates for targeting CSCs and sensitizing tumors to immune checkpoint blockers in colon and lung cancer models. Another focus of my laboratory has been to study chemokine signaling pathways involving spleen-brain axis in regulating neurodegeneration in traumatic injury patients. Toward these goals, we have developed in vitro models of blood-brain-barrier, in vivo rodent models, nose-to-brain delivery methods and anti-inflammatory agents. Since the COVID 19 pandemic, our lab has initiated studies to understand the neurotropism of SARS-CoV2 virus.