Faculty


Ajay K. Yadav

Professor

Molecular Cancer genetics and Signal transduction laboratory
Email: ayadav@acbr.du.ac.in

The current direction of research laboratory at A.C.B.R, is toward Targeted Epigenetic Therapy and Precision Oncology, specifically focusing on how to break the "protective shield" that aggressive brain tumors use to survive in existing chemotherapy drug Temozolomide, where patient median survival is 15 months.

Based on our most recent publications and of active participitation along with team of PhD students, our research carries two major directions:

1. Epigenetic " Switches" (The SETD5-USP5 Axis) We are studying how SETD5 (an epigenetic regulator) acts as a master switch to control a whole family of deubiquitinating enzymes (USP5, USP8, and USP10). By inhibiting SETD5, can we "turn off" multiple survival proteins at once, making it a potential therapeutic strategy than targeting a single survival protein.
Sensitizing gliomas to "TRAIL" Therapy and overcoming the chemoresistance Temozolomide: A major hurdle in Glioblastoma (GBM) treatment is that tumors are often resistant to TRAIL, apoptotic ligand against the tumor cell to survive. Our research is focused on using small molecules or genetic knockdown (like silencing SETD5 or USP5) to "sensitize" these resistant cells. The aim is to create a combination therapy where a Temozolomide drug makes the tumor vulnerable, and then TRAIL can successfully inhibit the the tumor cell progression. Our lab is also exploring how "spliced variants" of oncoprotein, allow cancer cells to adapt to hypoxic (low oxygen) environments within a tumor. The current direction is to find ways to block these specific oncogenic variants, so the chemotherapy can remain effective. At the same time Exploring the "Immune Proteome" or Immune Evasion, that how SETD5 and USP5 levels correlate with immunosuppressive cell infiltration.

2. Extraction and characterization of Natural phytochemicals isolated from Medicinal herbs under preventive strategy: These phytochemical upon treating chemotherapeutic resistant cancer cell as adjuvant therapy, is to study the wide spectrum of apoptotic and anti- apoptotic imbalance, to disrupt the clonal selection required for tumor formation

Vacancy: Motivated PhD student with qualified CSIR , DBT, ICMR JRF/NET. Meet directly at Lab 210, second floor.

Honours & Awards:

Prof. Ramalingaswami Fellow (2010-2015)

American society for cell biology Travel Award for attending conference -2009

Selected Recent Publications:
  1. 18. Pankaj Taneja, Sonali Sharma, Vimlendu Bhushan Sinha, Ajay Kumar Yadav. Advancement of nanoscience in development of conjugated drugs for enhanced disease prevention. Life Sciences 268 (2021) 118859. Impact factor 3.6, ISSN: 0024-3205

  2. 17. Vidhi Vashistha, Sachin Bhardwaj, Birendra K. Yadav, Ajay K. Yadav. Depleting deubiquitinating enzymes promotes apoptosis in glioma cell line via RNA binding proteins SF2/ASF1. Biochemistry and Biophysics report, Vol 24, 100846, Dec 2020 : Impact Factor 3.0 (ISSN:24055808)

  3. 16. TundupNamgail, Dinesh Kumar, Vidhi Vashistha, Ahmed Aquib, Ajay Yadav. HnRNPA1 and Its Effect in the Expression of ABCC (ABCC4 and ABCC6) Transporter in Glioma Cell Lines. July (2020) DOI: 10.20944/preprints202007.0193. ISSN:2310-287X

  4. 15. Ahmed Aquib, Ajay K. Yadav. CD44 Alternative Splice Variants v6 and v10. Preprint, June (2020). DOI: 10.20944/preprints202006.0255. ISSN: 2310-287X

  5. 14. Jalota A, Kumar M, Das BC, Yadav AK, Chosdol K, Sinha S. A drug combination targeting hypoxia induced chemoresistance and stemness in glioma cells. Oncotarget. 2018 Apr 6;9(26):18351-18366. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.24839. eCollection 2018 Apr 6.

  6. 13. Vashishtha V, Jinghan N, K Yadav A. Antagonistic role of GSK3 isoforms in glioma survival. J Cancer. 2018 Apr 24;9(10):1846-1855. doi: 10.7150/jca.21248. eCollection 2018. PMID: 29805711

  7. 12. Akansha Jalota, Mukesh Kumar, Bhudev C. Das, Ajay K. Yadav, Kunzang Chosdol, Subrata Sinha. Synergistic increase in efficacy of a combination of 2-deoxy-d-glucose and cisplatin in normoxia and hypoxia: switch from autophagy to apoptosis. Tumor Biol. doi:10.1007/s13277-016-5089-8. (2016)

  8. 11. Roberto Ferrarese, Griffith R. Harsh IV, Ajay K. Yadav, Eva Bug et al., Lineage-specific splicing of a brain-enriched alternative exon promotes glioblastoma progression. Journal of Clinical Investigation, May 27. pii: 68836. doi: 10.1172/JCI68836. (2014)

  9. 10. Ajay K. Yadav, Vidhi Vashishtha, Nidhi Joshi, and Pankaj Taneja. AR-A 014418 Used against Gsk3beta down Regulates Expression of hnRNPA1 and SF2/ASF Splicing Factors. Journal of Oncology, doi: 10.1155/2014/695325. Epub 2014 Jan 2. (2014)

  10. 09. Bredel M, Scholtens DM, Yadav AK, Alvarez AA, Renfrow JJ, Chandler JP, Yu IL, Carro MS, Dai F, Tagge MJ, Ferrarese R, Bredel C, Phillips HS, Lukac PJ, Robe PA, Weyerbrock A, Vogel H, Dubner S, Mobley B, He X, Scheck AC, Sikic BI, Aldape KD, Chakravarti A, Harsh GR 4th. NFKBIA Deletion in Glioblastomas. New Engl J Med. 2011 Feb 17;364(7):627-37. Epub 2010 Dec 22.

  11. 08. Ajay K Yadav, Anagh A Sahasrabuddhe, Manjari Dimri, Prashant V Bommi, Rachana Sainger and Goberdhan P Dimri. Deletion analysis of BMI1 oncoprotein identifies its negative regulatory domain. Mol. Cancer 2010 Jun 22;9:158

  12. 07. Ajay K. Yadav, Jaclyn J. Renfrow, Denise M. Scholtens, Hehuang Xie, George E. Duran, Claudia Bredel, Hannes Vogel, James P. Chandler, Arnab Chakravarti, Pierre A. Robe, Sunit Das, Adrienne C. Scheck, John A. Kessler, Marcelo B. Soares, Branimir I. Sikic, Griffith R. Harsh, and Markus Bredel. Monosomy of Chromosome 10 Associated With Dysregulation of Epidermal Growth Factor Signaling in Glioblastomas Journal of Am. Med. Association. 2009;302(3):276-289.

  13. 06. Markus Bredel, Denise M. Scholtens, Griffith R. Harsh, Claudia Bredel, James P. Chandler, Jaclyn J. Renfrow, Ajay K. Yadav, Hannes Vogel, Adrienne C. Scheck, Robert Tibshirani, Branimir I. Sikic. A Network Model of a Cooperative Genetic Landscape in Brain Tumors. Journal of Am. Med. Association, 2009;302(3):261-275.

  14. 05. Guo WJ, Zeng MS, Yadav A, Song LB, Guo BH, Band V, Dimri GP. Mel-18 acts as a tumor suppressor by repressing Bmi-1 expression and down-regulating Akt activity in breast cancer cells. Cancer Res., Jun 1;67(11):5083-9,2007.

  15. 04. Yadav A, Kalita A, Dhillon S, Banerjee K. JAK/STAT3 pathway is involved in survival of neurons in response to insulin like growth factor and negatively regulated by suppression of cytokine signaling-3. J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 280,36(9), pp- 31830-31840, 2005.

  16. 03. Kenchappa P, Yadav A, Singh G, Nandana S, Banerjee K. Rescue of TNF -inhibited neuronal cells by IGF-1 involves Akt and c-Jun N-terminal kinases. J. Neurosci. Res., Volume 76, Issue 4, p 466-474,15 May, 2004.

  17. 02. Yadav AK, Paul BN, Naik S, Saxena AK, Patel DK. Human Hemaglobin shares the Bioactivities ascribed to Human Tumor Necrosis Factor- alpha. Immunopharmacol. & Immonotoxicol., Vol-26, No-4, PP:1-14, 2004

  18. 01. Paul BN, Prakash A, Kumar S, Yadav AK, Mani U, Saxena AK, Sahu AP, Lal K, Dutta KK. Silica induced early fibrogenic reaction in lung of mice ameliorated by Nyctanthes arbortristis extract. Biomed. Environ. Sci., Sep.; 15(3); 215-22, 2002.