FACULTY

Dr. R. C. Koumar

Associate Professor
  • PhD, Zoology, Banaras Hindu University
  • MSc: Life Sciences
  • rckoumar@yenepoya.edu.in

Profile

I received my Ph.D. from BHU, Varanasi in 2004, where I explored the mechanisms of differential gene regulation by Androgen Receptor promoter during aging in the mouse brain cortex. Having gained experience in molecular neurobiology, I joined as a postdoc at NBRC, Manesar, where I studied the role of Estrogens as neuroprotectors of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. After that, I joined as a postdoc in Prof. Pierre Chambon lab to work on the role of nuclear receptors in Prostate Cancer to develop and validate mouse models that mimic the kinetics of human prostate cancer progression. Subsequently, I moved to A*STAR IMCB, as a research fellow to investigate the role of Cdks and epigenetic modifiers in Head and Neck and Gastric cancer and profiled patient tumors for pre-clinical testing of chemotherapeutic responses using PDX. After that, I joined as an Associate Professor at YRC in 2018 to continue working on Epigenetics and Cancer Biology.

 PostDoc/Experience

Associate Professor (2018-till date) – Yenepoya Research Centre, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Mangaluru, India.

Research Fellow (2008-2016) – Cell Division and Cancer Research Lab and Mouse Models for Human Cancer Unit, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (A*STAR), Biopolis, Singapore.

Postdoctoral Fellow (2005-2008) – Department of Functional Genomics and Cancer, Institut de Génétique et de BiologieMoléculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC), Strasbourg, France.

Postdoctoral Fellow (2004-2005) – Division of Molecular and Cellular Neurosciences, National Brain Research Centre (NBRC), Manesar, Haryana, India

Awards/Honors

  • IMCB, Research Fellowship (2008-2016) – Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Singapore.
  • Foundation pour la Recherche Médicale (FRM) Fellowship (2006-2008) – Institut de Génétique et de BiologieMoléculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC), Strasbourg, France.
  • Association pour la Recherche sur le Cancer (ARI) Fellowship (2005-2006) – Institut de Génétique et de BiologieMoléculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC), Strasbourg, France.
  • NBRC, Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (2004-2005) – National Brain Research Centre (NBRC), Haryana, India.
  • University Grants Commission (UGC) Fellowship (1999-2004) – Centre for Advanced Studies in Zoology, Banaras Hindu University, India.
  • Qualified Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) conducted by Ministry of Human Resources Development, Govt. of India.

 

Research

Research Interest/Area

Epigenetics, Molecular Cell Biology, Cancer Biology.

Research

One of the major hallmarks of Cancer is the aberrant epigenetic modifications in chromatin machinery by which the cells attain a limitless atypical replicative state potentiating cellular proliferation and tumorigenesis that metastasize to distant organs if unchecked. Cancer remains as a major burden and public health problem despite the molecular understanding of the disease. The advent of new Omic technologies for profiling different tumors has led to the identification of molecular subtypes of cancers that guide robust early diagnosis and appropriate therapeutic interventions.

Main Objectives:

  • Elucidating epigenetic mechanisms driving cell cycle in different cancer types
  • Omic profiling of tumors of Head & Neck and Cervical Cancers
  • In vivo PDX models for targeted clinical trials specific to personalized medicine
  • Identify and validate biomarkers for early detection and diagnosis of cancer and itsrecurrence

Publications                                                                                                                                              Full List :

  1. Nathan Palmer, S. Zakiah A. Talib*, Chandrahas Koumar Ratnacaram*, Diana Low*, Xavier Bisteau, Joanna Hui Si Lee, Elisabeth Pfeiffenberger, Heike Wollmann, Joel Heng Loong Tan, Sheena Wee, Radoslaw Sobota, Jayantha Gunaratne, Daniel M. Messerschmidt, Ernesto Guccione, Philipp Kaldis (2019). CDK2 regulates the NRF1/Ehmt1 axis during meiotic prophase I. The Journal of Cell Biology 218(9): 2896-2918; DOI: 10.1083/jcb.201903125 (* Contributed equally to this paper)

  2. Sangeeta Chauhan, M. Kasim Diril, Vanessa Manoharan, Joanna H.S. Lee, Juliane Noffke, Deepak Adhikari, Chandrahas Koumar Ratnacaram, Xavier Bisteau, Florent Ginhoux, Vincenzo Coppola, Kui Lui, Lino Tessarollo and Philipp Kaldis.(2016) The catalytic activity is essential for the in vivo functions of Cdk2. Biochem J 473:2783–2798.

  3. Michael Dewaele, Tommaso Tabaglio, Karen Willekens, Marco Bezzi, Shun Xie Teo, Diana HP Low, Cheryl Koh, Florian Rambow, Mark Fiers, AljosjaRogiers, Enrico Radaelli, Muthafar Al-Haddawi, Soo Yong Tan, Els Hermans, Frederic Amant, Hualong Yan, Manikandan Lakshmanan, RatnacaramChandrahas Koumar, Soon Thye Lim, Frederick A Derheimer, Robert M Campbell, Zahid Bonday, Vinay Tergaonkar, Mark Shackleton, Christine Blattner, Jean-Christophe Marine and Ernesto Guccione. (2016) Enhanced MDM4 exon 6 inclusion is a widespread oncogenic mechanism and a clinically compatible therapeutic target. J Clin Invest. 126:68-84.
  4. M. Kasim Diril, Chandrahas Koumar Ratnacaram, V. C. Padmakumar, Tiehua Du, Martin Wasser, Vincenzo Coppola, Lino Tessarollo, and Philipp Kaldis (2012) Cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1) is essential for cell division and suppression of DNA re-replication but not for liver regeneration.   Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 109 (10) 3826-3831
  5. Chandrahas Koumar Ratnacaram, Marius Teletin, Ming Jiang, Xiangjun Meng, Pierre Chambon, and Daniel Metzger. (2008) Temporally controlled ablation of PTEN in adult mouse prostate epithelium generates a model of invasive prostatic adenocarcinoma. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 105, 2521–2526

Books/Book Chapters

Gopinathan, L., Ratnacaram, C.K., and Kaldis, P. (2011) Established and novel Cdk/cyclin complexes regulating the cell cycle and development. Results Probl. Cell Differ. 53, 365-389. (Book Chapter)