Generate a tailored SOP for Dr. Shobha Vasudevan. Improve your application with a focused, well-structured draft.
Shobha Vasudevan's research focuses on the role of post-transcriptional mechanisms in clinically resistant quiescent cancer cells. Tumors demonstrate heterogeneity, harboring small subpopulations that switch between rapid proliferation and a specialized, reversibly arrested state of quiescence, which decreases susceptibility to chemotherapy. Quiescent cancer cells resist conventional therapeutics, leading to tumor persistence and resuming cancerous growth upon the removal of chemotherapy. Data have revealed that post-transcriptional mechanisms are altered and that modifications to RNA elements, associated with complexes such as ribosomes, control vital genes related to cancer persistence in quiescent cancer cells. The primary goal of Vasudevan's research is to characterize the specialized gene expression and post-transcriptional regulators that underlie the persistence of resistant cancer cells. A complementary focus is to investigate the modifications of RNA elements, ribosomes, and post-transcriptional regulators in response to quiescent conditions and chemotherapy-induced signaling. Ultimately, the goal is to develop a comprehensive understanding of the versatile roles of regulatory RNAs in cancer, laying the groundwork for the early detection of refractory cancers and the design of new therapies.
Administered by the Division of Medical Sciences (DMS). GRE is not required and will not be considered for BBS, Immunology, and Neuroscience.