Our laboratory is interested in studying the changes induced, with an emphasis on wnt signal transduction pathway, during the initiation and progression of colon and breast cancer. wnt deregulators are identified by molecular and in vitro cell culture methods and their role in both induction and progression of early lesions are tested by generating transgenic murine models. These models could also serve as an in vivo drug validation and testing models of colorectal neoplasia. Another project of interest in our laboratory is to look at the role of microRNAs (oncomiRs) in the development of colon and breast cancer. OncomiRs, a special class of non-coding microRNAs are found to be associated with a large number of cancers. We have developed a microRNA database for breast and colon cancer and experimentally tested these on different microarray platforms. Impaired microRNA signatures are noticed in different stages and grades of these tumours. We are further characterizing the microRNA targets for developing into functional biomarkers.

Selected Publications

Vinod Kumar Verma, Syed Sultan Beevi, Rekha A Nair, Aviral Kumar, Ravi Kiran, Liza Esther Alexander, Lekha Dinesh Kumar*.
MicroRNA signatures differentiate Types, Grades, and Stages of Breast Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC): miRNA-Target interacting signaling pathways.
Cell Communication and Signaling (2024) 22:100. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12964-023-01452-2 (IF8.4)

B Byroju, V.V., Nadukkandy, A.S., Cordani, M. Lekha Dinesh Kumar *.
Retinoblastoma: present scenario and future challenges.
Cell Commun Signal 21,226 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12964-023-01223-z (IF: 8.4)

Aviral Kumar, Amarnath Singam, Guruprasadh Swaminathan, Naresh Killi, Naveen Kumar Tangudu, Jedy Jose, Rathna Gundloori VN, *Lekha Dinesh Kumar. (2022).
Combinatorial therapy using RNAi and curcumin nano-architectures regress tumors in breast and colon cancer models.
Nanoscale IF 7.78

Souneek Chakraborty,  Aviral Kumar, Anmol Kumar , Debasis Nayak, Aparna Golani, JedyJose ,*Lekha Dinesh Kumar  and *Anindya Goswami (2019).
Vimentin activation in early apoptotic cancer cells errands survival pathways during DNA damage inducer CPT treatment in colon carcinoma model. Cell Death and Disease .10:467
  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41419-019-1690-2 

Dinesh Kumar L. (eds) In: RNA Interference and Cancer Therapy. Methods in Molecular Biology, Springer Protocols (2019). vol 1974. Humana, New York, NY. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-9220-1_193.