Arin B. Aurora

Arin B. Aurora, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, with a joint appointment at the Children’s Medical Research Institute. Her career spans from a B.S. in biology at Cornell University to a Ph.D. in immunology from UCSF, followed by postdoctoral fellowships at Northwestern University and UT Southwestern.

Education:

• B.S. in Biology – Cornell University
• Ph.D. in Immunology – University of California, San Francisco
• Postdoctoral Fellowship – Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine (American Cancer Society Fellow)
• Postdoctoral Fellowship – UT Southwestern Medical Center (with Dr. Eric Olson)

Research Focus: Dr. Aurora’s research integrates immunology, cancer biology, and molecular therapeutics. Early work uncovered microRNA circuits governing cardiac repair and vascular remodeling. Since 2023, her group has led a multidisciplinary effort to evaluate novel anticancer small molecules, combining genetic screens, biochemistry, and medicinal chemistry to dissect on- and off-target effects that dictate efficacy and toxicity.

Additional interests include metabolic reprogramming in metastatic melanoma, immune modulation of stem-cell-mediated regeneration, and the development of preclinical patient-derived cancer models.

Publication Themes: Across 18 peer-reviewed papers, her work clusters into three dominant themes: (1) microRNA control of cardiovascular and renal fibrosis, (2) metabolic determinants of melanoma metastasis, and (3) translational development of small-molecule anticancer agents. These studies have appeared in high-impact journals including Nature, Journal of Clinical Investigation, Cell Stem Cell, and PNAS.

Scientific Awards: While specific honors are not listed, she was an American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellow during her training at Northwestern University.

Teams & Collaborations: Dr. Aurora collaborates with medicinal chemists, geneticists, and clinician-scientists across UT Southwestern, the Children’s Medical Research Institute, and the NCI Patient-Derived Models Consortium (PDMC) to accelerate preclinical evaluation of novel cancer therapeutics.