Ashok Kumar

Ashok Kumar is a Professor of Pharmacology and Else and Philip Hargrove Endowed Professor of Drug Discovery at the University of Houston College of Pharmacy, where he serves as Director of the Institute of Muscle Biology and Cachexia. His research focuses on molecular mechanisms regulating skeletal muscle mass and regeneration in pathological conditions.

• B.Sc. in Chemistry (Hons.), Rajdhani College, University of Delhi
• M.Sc. in Biotechnology, Banaras Hindu University
• M.Tech in Biochemical Engineering, IIT Delhi
• Ph.D. in Tumor Biology, University of Delhi
• Postdoc in Biochemistry, MD Anderson Cancer Center & Baylor College of Medicine
• M.S. in Computer Science, University of Houston Clear Lake

Dr. Kumar investigates skeletal muscle signaling pathways related to

• Cancer cachexia and sepsis-induced atrophy
• TAK1/XBP1 axis in muscle regeneration
• Fn14 receptor mechanisms
• Satellite stem cell dynamics
• Therapeutic targets in muscular dystrophy

His recent work explores ER stress, IRE1/XBP1 signaling, and NF-κB pathways in muscle homeostasis.

Scientific contributions include

• 2012-2015: University Scholar, University of Louisville
• 2015-2019: Distinguished University Scholar, University of Louisville
• US Patent 9,751,950 (2017) - Anti-Fn14 antibodies
• US Patent App. 14/725,873 (2015) - TWEAK/Fn14 system

Editorial roles in PLoS One, Cancers, and Frontiers in Physiology, with extensive peer-review experience.