Kiran Vanaja

Kiran Vanaja is an Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Bioengineering at Northeastern University's Roux Institute in Portland, ME. He holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (2013). His research focuses on systems biology approaches to study signaling networks in cancer, metastasis, and embryonic development. He specializes in computational modeling and deep learning for personalized cancer treatment strategies.

Research emphasizes understanding how signaling pathways like PI3K/AKT/mTOR and PTEN regulation influence tumor behavior. He has developed computational models predicting therapeutic responses and identifying novel drug targets. His work frequently integrates experimental data with systems biology approaches to unravel complex biological mechanisms.

Recent publications explore topics such as PTEN translation dynamics, tumor adaptation to drug inhibition, and non-metabolic roles of nuclear pyruvate kinase M2. His research has been featured in journals like Molecular Cell and Cell Systems, demonstrating impact across systems biology and oncology domains.

Current projects include developing predictive models for cancer treatment efficacy and investigating metabolic pathway interactions in oncogenesis. He collaborates with interdisciplinary teams to bridge computational analysis with experimental validation.