Mahesh Kathania

Mahesh Kathania, Ph.D., is an Instructor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center, specializing in the Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases. His academic journey includes a master's in biochemistry from the University of Rajasthan (India), a Ph.D. in cell biology and immunology from the Institute of Microbial Technology (Chandigarh), and postdoctoral training at the University of Florida and Baylor Institute for Immunology Research (Dallas). He joined UT Southwestern's faculty in 2024.

Dr. Kathania's research focuses on immunological mechanisms underlying colon cancer, gut microbiota interactions, inflammatory bowel diseases, and CAR T-cell therapy. His work emphasizes T-cell exhaustion and the role of novel transcription factors like RORγt in immune regulation. Key findings include discoveries about Itch-mediated ubiquitination pathways in colitis and tumor suppression, as well as targeted vaccine strategies for intestinal immunity.

His publications span over 15 peer-reviewed articles in journals like Science Signaling, Nature Immunology, and Cell Reports, highlighting expertise in immunology, microbiology, and tumor immunology. He actively participates in professional societies such as the American Association of Immunologists and the Asian Council of Scientific Editors. His lab's current projects investigate RORγt-Raftlin1 complex dynamics and Pak2 phosphorylation in Th17 cell pathogenicity.

Dr. Kathania's interdisciplinary approach bridges basic immunology with clinical applications, aiming to develop novel treatments for inflammatory and malignant gastrointestinal disorders.