Muthusamy Thangaraju

Dr. Muthusamy Thangaraju is a Professor at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, where he leads research in Breast Cancer Stem Cell (BCSC) biology and Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD). His work explores the role of epigenetic regulators like DNMT1, HDACs, and HMTs in cancer progression and kidney disease.

• Education:
  • Ph.D. in Biochemistry, University of Madras (1996)
  • MS in Chemistry, Bharathidasan University (1989)
• Research Focus:
  • Mechanistic studies of DNMT1 in BCSC self-renewal and mammary tumor growth
  • Molecular pathways linking GPR109A, Netrin-1, and epigenetics in ADPKD
  • Development of small molecules targeting BCSCs and metabolic therapies for kidney disease
• Publication Trends:
  • Recent work highlights ketogenic metabolites (e.g., β-hydroxybutyrate) in ADPKD therapy, SLC transporters in tumor suppression, and GPR109A/HCAR2 signaling in inflammation and cancer
• Scientific Honors:
  • Outstanding Young Scientist Award (2010)
  • NCI Research Fellowship (2001)
  • UICC Travel Grant (1998)
• Institutional Service:
  • Active in faculty recruitment, promotions, and admissions committees across Augusta University
  • Member of the Institutional Chemical Safety and Tumor Tissue Repository committees