Supriya Prasanth

Supriya Prasanth is a Professor and Head of the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She leads research on DNA replication, chromatin organization, and their roles in cancer. Her work focuses on the Origin Recognition Complex (ORC) and its multifunctional roles in genome integrity, chromosome segregation, and heterochromatin dynamics. She holds affiliations with the Cancer Center at Illinois.

Education:

• M.Sc. in Genetics, University of Delhi
• Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics, National Institute of Immunology, India
• Postdoctoral Fellow at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, NY

Research Interests: Supriya’s lab investigates how DNA replication intersects with heterochromatin organization and mitotic processes. Key themes include ORC’s dual roles in replication licensing and gene silencing, mechanisms linking replication errors to cancer, and cytokinesis regulation. Her studies use live-cell imaging, biochemical assays, and genomic approaches.

Awards:

• National Science Foundation Career Award
• Lynn M. Martin Award for distinguished women teachers
• MCB Research Excellence Award
• Campus Distinguished Promotion Award

Teaching: Teaches MCB 400 - Cancer Cell Biology. Advises graduate students in molecular and cellular biology programs.

Lab Contributions: The Prasanth Lab has uncovered critical roles for ORC subunits in cancer-associated genomic instability. Recent work highlights Orc6’s role in ribosome biogenesis and genome maintenance.