Mahajan named Urologic Surgery Research Professor | Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

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A pioneering scientist has developed new ways to understand and treat prostate cancer

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Nupam Mahajan, PhD (second from right), has been named the first Research Professor of Urologic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Mahajan received the honor for his research progress on the genetic basis of prostate cancer. From left, David H. Perlmutter, MD, George and Carol Bauer Dean of the School of Medicine; John A. Olson Jr., MD, PhD, head of the Department of Surgery; Mahajan; and Chancellor Andrew D. Martin.

Nupam Mahajan, PhD, a pioneering prostate cancer researcher, has been named the inaugural Professor of Urologic Surgery Research at Washington University School of Medicine. in St. Louis. Mahajan’s work has revolutionized his field’s understanding of how prostate cancer progresses and has led to breakthrough research into new treatments for prostate cancer. destroy

The Urologic Surgery Research Professorship was established by the Department of Surgery to promote research aimed at improving clinical outcomes and expanding treatment methods in the field of urology. Mahajan was inducted by Chancellor Andrew D. Martin and David H. Perlmutter, MD, the George and Carol Bauer Dean of the School of Medicine, associate professor of medicine, and the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor .

“Dr. Mahajan’s pioneering research paves the way for new treatments for many patients whose prostate tumors eventually become resistant to hormone therapy,” said Martin. “There is a strong need to develop new treatments to help these patients, and this professorship will help support important studies to advance this important translational research.”

Mahajan’s work plays an important role in our understanding of how prostate cancer develops and progresses. He was one of the first to identify factors at the cellular level that change the way genes associated with prostate cancer are regulated. In particular, he showed how tyrosine kinases – proteins important to certain genetic processes – can allow androgen receptors to become independent of testosterone and accelerate the growth of prostate cancer cells in patients receiving medications that reduce testosterone. With that information, Mahajan is working to develop targeted therapies that use those mechanisms to suppress tumor growth while boosting the immune system’s cancer-fighting response.

Mahajan hopes to test such treatments in clinical trials next year.

“Dr. “Mahajan’s work on prostate cancer provides an example of how understanding the mechanisms that cause this cancer can be used to develop new therapeutic targets and translate them into clinical practice as quickly as possible,” Perlmutter said. he said. “We look forward to seeing the results of Dr. Mahajan, exploring the depth of basic science to apply new techniques for the benefit of patients.”

Mahajan, who entered the School of Medicine in 2018, has 10 patents from his work, almost all of which have been licensed for commercial development.

The new professorship is the latest in many honors for Mahajan, including the Bankhead-Coley Award, the Movember-PCF Foundation Challenge Award and the Celgene Award. He has also received ongoing RO1 funding from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

“Nupam Mahajan is the type of translationally focused researcher we want to support in the Department of Surgery, and it is our hope that his unique discoveries will lead to better treatments for prostate cancer patients. ,” said John A. Olson Jr. , MD, PhD, William K. Bixby Professor of Surgery and head of the Department of Surgery. “He also gives his time and his experience, and is a good example for the participants.”

Mahajan received his PhD from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore and completed his postgraduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.