Ajay Kumar

Cell signaling, Cancer biology, Gene regulation, Molecular and Cellular Biology, DNA Repair, Angiogenesis, and Vascular biology.

Research articles

Published

1. Ajay Kumar , Emmanuel Asiedu, Eman Hefni, Cheryl Armstrong, Deepak Menon, Tao Ma, Lauren Sands, Eberechi Mbadugha, Akrit Sodhi, Abraham Schneider, Silvia Montaner. Angiopoietin-like 4 is upregulated by amphiregulin and activates cell proliferation and migration through p38 kinase in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. J Oral Pathol Med. (2024) 1-10. doi:10.1111/jop.13545.

2. Ajay Kumar, Arun Dhillon, Mohan Chowdenahalli Manjegowda, Dixcy Jaba Sheeba John Mary, Neha Singh, Sachin Kumar, Deepak Modi, Anil Mukund Limaye. Estrogen suppresses HOXB2 expression via ERα in breast cancer cells. Gene (2021) 794, 145746. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gene.2021.145746.

3. Dixcy Jaba Sheeba John Mary, Girija Sikarwar, Ajay Kumar, Anil Mukund Limaye. Interplay of ERα binding and DNA methylation in the intron-2 determines the expression and estrogen regulation of Cystatin A in breast cancer cells. Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology (2020) 504:110701.

4. Sudhir Morla, Ajay Kumar, Sachin Kumar. Newcastle disease virus mediated apoptosis and migration inhibition of human oral cancer cells: probable role of of β-catenin and matrix metalloproteinase-7. Scientific Reports(2019). 9:10882.

5. Ajay Kumar, Mohan C. Manjegowda, Dixcy Jaba Sheeba John Mary, Uttariya Pal, Sachin Kumar, and Anil Mukund Limaye. Estrogen receptor- α is a determinant of protocadherin‑8 expression in breast cancer cells. Gene Reports (2019)14, 6–11.

6. Dixcy Jaba Sheeba John Mary, Mohan C Manjegowda, Ajay Kumar, Sarbajeet Dutta, Anil Mukund Limaye. The role of cystatin A in breast cancer and its functional link with ERα. Journal of Genetics and Genomics (2017) 44(12):593-597.

Manuscripts under review

1. Emmanuel Asiedu, Ajay Kumar, Derek Osorio Luciano, Kevin Lo, Deepti Sharma, Tao Ma, Else Driehuis, Hans Clevers, Feyruz Rassool, Akrit Sodhi, and Silvia Montaner. Regulation of NRP1/ABL1/RAD51-dependent homologous recombination repair and cisplatin resistance by Angiopoietin-like 4 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Under review in Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Manuscripts under preparation

2. Ajay Kumar, Derek Osorio Luciano, Tao Ma, Akrit Sodhi, and Silvia Montaner. Angiopoietin-like 4 crosstalk with the Tie2 signaling pathway to modulate vascular stability, and endothelial cell function.

3. Derek Osorio Luciano, Ajay Kumar, Tao Ma, Akrit Sodhi, and Silvia Montaner. Angiopoietin-like 4 modulates prolactin, c-Jun, and STAT5 signaling pathways through interaction with neuropilin-1.

• Best Poster Award at Research Conclave, 2016 at IIT Guwahati.
• Review manuscripts for Cancers, MDPI
• Member of the North American Vascular Biology Organization.
• Member of the American Association of Cancer Research.
• Research fellowship (MHRD, Govt. of India) for Ph.D.
• Qualified Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE 2012 and 2013).
• Qualified Ph.D. entrance test conducted by the Indian Institute of Science Bangalore, India, in 2012.
• Received Mukhiya Mantri Protsahan Yojna Prize: INR 75000 by the Himachal Pradesh government for selection in the Ph.D. program at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, India, in 2013.
• Received merit scholarship of INR 10000 from the government of Himachal Pradesh in 2003.

• Instructed Clinical Research Conference Course for UMB freshmen dental students.
• Performed experiments that helped in submitting grants to NIH.
• Completed the NIH responsible conduct of research training course at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, covering essential topics such as: conflict of interest, research misconduct, peer review, human and animal subjects, lab safety and security, responsibilities of the research scientist, data acquisition etc.
• Evaluation of answer scripts and invigilation during examinations.
• Trained summer interns and graduate students.
• Involved in procurement and maintenance of instruments and consumables.

Platform Presentation

Ajay Kumar, Mohan C Manjegowda, Dixcy Jaba Sheeba J M, Sachin Kumar, and Anil M Limaye. Homeobox transcription factor HOXB2 mRNA is an estrogen target in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Young Scientist oral presentation at International Conference on Molecular Signaling: Recent trends in Biosciences (20th-22ndNovember 2015) at Department of Zoology, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong, India.

Poster presentations

2. Emmanuel Asiedu, Ajay Kumar, and Silvia Montaner. Angiopoietin-like 4 increases resistance of HNSCC to cisplatin through enhanced DNA damage response and HR-mediated DNA damage repair. Poster presentation at the 2ndAnnual Dental Research Day (3rd March, 2025) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA.

8. Mrinal Sharma, Anuma Singh, Ajay Kumar, Latha Rangan and Anil M. Limaye. Evaluation of estrogenic effect of karanjin on MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Poster presentation at Research Conclave (18th-20thMarch. 2016) at IIT, Guwahati.

9. Dixcy Jaba Sheeba JM, Mohan C Manjegowda, Ajay Kumar and Anil M. Limaye. Study of regulation of steady state mRNA levels of Cystatin A by estrogen in breast cancer cells. Poster presentation at Research Conclave (18th-20thMarch. 2016) at IIT, Guwahati

10. Dixcy Jaba Sheeba JM, Mohan C Manjegowda, Ajay Kumar and Anil M. Limaye. Regulation of Cystatin A by estrogen in breast cancer cells. Poster presentation at International Conference of Cancer Research: New Horizons 2015 (19th-21th November. 2015) at NCCS, Pune. P-23; pp: 77.

11. Ajay Kumar, Mohan C Manjegowda, Dixcy Jaba Sheeba JM, Sachin Kumar, and Anil M. Limaye. Regulation of HOXB2 by estrogen in breast cancer. Poster presentation at National Conference on Recent Developments in Medical Biotechnology and Structure-Based Drug Designing (6th-7thDecember 2015) at IIT Guwahati, Assam, India.