Faculty Bio:
PhD, University of Guelph, Canada;
MVSc, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, India;
DVM, MAFSU, India
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences
Lab website: http://koti-lab.ca
I am a Veterinarian with Ph.D. in Molecular Immunology. Research in my lab is focused on investigating the role of anti-tumour immunity (Type I Interferon activation in the tumour microenvironment) in therapeutic response. Our long-term goal is to identify genomic correlates of immune alterations in the tumour microenvironment. Identification of these immune-genomic biomarkers will inform decisions for individualized treatment approaches, augment design of novel immunomodulatory therapies and enhance response to conventional chemotherapies. Using ovarian, prostate and bladder cancer patient derived specimens, cell lines and immunocompetent mouse models to study the tumour-immune interactions, the primary goals of our research program are,
- To delineate the role of cancer cell intrinsic genetic events, such as DNA damage repair deficiency, in the evolution of distinct immune microenvironment landscapes.
- To develop combination immune priming treatment approaches to enhance sensitivity to chemotherapy and immune checkpoint blockade therapy.
- To develop improved non-invasive immune monitoring approaches and biomarkers for application as prognostic and predictive indicators for personalized treatment of cancer.