Dr. Ranjith Kumavath
About
Research Area
Dr. Ranjith Kumavath, FRSB, pursued his M.Sc. (Biochemistry) from S.V. University, Tirupati, and Ph.D. (Life Sciences) from the University of Hyderabad (HCU). He was a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at NTU (Singapore), Mercer University, Georgia (USA), and UGC Kothari PDF at the University of Hyderabad. He joined the Central University of Kerala as an Assistant Professor in a regular post 2011 in the Department of Genomic Sciences. He was appointed the founder and Head of the Department of Genomic Science in 2011. He moved from the Central University of Kerala (CUK) to Pondicherry University (PU) as Associate Professor in the Department of Biotechnology in 2022. He received many awards, viz Young Scientist Award, Mahatma Gandhi Gold Medal, APJ Kalam Gold Medal Award, and Bio-Asia Young Scientist, to name a few. He is also a Fellow of the SAB Society of Applied Biotechnology, A fellow of the Andhra Pradesh Academy of Science, a Fellow of Young Investigator (YIM) by India Biosciences, and an elected member of the Fellow of Royal Society of Biology (FRSB) from the Royal Society of Biology, London, as one of the eminent biologists in the world.
He has successfully executed 9 projects (> 4.5 Cr) and a few ongoing projects. He has been awarded 5 Ph.D., 3 MPhil, and ~ 67 Master’s in Genomics/Biotechnology dissertation theses. He has published >74 research papers in peer-reviewed journals; also, he has published 3 books and 32 book chapters. He is an editor and reviewer in several reputed International Journals. He has nearly 55 peer-reviewed abstracts published in National and international symposiums and conferences. He has collaborations with the NUS Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, Virginia Tech University (USA), San Diego State University (USA), the Federal University of Brazil, the University of Tours, France, and the University of Alicante (Spain).
Dr. RK’s Lab is focused on Cancer Genomics, Metagenomics, and Omics Guided Drug Discovery, aiming to uncover innovative drug targets and delivery systems to tackle the challenges of various cancers, infectious diseases, and antibiotic resistance. His vision stems from the rich diversity of natural compounds from the environmental microbiome, which can be implemented as novel anti-infectious and anticancer drugs. His lab has repurposed highly efficient Cardiac Glycoside (CGs) anticancer drugs Lanatoside-C, Strophanthidin, Peruvoside, Digoxin, and Ouabain, which arrest G2/M cell cycle, attenuate MAPK, Wnt/β-catenin, JAK-STAT, and PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathways in multiple cancers. Furthermore, nsSNPs in the CYP19A1 gene and pioneer transcription factors were identified as novel drug targets. His team has also discovered microbial metabolites, novel bioactive carotenoids such as Bacterioruberin, Rubrivivaxin, and Rhodethrin, Antimicrobial peptides like SlpA, pMap18, and Subtilisin A. These novel compounds/Peptides exhibit anticancer and antimicrobial activities against infectious pathogens.
On the other hand, he is working on the functional logic of sequence-specific multiple antibiotic resistance genes underlying the TCST mechanisms. The team is also working to make sense of the deluge of (Meta) Genomic, Exomic, and Transcriptomic data by (i) correlating genome variation to phenotype, (ii) identifying the specifics of sequence-encoded molecular functions, and (iii) elucidating complex system/community interactions. (iv) microbial meta-barcoding, sequence-encoded molecular functions (SEMF), and metagenomics of natural and built environments. His research is inclined toward Microbiota in the context of Cancer Genomics, novel biomarkers identification, through AI/Deep Machine Learning, drug repurposing, and immunogenetic modulators for cancer therapy.
Notable & Recent Publications
Honey Pavithran, Ranjith Kumavath* and Preetam Ghosh (2023) Transcriptome profiling of Cardiac Glycoside treatment reveals EGR1 and Downstream proteins of MAPK/ERK Signaling Pathway in Human Breast Cancer Cells. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24, 15922. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242115922 (IF-6.208)
Reddy D, Ghosh P, Kumavath R*. Strophanthidin Attenuates MAPK, PI3K/AKT/mTOR, and Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathways in Human Cancers. Frontier Oncology (ISSN: 2234943X) (2020) 9:1469. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2019.01469. (IF 6.244)
Reddy D, Kumavath R*, Ghosh P, Barh D. Lanatoside C Induces G2/M Cell Cycle Arrest and Suppresses Cancer Cell Growth by Attenuating MAPK, Wnt, JAK-STAT, and PI3K/AKT/mTOR Signaling Pathways. Biomolecules (ISSN: 2218273X) (2019) 9(12). pii: E792. doi: 10.3390/biom9120792. (IF 6.604).
Ranjith Kumavath*, Honey Pavithran, Sayan Paul, VT Anju, Siddhardha Busi, Madhu Dyavaiah. Gut Microbiome and Obesity Impact on the Development, Progression and Prevention of Cancers. International Journal of Oncology-64(4):1-13, 2023, ISSN:1791-2423 https://doi.org/10.3892/ijo.2023.5592 (IF-5.650)
Jamseel M; Imchen M and Kumavath R*. 16s rRNA metagenomic analysis reveals predominance of Crtl and CruF genes in Arabian Sea coast of India. Science of the Total Environment (ISSN: 0048-9697) (2020) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140699 (IF 10.753)
