Vijaya Kumar Pidugu, Ph.D.
- Center for Cancer Research
- National Cancer Institute
- Building 37, Room 4060
- Bethesda, MD 20892
- 240-760-6533
- vijaya.pidugu@nih.gov
RESEARCH SUMMARY
Dr. Pidugu has strong passion for advancing medical treatments that make life better for cancer patients. His previous research work involves the use of various cell-based and animal models for dissecting molecular signaling mechanisms related to cancer repones, acquired resistance to biological therapeutics, and molecular target discovery.
His Ph.D. research specifically delved into the oncogenic role of IFIT1 and IFIT3 in oral squamous cell carcinoma metastasis and drug resistance. Subsequently, as a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Ji Luo’s lab, he is involved in developing an alveolar epithelial type 2 (AT2) cell-derived organoid platform. This platform utilizes multiplex CRISPR-Cas9-based genome engineering, aiming to establish powerful, versatile, and flexible models for investigating the pathophysiology and drug resistance mechanisms of lung adenocarcinoma subtypes with multigenetic lesions.
Dr. Pidugu’s areas of expertise include:
- CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing: Utilizing powerful gene-editing tool for precise modifications in the genome.
- Lung 3D-organoid models: Creating three-dimensional models of lung tissue for studying the pathophysiology of lung adenocarcinoma subtypes.
- Animal models: Employing animal models to understand cancer response, drug resistance, and molecular signaling mechanisms.
- Molecular toxicology: Investigating the toxicological effects at the molecular level, particularly in the context of cancer and therapeutic response.
Overall, Dr. Vijaya Kumar Pidugu’s research encompasses a multidisciplinary approach, combining molecular biology, genome editing, and state-of-the-art model systems to advance our understanding of cancer biology and drug resistance mechanisms.