Madhura Kulkarni, PhD.

Breast cancer is one of the highest lifetime risks and the most common cause of cancer death amongst women worldwide. In India, 27% of all the cancer deaths happen due to breast cancer and 50% of these cases are below age 50 with majority below 37, unlike that of western countries. With PhD in Molecular Genetics and extensive experience in translational breast cancer research Dr. Kulkarni has a unique set of expertise to contribute to the translational research scene of Breast Cancer specific to Indian Subcontinent. Dr. Kulkarni’s translational research at the centre aims to understand casuals genetic and molecular alterations in Indian breast cancer, which may lead to developing India specific novel diagnostic regimes.​

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Designation

Senior Scientist and DBT-Ramalingaswami Fellow

Institution

Center for Translational Cancer Research

Prashanti Cancer Care Mission and

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune,

Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune, Maharashtra 411021, India

Phone: +91 (20) 25908099

E-mail:

Areas of expertise       

Cancer Biology and Signalling

Transcriptional regulation

Grants received

2018 – 2022  DBT Ramalingaswami Fellowship. INR 88 lac – Ongoing. 

2014 – 2017  B2B NUHS, In collaboration with Prof. Yoshiaki Ito and A/Prof. Lee Soo Chin.

(Conceived and wrote the grant) SGD $100,000.

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Academic Qualifications 

2003 – 2008     PhD in Cell Biology and Molecular genetics. (GPA: 4.00) , University of Maryland, College Park. USA.
2000 – 2002    Masters in Science. University of Pune, India. Gold Medalist. 
1997 – 2000    Bachelors in Science V. G. Vaze College, University of Mumbai, India. 3rd rank.  

Positions Held 

2014 – 2017     Senior Research Fellow. LKC School of Medicine, NTU, Singapore
2011 – 2014    Research Fellow. Cancer Science Institute. National University of Singapore
2009 – 2010    Postdoctoral Fellow. Harvard Medical School, Cell Biology Department  and Massachusetts General Hospital, Cancer  Center.
2003 – 2008     Graduate Research Assistant at Department of Cell Biology and Molecular genetics. 

University of Maryland, College Park and CARB-UMBI, USA    
2002 – 2003    Junior Research Fellow at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai. India
 

Fellowships and Awards

2017   Ramalingaswami ‘re-entry’ fellowship from DBT, India. 
2004 – 2008  Graduate Research Assistantship. CARB, UMBI
2003 – 2004  Graduate Scholarship, CBMG, UMCP
2002 – 2003    Junior Research Fellowship, TIFR, Mumbai.
2003  Dr. T. S. Mahabale award of Gold Medal for securing outstanding grades in MSc Botany examination at University of Pune, India. 
2002  Council for Scientific and Industrial Research – Junior Research Fellowship. 
And selected amongst top 2% students from this National level test conducted by Government of India
2001  Milind Gandhi scholarship for MSc Second year. 
1994  One year scholarship for being amongst top 30 in state level talent search. 

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Publications

2018    

Qianqian He, Bijin Au, Madhura Kulkarni, Yang Shen, Kah J. Lim, Jiamila Maimaiti, Cheng Kit Wong, Giulia Rancati, Indrajit Sinha, Zhiyan Fu, Xiaomeng Wang, John E. Connolly and Karen C. Crasta. Chromosomal instability-induced senescence potentiates cell non-autonomous tumorigenic effects. (Oncogenesis: Manuscript accepted, Impact factor, Impact factor 4.7)

Rekha Jakhar, Monique N.H. Luijten, Alex X.F. Wong, Bing Cheng, Suat Neo, Bijin Au, Madhura Kulkarni, Kah J. Lim, Jiamila Maimaiti, Han C. Chong, Elaine H. Lim, Tee B. K. Tan, Kong W. Ong, Yirong Sim, Jill S. L. Wong, James B.K. Khoo, Juliana T.S. Ho, Ke Guo1, Boon T. Chua, Indrajit Sinha, Xiaomeng Wang John E. Connolly, Jayantha Gunaratne and Karen C. Crasta. Autophagy governs pro-tumourigenic effects of mitotic slippage-1 induced senescence.  (Manuscript accepted in Molecular Cancer Research, Impact factor 6.2)

Madhura Kulkarni, Tuan Zea Tan, Nurfarhanah Sulaiman, John Lamar, Prashali Bansal, Jianzhou Cui, Yiting Qiao, Yoshiaki Ito. RUNX1 and RUNX3 protect against YAP-mediated EMT, stem-ness and shorter survival outcomes in breast cancer. Oncotarget. (Impact factor 5.16) 2018; 9:14175-14192

Vaidehi Krishnan, Yu Lin Chong, Tuan Zea Tan, Madhura Kulkarni, Muhammad Bakhait Bin Rahmat, Lavina Sierra Tay, Haresh Sankar, Doorgesh Jokhun, Amudha Ganesan, Linda Shyue Huey Chuang, Dominic Voon, G V Shivashankar, Jean Paul Thiery, and Yoshiaki Ito. TGF-β promotes genomic instability upon RUNX3 deficiency. Cancer Research (Impact factor 9.3) 2018 Jan 1;78(1):88-102

2017    

Gandhi Theerthagiri, Madhura Kulkani, Ho Sze Yuan, Adrian Boey, Edmond Wei Min Chua, Veluchamy A. Barathi, Tom J. Carney, Xiaomeng Wang and Wanjin Hong. Cavin-2 regulates the activity and stability of eNOS in angiogenesis. J Bio Chem (Impact factor 4.57) 2017 Sep 14.

2012    

Madhura Kulkarni, Shakes DC, Guevel K, Smith Harold E. SPE-44 implements sperm cell fate. PLoS Genetics (Impact Factor 9.17). 2012 Apr;8(4):e1002678. 

2011     

Peter Mulligan, Fajun Yang, Luisa Di Stefano, Jun-Yuan Ji, Jian Ouyang, Joy L Nishikawa, Qun Wang, Madhura Kulkarni, S. Hani Najafi-Shoushtari, Raul Mostoslavsky, Steven P Gygi, Grace Gill, Nicholas J Dyson, Anders M Näär. A SIRT1-LSD1 Co-repressor Complex Regulates Notch Target Gene Expression and Development. Molecular Cell. (Impact Factor 14.2).  2011 Jun 10;42(5):689-99.

Alexander G. Milbradt, Madhura Kulkarni*, Tingfang Yi*, Koh Takeuchi, Zhen-Yu J. Sun, Rafael Luna, Philipp Selenko, Anders M. Näär and Gerhard Wagner. Structure of the VP16 Transactivator Target in ARC/Mediator. Nat Struct Mol Biol. (Impact Factor 12.7) 2011 Apr;18 (4):410-5. 

2009     

Madhura Kulkarni1, Antonio Del-Castillo1, and Harold Smith. Regulation of sperm gene expression by the GATA factor ELT-1. Dev. Biol. (Impact Factor 4.05) 2009 July 8;doi:10.1016/j.ydbio.2009.06.044. (1: Shared Lead author), 

2008    

Madhura Kulkarni and Harold Smith. E1 Ubiquitin-Activating Enzyme UBA-1 plays multiple roles throughout C. elegans development. PLoS Genetics. (Impact factor 9.17) 2008 July 18;4(7):e1000131. 

2004    

Anindya Ghosh-Roy, Madhura Kulkarni, Vikash Kumar, Seema Shirolikar, and Krishanu Ray. Cytoplasmic Dynein–Dynactin complex is required for spermatid growth but not axoneme assembly in Drosophila. Mol. Biol. Cell. (Impact factor 5.7) 2004 Vol. 15, Issue 5, 2470-2483. 

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2001    

Madhura Kulkarni, S. Dighe, A. Sawant, P. Oswal , K. Sahsrabuddhe, A. Patwardhan Institutions : Biodiversity  Hotspots in Urban Areas. 2001 (An extended abstract published in the proceedings of International Conference on Tropical Ecosystems at Bangalore, India.) 

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