Dr. Anjana Rao is a distinguished molecular biologist and preeminent researcher in cellular signaling and gene expression mechanisms. She currently serves as a Professor in the Division of Signaling and Gene Expression and holds the Pfizer Endowed Chair in Cancer Immunology and Oncology at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology. Additionally, she maintains an adjunct professorship in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of California, San Diego, while leading the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine. Originally trained as a physicist with a master's degree from Osmania University in India, she transitioned to biological sciences, earning her Ph.D. in Biophysics from Harvard University followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. After establishing herself as a leading researcher at Harvard Medical School where she served as Professor of Pathology until 2010, she relocated to the West Coast to lead her research program at the La Jolla Institute.
Dr. Rao's groundbreaking research has fundamentally transformed our understanding of transcriptional regulation in immune cells and beyond. She pioneered the discovery of the Nuclear Factor of Activated T-cells (NFAT) family of transcription factors, which are essential for immune responses and expressed by most immune cells. Most notably, in 2009, her laboratory made the seminal discovery of the enzymatic activities of the Ten-Eleven Translocation (TET) proteins, revealing how these enzymes regulate gene expression by oxidizing 5-methylcytosine and facilitating DNA demethylation. This work has had profound implications for understanding epigenetic regulation in embryonic development, immune function, and cancer, establishing the foundation for numerous subsequent studies on epigenetic modifications and their roles in disease pathogenesis. Her research has elucidated critical mechanisms by which signaling pathways control gene expression through both transcriptional and epigenetic regulation.
Beyond her research achievements, Dr. Rao has significantly shaped the scientific community through extensive mentorship and leadership roles. She has trained over one hundred students and postdoctoral fellows who have gone on to assume leadership positions across science-related fields, creating a lasting impact through the next generation of researchers. As a leader of the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine and co-founder of the company Calcimedica with collaborator Patrick Hogan, she bridges academic research with translational applications. Her current research continues to explore the roles of NFAT and TET proteins in anti-tumor responses and cancer immunology, with the potential to inform novel therapeutic approaches for cancer and immune disorders. Her ongoing work promises to further illuminate the molecular basis of immune regulation and epigenetic control, cementing her legacy as a transformative figure in molecular immunology and epigenetics.
