Dr. Chakraborty received his Master of Science degree in biological sciences and a Ph.D. degree in chemistry from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His MS and Ph.D. thesis was based on the regulation of protein synthesis in mammals by protein glycosylation and phosphorylation. The central focus of his post-doctoral training at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center was on the role of inflammatory cytokines, e.g., G-CSF, IL-6, and IL-3, in normal blood cells and leukemia. He received two grants from NIH and Lauri-Strauss leukemia foundation during that time. Then he joined as a tenure track Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX. He studied the role of cytokine G-CSF and IL-6 during inflammation and the aberrant existence of cytokine and cytokine receptors in the bladder and pancreatic cancer. He established the hypothesis that cytokine G-CSF and its receptor can serve as an early biological marker for the poor prognosis of cancer. He received institutional research setup funds from the Baylor College of Medicine, NIH R21 research grant, and USDA research grant. Then he joined the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, as an Assistant Professor of Experimental Therapeutics, pursue his interest in developing small molecule inhibitors of major cytokine signaling pathways in cancer and immune cell migration. He also worked for a short time in a biotech company as a Project Manager before joining the University of Southern Nevada. Dr. Chakraborty taught biochemistry, chemistry, and biology to undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Pittsburgh, Point Park College, Pittsburgh, and the University of Lincoln-Nebraska. Currently, Dr. Chakraborty teaches Biochemistry and Pha¬rmacology and was elected as Teacher of the Year.
Education
Ph.D. Chemistry May 1994
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska
MS Biological Sciences May 1992
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska
BS Botany May 1989
Calcutta University, Kolkata, India
Research Interest
My research interest is mainly in the area of:
A. Cancer, inflammation, and signal transduction.
B. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)
C. Review articles on selected indications and contemporary pharmacotherapy
Cancer
Despite the development of new therapies, cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the USA and accounts for nearly one in every four deaths. Many plant-derived dietary agents, called nutraceuticals, have remarkable anti-cancer properties. These nutraceuticals are safer, less expensive, and more readily available than are synthetic agents. Some nutraceuticals are currently in clinical trials, and others have already been approved for human use.
My current research interest is screening drugs from nutraceuticals. We have shown that a phytochemical from ginger is a novel dual inhibitor of cancer-promoting JAK/STAT and NFkB signaling pathways. We have validated our hypothesis in vitro in pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, and oral cell carcinoma.
o This compound successfully inhibits the growth and migration of cancer cells.
o This compound is a novel inhibitor of multiple cancer signaling pathways.
o This compound significantly increases the sensitivity of chemotherapeutic agents to cancer cells.
Currently, we are using an in vivo. murine xenograft model of cancer to test the effectiveness of phytochemicals.
Inflammation
The anti-inflammatory properties of essential oils are widely discussed, but a step-by-step scientific analysis is lacking. Currently, we are evaluating selected essential oils for their anti-inflammatory properties in vitro. and ex vivo.
Affiliation
• American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
• American Pancreatic Association (APA)
• Society for Basic Urologic Research (SBUR)
• International Society of Gastrointestinal Oncology (ISGIO)
• Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS)
• International Symposium of Translational Cancer Research (ISTCR)
• American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP)
• Association of Biochemistry Educators (ABE)
• American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS)
Awards
• 2017 and 2020 – Teacher of the year, College of Pharmacy, ÇàÇà²ÝÊÓƵ, Henderson, NV. Award system was introduced in 2016.
• 2007 – Educational grant award from the International Society of Gastrointestinal Oncology (ISGIO).
• 2006 – Educational grant award from the International Society of Gastrointestinal Oncology (ISGIO).
• 1998 – Postdoctoral fellowship from the Lauri-Strauss leukemia foundation (two recipients awarded each year).
Subjects
Biochemistry
Pharmacology
Cell signaling
Genetics
Research Publications
Articles published from the ÇàÇà²ÝÊÓƵ
1. Zhaolu Kong, Daxing Xie, Thomas Boike, Pavithra Raghavan, Sandeep Burma, David Chen, Amyn Habib, Arup Chakraborty, Jer-Tsong Hsieh, and Debabrata Saha. Down-regulation of Human DAB2IP Gene Expression in Prostate Cancer Cells Exhibit Resistance to Ionizing radiation. 2010, Cancer Res. 2010 April 1;70(7):2829-39.
2. Zhaolu Kong, Daxing Xie, Thomas Boike, Pavithra Raghavan, Sandeep Burma, David Chen, Arup Chakraborty, Jer-Tsong Hsieh, and Debabrata Saha. Epothilone B confers radiation dose enhancement in the DAB2IP gene knockdown radio-resistant prostate cancer cells. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2010 Nov 15;78(4):1210-8.
3. Jessica E. Jorvig and Arup Chakraborty. Zerumbone inhibits the growth of hormone-refractory prostate cancer cells by inhibiting the JAK2/STAT3 pathway and increases paclitaxel sensitivity. 2015, Anti-cancer drugs, Feb; 26(2):160-6.
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
4. Shaun Nolette (PharmD student), Alyssa Nguyen (PharmD student), Catherine Oswald, Alana Whittaker, and Arup Chakraborty. Efficacy of formative evaluation using a focus group for a large classroom setting in an accelerated pharmacy program. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning. 2017 Jul;9(4):633-638.
Monogram
Arup Chakraborty. 2019. Role of Zerumbone in the Chemosensitization of Cancer Cells. Book: Role of Nutraceuticals in Cancer Chemosensitization. Article Number: 17, Elsevier.