Ramesh Balusu, Ph.D.

Professional Background

Dr. Ramesh Balusu received his Ph.D. degree in Microbiology from Osmania University, India. He started his postdoctoral training at the University of Florida, studying DNA repair in colon and breast cancers. He continued his postdoctoral training at the Medical College of Georgia in developing targeted therapies for hematologic malignancies. Dr. Balusu is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapeutics at the University of Kansas Medical Center.

• PhD, Microbiology, Osmania University, Hyderabad, India
• Post Doctoral Fellowship, Cancer Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
• Post Doctoral Fellowship, Hematology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA

• Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer, Member, 2024 - Present
• American Society of Hematology, ASH, Member, 2007 - Present
• American Society for Cancer Research, AACR, Member, 2003 - Present

Research

Overview

Developing Novel Targeted Therapies for Leukemias/Lymphomas with Poor Prognosis

Our long-term goals in basic and translational research are to identify novel molecular targets and develop targeted therapies using in vitro and in vivo models of leukemia and lymphoma to benefit patients with these malignancies. Our research is mainly focused on understanding Nucleophosmin 1 (NPM1) and NPM1 fusion genes (NPM1-ALK, NPM1-TYK2, NPM1-MLF1, and NPM1-RARA) oncobiology and developing precision medicine for leukemias/lymphomas with these genetic abnormalities (PMID: 35042970; 21719597; 30015632; 29157973; 25035215; 33514657). We are also developing FLT3-targeted and HSP90/associated co-chaperone targeted therapies in these hematologic malignancies (PMID: 30696805). Most importantly, our group actively collaborates with clinicians to translate our benchside findings to the bedside, as evidenced by our most recent study (PMID: 34242968).

• Kuravi Sudhakiranmayi, Baker Riley W, Mushtaq Muhammad U, Saadi Irfan, Lin Tara L, Vivian Carolyn J, Valluripalli Anusha, Abhyankar Sunil, Ganguly Siddhartha, Cui Wei, Elenitoba-Johnson Kojo S.J, Welch Danny R, Jensen Roy A, Saunthararajah Yogen, McGuirk Joseph P, Balusu Ramesh. 2022. Functional Characterization of NPM1-TYK2 Fusion Oncogene . NPJ Precision Oncology, 6 (1), 1-10
• Subbiah Vivek, Kuravi Sudhakiranmayi, Ganguly Siddhartha, Welch Danny R, Vivian Carolyn J, Mushtaq Muhammad U, Hegde Aparna, Iyer Swami, Behrang Amini, Ali Siraj M, Madison Russell W, Venstrom Jeffrey M, Jensen Roy A, McGuirk Joseph P, Amin Hesham M, Balusu Ramesh. 2021. Precision Therapy with anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitor ceritinib in ALK-rearranged Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma. ESMO Open, 6 (4), 100172
• Kuravi Sudhakiranmayi, Cheng Janice, Fangman Gabrielle, Polireddy Kishore, McCormick Sophia, Lin Tara L, Singh Anuragh K, Abhyankar Sunil, Ganguly Siddhartha, Welch Danny R, Jensen Roy A, McGuirk Joseph P, Balusu Ramesh. 2021. Preclinical evaluation of gilteritinib on NPM1-ALK driven Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma Cells. Molecular Cancer Research, 19, 913-920
• Kuravi Sudhakiranmayi, Parrott Parrott, Mudduluru Giridhar, Cheng Janice, Ganguly Siddhartha, Saunthararajah Yogen, Jensen Roy A, Blagg Brian S, McGuirk Joseph P, Balusu Ramesh. 2019. CDC37 as a novel target for the treatment of NPM1-ALK expressing anaplastic large cell lymphomas. Blood Cancer Journal, 9 (2), 14
• Ganguly Siddhartha, Kuravi Sudhakiranmayi, Alleboina Satyanarayana, Mudduluru Giridhar, Jensen Roy A, McGuirk Joseph P, Balusu Ramesh. 2019. Targeted Therapy for EBV-Associated B-cell Neoplasms. Molecular Cancer Research, 17 (4), 839-844
• Gu Xiaorong, Ebrahem Quteba, Mahfouz Reda Z, Hasipek Metis, Enane Francis, Radivoyevitch, Tomas, Rapin Nicolas, Przychodzen Bartlomiej, Hu Zhenbo, Balusu Ramesh, Cotta Claudiu V, Wald David, Argueta Christian, Landesman Yosef, Maria Paola Martelli Maria Paola, Falini Brunangelo, Carraway Hetty, Porse, Bo T, Maciejewsk Jaroslaw M, Jha Babal K, Saunthararajah Yogen. 2018. Leukemogenic nucleophosmin mutation disrupts the transcription factor hub that regulates granulomonocytic fates. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 128 (10), 4260-4279
• Kunchala Preethi, Kuravi Sudhakiranmayi, Jensen Roy A, McGuirk Joseph, Balusu Ramesh. 2018. When the good go bad: Mutant NPM1 in acute myeloid leukemia. BLOOD REVIEWS, 32 (3), 167-183
• Balusu Ramesh, Fiskus Warren, Rao Rekha, Chong Daniel G, Nalluri Srilatha, Mudunuru Uma, Ma Hongwei, Chen Lei, Venkannagari Sreedhar, Ha Kyungsoo, Abhyankar Sunil, Williams Casey, McGuirk Joseph P, Ustun Celalettin, Bhalla Kapil N. 2011. Targeting levels or oligomerization of nucleophosmin 1 induces differentiation and loss of survival of human AML cells with mutant NPM1. Blood, 118 (11), 3096-106