Ramesh Gupta Lab

About 

Dr. Gupta has always worked in cutting-edge technology. During his postdoctoral training at Baylor College of Medicine, he developed novel technologies to sequence tRNAs. This changed the paradigm and resulted in sequencing of dozens of tRNAs. This work led to the development of novel, highly sensitive ³²P-postlabelg techniques for DNA adducts resulting from environmental carcinogens. This technology was adopted worldwide. The common experimental models and laboratory techniques performed in his laboratory include, cell culture, xenograft and orthotopic murine models for lung, breast and brain cancer, qPCR, western blot, tumor imaging, and HPLC. 

The latest advancement in his research are novel technologies for targeted delivery of small molecules and biologics including RNA therapeutics using bovine milk/colostrum-derived exosomes as a drug carrier with over 15 articles published and several under review on the exosomal drug delivery technology. We are currently focusing on various cancers (lung, breast and brain) and Alzheimer’s disease. The exosome technology has multiple U.S. patents issued and filed. Dr. Gupta has trained several dozen graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, residents, undergraduates and HS students.

Dr. Gupta’s has been cited over 20,600 times (over 7,000 since 2019), H-index 66 (35 since 2019) and over 200 peer-reviewed articles.

Key Research Areas

• Targeted exosome-based delivery of small molecules and RNA therapeutics – technology development and advancement
• Prevention and treatment of breast cancer using cell culture and mouse and rat models
• Prevention and treatment of lung cancer using cell culture and mouse models
• Targeted brain cancer therapy using cell culture and mouse models
• Targeted approach for mitigation of Alzheimer’s diseases

Current Projects

• Targeted exosome-based delivery of small molecules and RNA therapeutics – technology development and advancement
• Prevention and treatment of breast cancer using cell culture and mouse and rat models
• Prevention and treatment of lung cancer using cell culture and mouse models
• Targeted brain cancer therapy using cell culture and mouse models
• Targeted approach for mitigation of Alzheimer’s diseases

Team 

• Dr. Ramesh Gupta, Professor and Endowed Chair
• Dr. Farrukh Aqil, Associate Professor
• Dr. Raghuram Kandimalla, Research Scientist
• Disha Moholkar, 4th year PhD student
• Yaseera Arif, Visiting Scholar

Recent Publications

• *Munagala R, *Aqil F, *Jeyabalan J, and Gupta RC. Bovine milk-derived exosomes for drug delivery. Cancer Letters. 371: 48-61, 2016. (*equal contribution). 

• Munagala R, Aqil F & Gupta RC. Exosomal miRNAs as biomarkers of recurrent lung cancer. Tumor Biology 37: 10703-14, 2016.

• Aqil, F., Jeyabalan, J., Munagala, R., Ravoori, S., Vadhanam, M.V., Schultz, DJ., and Gupta R. Chemoprevention of rat mammary carcinogenesis by Apiaceae spices. International Journal of Molecular Sci 18: E425, 2017. 

• *Agrawal AK, *Aqil, F, Jeyabalan J, Spencer WA, Beck J, Gachuki BW, Alhakeem SS, Oben K, Munagala R, Bondada S and Gupta R. Milk-derived exosomes for oral delivery of paclitaxel. Nanomedicine. S1549-9634 (17) 30043-6, 2017. (*equal contribution) 

• Munagala, R., Aqil, F., Jeyabalan, J., Agrawal, AK., Mudd, A.M., Al-Hassan, K., Vadhanam, MV. and Gupta R. Exosomal formulation of anthocyanidins against multiple cancer types.  Cancer Letters.  393: 94-102, 2017. 

• Kyakulaga AH, Aqil F, Munagala R & Gupta RC. Withaferin A inhibits TGFβ/TNFα-induced Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells. Scientific Reports (Nature journal). 8: 15737. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-34018-1, 2018. 

• Aqil F, Munagala R, Jeyabalan J, Agrawal AK, Kyakulaga AH, Wilcher SA & Gupta RC. Milk exosomes – natural nanoparticles for siRNA delivery. Cancer Letters. 449, 186-195, 2019. 

• Kyakulaga AH, Aqil, F, Munagala, R, Gupta R. Synergistic Combinations of Paclitaxel and Withaferin A against Human Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells. Oncotarget. 11: 1399-1416, 2020. 

• *Munagala R, *Aqil F, **Jeyabalan J, **Kandimalla R, **Wallen M, Tyagi N, Wilcher S, Yan J, Schultz DJ, Spencer W & Gupta RC. Exosome-mediated delivery of RNA and DNA for gene therapy. Cancer Letters, 505, 58-72, 2021. (*Equal 1^st author contributors; ** Equal 2^nd author contributors)
• Kandimalla R, Aqil F, Alhakeem SS, Jeyabalan J, Tyagi N, Agrawal A, Yan J, Spencer W, Bondada S, Gupta RC. Targeted Oral Delivery of Paclitaxel Using Colostrum-Derived Exosomes. Cancers (Basel). 2021 Jul 23;13(15). doi: 10.3390/cancers13153700. PubMed PMID: 34359601; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8345039.
• Aqil F, Jeyabalan J, Munagala R, Ahmad I, Schultz DJ, Gupta RC. Cumin Prevents 17β-Estradiol-Associated Breast Cancer in ACI Rats. Int J Mol Sci. Jun 8;22(12). doi: 10.3390/ijms22126194. PubMed PMID: 34201250; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8228322, 2021.
• Munagala R, Aqil F, Jeyabalan J, Kandimalla R, Wallen M, Tyagi N, Wilcher S, Yan J, Schultz DJ, Spencer W, Gupta RC. Exosome-mediated delivery of RNA and DNA for gene therapy. Cancer Lett.; 505:58-72. doi: 10.1016/j.canlet. 2021.02.011. Epub 2021 Feb 18. PubMed PMID: 33610731; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8005491, 2021.

• Mudd AM, Gu T, Munagala R, Jeyabalan J, Mostafa F, Egilmez NK and Gupta RC. Berry anthocyanidins inhibit intestinal polyps and colon tumors by modulation of Scr EGFR and the colon inflammation environment, Oncosciences, 8: 120-133, 2021.

• Wallen, M., Aqil, F., Kandimalla, R., Jeyabalan, J., Auwardt, S., Tyagi, N., Schultz, D. Spencer, W., Gupta, RC. Antiviral siRNA Therapeutics using Exosome-Based Delivery. Molecular Therapy, 29, 691-704, 2022.

• Moholkar, D. Kandimalla, R., **Gupta, RC., and *Aqil, F. Advances in lipid-based carriers for cancer therapeutics: Liposomes, exosomes and hybrid exosomes. Cancer letters, 565: 216220, 2023, PMID: 37209944.

• Wallen, M., Aqil, F., Spencer, W., Gupta, R. Milk/Colostrum Exosomes: A Nanoplatform Advancing Delivery of Cancer Therapeutics. Cancer Letters 561, 2023. 216141 

• Wallen, M., Aqil, F., Spencer, W., Gupta, R. Exosomes as an Emerging Plasmid Delivery Vehicle for Gene Therapy. Pharmaceutics, 15(7), 2023. 1832.

• Kandimalla R, Moholkar D, Samanta SK, Tyagi N, Aqil F, and Gupta RC. Oncogene Downregulation by Mahanine Suppresses Drug-Sensitive and Drug-Resistant Lung Cancer and Inhibits Orthotopic Tumor Progression. Cancers, 16, 3572. (2024).

  Additional Publications can be found here.