Nagaraj Nagathihalli

Dr. Nagathihalli's research interests are focused on the cell and molecular origins of pancreatic cancer and how chronic fibrosis and inflammation of the pancreas leads to pancreatic cancer initiation and progression. The lab examines the crosstalk between cancer and immune cells in the microenvironment and the roles of pathways that promote pancreatic cancer development, progression, tumor aggressiveness, and chemotherapeutic resistance and how it may be a target for rational therapy. His ongoing projects focus on how risk factors of pancreatic cancer (smoking and alcohol) activate/integrate signals from diverse cellular events to regulate the transcription of key target genes in pancreatic cancer progression and metastasis.