Arjun Raj, PhD

Professor of Genetics

Department: Genetics

Description of Research Expertise

Research Interests: RNA systems biology, particular as related to non-coding RNAs and cancer biology.

Keywords: RNA, systems biology, cancer, non-coding RNAs

Research Details:
The Raj lab studies the biology of single cells. The primary motivation for studying biological processes on a cell-by-cell basis is the fact that even genetically identical cells can behave very differently. This variability can have consequences in a variety of biological contexts. We aim to understand these differences at the molecular level. We develop and utilize a mix of experimental tools including individual RNA molecules via fluorescence microscopy, high throughput sequencing and molecular biology to make quantitative measurements of cellular behavior.

Rotation Projects: Please contact Arjun for more details.

Description of ITMAT Expertise

The research in my lab is focused on studying the biology of non-coding RNAs and cancer biology and diagnostics. Our primary method is a technique we have developed for detecting individual RNA molecules in situ, both in cultured cells and in tissue sections. This enables highly sensitive measurements of gene expression at the single cell level.

Selected Publications

• Golubic R, Mumbole H, Ismail MH, Choo A, Baker O, Atha K, Mei SCS, Raj A, Anand P, Aung NO, Kumar NS, Nahar T, Coleman RL, Tomlinson JW, Rahman N, Caleyachetty R, Adler A. : Glucocorticoid treatment and new-onset hyperglycaemia and diabetes in people living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis Diabet Med 42(3) : e15475, Mar 2025
• Alexander KA, Yu R, Skuli N, Coffey NJ, Nguyen S, Faunce CL, Huang H, Dardani IP, Good AL, Lim J, Li CY, Biddle N, Joyce EF, Raj A, Lee D, Keith B, Simon MC, Berger SL. : Nuclear speckles regulate functional programs in cancer Nat Cell Biol 27(2) : 322-335, Feb 2025
• Kinsler G, Fagan C, Li H, Kaster J, Dunne M, Vander Velde RJ, Boe RH, Shaffer S, Herlyn M, Raj A, Heyman Y. : SpaceBar enables clone tracing in spatial transcriptomic data bioRxiv Feb 2025
• Niu Z, O'Farrell A, Li J, Reffsin S, Jain N, Dardani I, Goyal Y, Raj A. : Piscis: a novel loss estimator of the F1 score enables accurate spot detection in fluorescence microscopy images via deep learning bioRxiv Jan 2025
• O'Farrell A, Niu Z, Li J, Van Eyndhoven LC, Sarma K, Raj A. : Innate Immune Memory is Stimulus Specific bioRxiv Jan 2025
• Tayyil Purayil AL, Joseph RM, Raj A, Kooriyattil A, Jabeen N, Beevi SF, Lathief N, Latheif F. : Role of Artificial Intelligence in MRI-Based Rectal Cancer Staging: A Systematic Review Cureus 16 : e76185, Dec 2024
• Raj AK, Pedersen SJ, Mainsbridge C, Rao CR, Roy S, Chandrasekaran B. : Influence of short bouts of stair climbing on young adults during prolonged sitting on posture, discomfort, and musculoskeletal performance outcomes: a counterbalanced pilot randomised crossover trial Ergonomics 67(11) : 1415-1426, Nov 2024
• Boe RH, Triandafillou CG, Lazcano R, Wargo JA, Raj A. : Spatial transcriptomics reveals influence of microenvironment on intrinsic fates in melanoma therapy resistance bioRxiv Jul 2024
• Li J, Ravindran PT, O'Farrell A, Busch GT, Boe RH, Niu Z, Woo S, Dunagin MC, Jain N, Goyal Y, Sarma K, Herlyn M, Raj A. : AP-1 Mediates Cellular Adaptation and Memory Formation During Therapy Resistance bioRxiv Jul 2024
• Coté A, O'Farrell A, Dardani I, Dunagin M, Coté C, Wan Y, Bayatpour S, Drexler HL, Alexander KA, Chen F, Wassie AT, Patel R, Pham K, Boyden ES, Berger S, Phillips-Cremins J, Churchman LS, Raj A. : Post-transcriptional splicing can occur in a slow-moving zone around the gene Elife 12 : RP91357, Apr 2024