Rajan Dighe,
Professor
The research activities of the laboratory of Prof. Dighe are combination of basic and translational research. The principal objective of the laboratory is to study the mechanism of receptor activation with emphasis on the glycoprotein hormone-receptor interactions.Recently, the laboratory has also been investigating the mechanism of “Notch” activation.These studies involve a very interesting approach of using polyclonal, monoclonal and recombinant antibodies against both hormones and their receptors to elucidate the molecular details of hormone-receptor interactions and receptor activation. The translational potential of these studies is evident from the observations that the antibodies against glycoprotein hormone receptors can be used to treat conditions such as precocious puberty or infertility caused by either “gain/loss of function” mutations in the receptors. Similarly, it was demonstrated that an antibody specific for the “gain-of-function” of Notch receptor associated with T-ALL can be used treat hematological cancers. The same antibody, in combination with chemotherapeutic drugs, can be used to treat a variety of cancers. Presently, the laboratory is characterizing recombinant antibodies against different domains of Notch with the hope of developing potential cancer immunotherapeutics. The other research interests of the laboratory are development of novel immunization strategies for human and animal vaccines, gene expression during spermatogenesis and biotechnology of gonadotropins.
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