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Utthara
Nayar
,
PhD

Assistant Professor
Utthara Nayar

Departmental Affiliations

School of Medicine
Joint

Utthara Nayar, PhD, is a breast cancer biologist who uses functional genomics tools to understand and overcome tumor resistance to targeted therapies.

Contact Info

Research Interests

Breast cancer; cancer biology; cell biology; functional genomics; signaling; high throughput screens; therapy resistance

Experiences & Accomplishments
Education
PhD
Cornell University
2011
BS
University of Wisconsin-Madison
2003
Overview

The Nayar laboratory is focused on the biology of therapeutic resistance in breast cancer. Dr. Nayar recently identified a subset of estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) metastatic breast cancer that is resistant to ER-targeted therapy by acquiring mutations in the growth factor molecule HER2. The scientific objective of the lab’s research program is to study tumor cell-intrinsic signaling, tumor evolution, and the tumor (+immune) microenvironment of resistant breast cancer, through cell, molecular, and large-scale genomic/epigenomic approaches.

Honors & Awards

Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award, National Institutes of Health

ASH Abstract Achievement Award, American Society of Hematology

AACR-Aflac,Inc. Scholar-in-Training Award, American Association for Cancer Research

Women in Cancer Research Scholar Award, American Association for Cancer Research

NCI Transition Career Development Award (K22), National Cancer Institute/ National Institutes of Health

Ho-Ching Yang Memorial Fellowship Faculty Innovation Fund Award

Discovery Award