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Senior Scientist, CHEO Research Institute
Senior Scientist, Department of Pathology, CHEO
Professor, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa |
akumar@cheo.on.ca |
| 613-737-7600 Ext. 3920 |
| Research Practice Areas: |
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| Current Research: |
Dr. Kumar’s major research interests are to study the role and regulation of cytokines in host defense against microbial infections, especially in HIV immunopathogenesis. Efforts are focused on delineating the regulation of IL-12 family of cytokines, namely IL-12, IL-23 and IL-27, with a special emphasis on understanding the signaling pathways by which bacterial or HIV infections impact expression and production of these cytokines.
Another focus of his research is to understand the mechanism(s) by which monocytic cells develop resistance to HIV- or HIV Vpr protein-induced apoptosis. The aim is to devise strategies to promote the death of HIV-infected monocytic cells and potentially eliminate monocytic viral reservoirs. |
| Research Team: |
- Niranjala Gajanayaka - Student
- Salma Iqbal - Student
- Seghen Woldai - Student
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| Biography: |
Dr. Kumar is a Principal Investigator at the CHEO Research Institute, and a Professor in the Department of Pathology at the University of Ottawa. He is a specialist in the field of HIV research, immunology and host-pathogen interactions. He has published extensively in the areas of HIV immunopathogenesis, and cytokine biology and cell signaling. Dr. Kumar is also an active member of the CanCURE ( Canadian HIV Cure Enterprise) research consortium. |
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| Sample Publications: |
Ali Azizi, Ashok Kumar, Francisco Diaz-Mitoma, Jiri Mestecky. 2010. "Enhancing Oral Vaccine Potency by Targeting Intestinal M Cells", Accepted for publication, PLoS Pathogens. 2011 Jan;89(1):81-9. Epub 2010 May 11.
Amin S., B. Jeantschke ., J. Lee, T Schrader., Ashok Kumar and M. Kozlowski. 2111. Expression of the tyrosine phosphatase SHP-1 is regulated by c-jun-N-terminal kinase and RFX-1 and AP-4 transcription factors in Insulin Growth Factor-1 stimulated breast adenocarcinoma MCF-7 cells. Molecular and Cancer Research 2011 Aug;9(8):1112-25. Epub 2011 Jun 30.
Haitham Ghunaim, Jose Torres, Ashok Kumar, Francisco Diaz-Mitoma, and Ali Azizi. 2011. A Comparison between Lipidated and Non-Lipidated Multivalent HIV-1 Peptides Representing Gp120 and Gag Hypervariable Regions. Vaccine. 2011 Aug 11;29(35):5950-8. Epub 2011 Jun 28 .
Juthaporn Cowan, Suneeta Pandey, Lionel G. Filion, Jonathan B Angel, Ashok Kumar and D. William Cameron. 2012. Interleukin-17 and Interleukin-22 expression profile in CD4 T cells and granulocytes with and without Mycobacterial antigens stimulation in human tuberculosis. Accepted for publication Clinical and Experimental Immunology 2012 Feb;167(2):317-29. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2249.2011
Dorothy Rego, Ashok Kumar, Kathryn Wright, Stephen Huang, and Kozlowski M. 2011. IL-6 production is regulated by two distinct SHP1-dependent cEBPβ and NF-κB and SHP1-independent NF-κB pathways in LPS-stimulated bone marrow-derived macrophages. Journal of Immunology . 186(9):5443-56. Epub 2011 Mar 21.
Saxena, M., Busca, A., Kryworuchko, M., and Ashok Kumar. 2011. TLR-9 Agonists Protect Human Monocytic Cells against HIV-Vpr-induced Apoptosis: A Critical Role for Calmodulin-dependent Protein Kinase-II and an Anti-apoptotic cIAP-2 Gene. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY. 187(11):5865-78. Epub 2011 Nov 7 |
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