New Faculty Profiles

Welcome!

Alexandros "Alex" Papachristodoulou, PhD
Vijay K. Yadav, PhD

Dr. Alex Papachristodoulou is a translational cancer biologist, focusing on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of prostate carcinogenesis. He obtained his MSc degree in Cancer Therapeutics at the Barts Cancer Institute of the Queen Mary University of London and went on to complete his doctoral training in Cancer Biology at the University of Zurich. Following the completion of his PhD, Dr. Papachristodoulou joined the laboratory of Dr. Cory Abate-Shen at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center, where he identified novel subcellular homeobox gene functions in prostate cancer initiation, developing novel approaches to improve prostate cancer prognosis and treatment. The focal point of his research, for which he obtained the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) Young Investigator and National Cancer Institute (NCI) K99/R00 Pathway to Independence awards, is to decipher the role mitochondrial dysfunction in tumorigenesis to enhance our understanding of prostate cancer initiation, predisposition to aggressive disease and precision therapy. Dr. Papachristodoulou is particularly interested in determining the functional impact and clinical relevance of genetic and metabolic factors for prostate cancer progression and disparities. By understanding how these alterations confer specific vulnerabilities to more aggressive tumors, his studies aim at developing novel precision medicine strategies that can improve patient care.

Dr.Vijay K. Yadavis a biogerontologist. He did his doctoral training at Indian Institute of Science in molecular endocrinology and postdoctoral training at Baylor College of Medicine and Columbia University in mouse & human genetics. During this period, he uncovered how organ physiology is regulated by central and peripheral signals. Dr. Yadav started his independent research laboratory in 2010 with an overarching theme ofhow (semi)essential nutrients regulate whole-body homeostasis, and how this process gets dysregulated during aging to identify novel avenue to treat diseases of aging. Dr. Yadav’s laboratory in the last decade has shown that self-imposed domestication in humans has led to an imbalance in nutrient-genetic interactions leading to increased incidence of diseases. Dr. Yadav is best known for his research on evolutionarily conserved mechanisms of aging, in particular on how nutrients such as vitamin B12 and taurine regulate aging. Dr. Yadav’s research over the years has been covered by over 600 media outlets around the world, including NY Times, Time, Forbes, Nature, BBC, WSJ, CNN. Dr. Yadav's group has received extramural support from numerous agencies including the National Institutes of Health (K99, R56 & R01), Wellcome Trust, European Research Council, Marie Curie Foundation, DFG, and Department of Biotechnology. In August 2024, Dr. Yadav joined the Center for Cell Signaling and the Center for Immunity & Inflammation at Rutgers Health New Jersey Medical School as an Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine to set up a basic biology of aging program.

Yadav Lab