Dipankar Ray

Dr. Ray is a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology and an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences (NERS). He is also the Director of the Cancer Research Summer Internship Program (CaRSIP) at the Rogel Cancer Center. After receiving a doctoral degree from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.), India, he completed a Postdoctoral research training at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) before joining as a Research Assistant Professor at the Northwestern University, Chicago. In 2009, he joined the Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor where he is continuing to lead a research team including Research Scientist, Postdoctoral Research Fellows, Undergraduate Students and Research Technicians. Dr. Ray is an expertise in the field of posttranslational Protein modifications (PTMs) that influence oncoprotein stabilities and functionalities to cause cancer progression and therapy resistance in gastrointestinal (GI) and upper thoracic cancers.

Following are major research projects in the Ray Lab:

Understanding the interplay between the ubiquitin ligases and chaperone machineries regulating mutant p53 protein stability and gain-of-function activity promoting esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC).

Understanding the isoform specific roles of GRAIL in tumor and T-cell crosstalk causing chemoradioresistance in EAC.

Understanding the importance of mutant p53 mediated isoform switch influencing mutant KRAS hyperactivation in pancreatic and lung adenocarcinoma.