Ramesh Balusu, Ph.D.

Professional Background

Dr. Ramesh Balusu received his Ph.D. in Microbiology from Osmania University, India. He completed postdoctoral training at the University of Florida, where he investigated DNA repair mechanisms in colon and breast cancers, followed by advanced postdoctoral training at the Medical College of Georgia, focusing on developing targeted therapies for hematologic malignancies.

Dr. Balusu is an Associate Professor in the Division of Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapeutics, Department of Internal Medicine, with a joint faculty appointment in the Department of Cancer Biology at the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC). He also serves as Scientific Director of the Midwest Stem Cell Therapy Center (MSCTC).

For more than two decades, Dr. Balusu's research has focused on identifying novel molecular targets and advancing precision therapies for leukemia and lymphoma. His laboratory investigates the molecular mechanisms underlying hematologic malignancies, with a particular focus on NPM1-driven cancers, fusion oncogenes, therapeutic resistance, and cellular immunotherapy. Through close collaborations with clinicians, his research bridges laboratory discoveries with clinical translation to develop innovative targeted therapies and next-generation cell therapies that improve outcomes for patients with hematologic malignancies.

• PhD, Microbiology, Osmania University, Hyderabad, India
• Post Doctoral Fellowship, Cancer Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
• Post Doctoral Fellowship, Hematology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA

• Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer, Member, 2024 - Present
• American Society of Hematology, ASH, Member, 2007 - Present
• American Society for Cancer Research, AACR, Member, 2003 - Present

Research

Overview

Developing Novel Targeted Therapies for Leukemias/Lymphomas with Poor Prognosis

Our long-term goals in basic and translational research are to identify novel molecular targets and develop targeted therapies using in vitro and in vivo models of leukemia and lymphoma to benefit patients with these malignancies. Our research is mainly focused on understanding Nucleophosmin 1 (NPM1) and NPM1 fusion genes (NPM1-ALK, NPM1-TYK2, NPM1-MLF1, and NPM1-RARA) oncobiology and developing precision medicine for leukemias/lymphomas with these genetic abnormalities (PMID: 35042970; 21719597; 30015632; 29157973; 25035215; 33514657). We are also developing FLT3-targeted and HSP90/associated co-chaperone targeted therapies in these hematologic malignancies (PMID: 30696805). Most importantly, our group actively collaborates with clinicians to translate our benchside findings to the bedside, as evidenced by our most recent study (PMID: 34242968).

• Kuravi Sudhakiranmayi , Baker RileyW, Mushtaq Muhammad U, Saadi Irfan, Lin TaraL, Vivian CarolynJ, Valluripalli Anusha, Abhyankar Sunil, Ganguly Siddhartha, Cui Wei, Elenitoba-Johnson Kojo S.J., Welch DannyR, Jensen RoyA, Saunthararajah Yogen, McGuirk JosephP, Balusu Ramesh. 2022. Functional Characterization of NPM1-TYK2 Fusion Oncogene . NPJ Precision Oncology, 6 (1), 1-10
• Subbiah Vivek, Kuravi Sudhakiranmayi, Ganguly Siddhartha , Welch Danny R, Vivian Carolyn J, Mushtaq Muhammad U, Hegde Aparna , Iyer Swami , Behrang Amini , Ali Siraj M, Madison Russell W, Venstrom Jeffrey M, Jensen RoyA, McGuirk JosephP, Amin HeshamM, Balusu Ramesh. 2021. Precision Therapy with anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitor ceritinib in ALK-rearranged Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma. ESMO Open, 6 (4), 100172
• Kuravi Sudhakiranmayi , Cheng Janice , Fangman Gabrielle , Polireddy Kishore, McCormick Sophia, Lin TaraL, Singh AnuraghK, Abhyankar Sunil, Ganguly Siddhartha , Welch Danny R, Jensen RoyA, McGuirk JosephP, Balusu Ramesh. 2021. Preclinical evaluation of gilteritinib on NPM1-ALK driven Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma Cells. Molecular Cancer Research, 19, 913-920
• Kuravi Sudhakiranmayi, Parrott Parrott, Mudduluru Giridhar, Cheng Janice, Ganguly Siddhartha, Saunthararajah Yogen, Jensen RoyA, Blagg BrianS, McGuirk JosephP, Balusu Ramesh . 2019. CDC37 as a novel target for the treatment of NPM1-ALK expressing anaplastic large cell lymphomas. Blood Cancer Journal, 9 (2), 14
• Ganguly Siddhartha, Kuravi Sudhakiranmayi, Alleboina Satyanarayana, Mudduluru Giridhar, Jensen RoyA, McGuirk JosephP, Balusu Ramesh. 2019. Targeted Therapy for EBV-Associated B-cell Neoplasms. Molecular Cancer Research, 17 (4), 839-844
• Gu Xiaorong , Ebrahem Quteba , Mahfouz Reda Z, Hasipek Metis , Enane Francis , Radivoyevitch, Tomas , Rapin Nicolas, Przychodzen Bartlomiej , Hu Zhenbo , Balusu Ramesh, Cotta Claudiu V, Wald David , Argueta Christian , Landesman Yosef, Maria Paola Martelli Maria Paola, Falini Brunangelo , Carraway Hetty , Porse, Bo T, Maciejewsk Jaroslaw M, Jha Babal K, Saunthararajah Yogen. 2018. Leukemogenic nucleophosmin mutation disrupts the transcription factor hub that regulates granulomonocytic fates. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 128 (10), 4260-4279
• Kunchala Preethi, Kuravi Sudhakiranmayi, Jensen RoyA, McGuirk Joseph, Balusu Ramesh. 2018. When the good go bad: Mutant NPM1 in acute myeloid leukemia. BLOOD REVIEWS, 32 (3), 167-183
• Balusu Ramesh, Fiskus Warren, Rao Rekha, Chong Daniel G, Nalluri Srilatha , Mudunuru Uma, Ma Hongwei, Chen Lei , Venkannagari Sreedhar, Ha Kyungsoo , Abhyankar Sunil , Williams Casey , McGuirk JosephP, Ustun Celalettin , Bhalla KapilN. 2011. Targeting levels or oligomerization of nucleophosmin 1 induces differentiation and loss of survival of human AML cells with mutant NPM1. Blood, 118 (11), 3096-106