Kulkarni Lab
Faculty
Rajan Kulkarni, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Dermatology
Assistant Professor of Dermatology
Postdoc
Allison Fuiten, Ph.D.
Staff
Nicholas De Patie, M.S. - Research Assistant
Research
The Kulkarni Lab focuses on the intersection of basic biology, technology and medicine to help better realize the vision of personalized medicine in cancer.
Our research is now centered on basic and translational studies to enable molecularly-based, personalized approaches to cancer care, in collaboration with the VA, the Center for Early Detection Research (CEDAR), and the Knight Cancer Institute. To this end, we are collaborating extensively with technology groups at OHSU and CEDAR to improve our abilities to gain information about tumor heterogeneity through single cell isolation and analysis, for all cancers, but primarily in melanoma, prostate and lung cancers.
A parallel line of research focuses on oncodermatology and elucidating the mechanisms by which novel chemotherapeutics and immunotherapies cause skin toxicities/rashes and whether these mechanisms have any correlation with anti-tumor effect and overall outcome. Our overall goal is to couple genomic, epigenetic and clinical information to design novel treatment strategies and ultimately improve patient outcomes.
Dr. Kulkarni's past research focused on two main areas:
- Development of innovative methods to enable earlier cancer detection and its recurrence through isolation and analysis of circulating tumor cells
- Improving our understanding of 3D tumor architecture through tissue clearing methods (PARS and PACT CLARITY) for intact 3D tissue imaging.