Placeholder

FACULTY

Suresh K. Alahari, PhD, FAAS, FASCB

Fred G. Brazda Professor

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Office:

LSUHSC School of Medicine 
533 Bolivar Street, Room 623D
New Orleans, LA  70112

504-568-4734

 

Bio

Dr. Alahari obtained his Bachelor of Science in Biology and Master of Science in Human Genetics from India in 1983 and 1986 respectively. His Ph.D. in Molecular Biology was awarded by Drexel University, Philadelphia in the year 1994. From 1994 to 1998, Dr. Alahari did a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Since 1998, he has been a faculty member at the University of North Carolina and in 2004 joined the LSUHSC as Associate Professor of the Department of Biochemistry. During his tenure at the University of North Carolina, he discovered a novel protein that he termed, Nischarin. Dr. Alahari has published several papers describing the function of Nischarin. He has served on editorial review boards and study sections. In addition he availed visiting professorships at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia and Rockefeller University, New York. Currently he is a full tenured and endowed professor of Biochemistry. 

Education

PhD - 1994
Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA

Publications

Recent Publications:

  1. Dong S, Matossian MD, Yousefi H, Khosla M, Collins-Burow BM, Burow ME, Alahari SK.Sci Rep. 2023 Jul 22;13(1):11843. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-37058-4.PMID: 37481672 
  2. Drula R, Pardini B, Fu X, De Los Santos MC, Jurj A, Pang L, El-Daly SM, Fabris L, Knutsen E, Dragomir MP, Bayraktar R, Li Y, Chen M, Del Vecchio F, Berland L, Dae J, Fan D, Shimizu M, Tran AM, Barzi M, Pioppini C, Gutierrez AM, Ivan C, Meas S, Hall CS, Alahari SK, Berindan-Neagoe I, Fabbri M, Lucci A, Arun B, Anfossi S, Calin GA.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023 Jun 6;120(23):e2122053120. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2122053120. Epub 2023 May 30.
  3. Nguyen K, Hebert K, McConnell E, Cullen N, Cheng T, Awoyode S, Martin E, Chen W, Wu T, Alahari SK, Izadpanah R, Collins-Burow BM, Lee SB, Drewry DH, Burow ME.Pharmacol Res. 2023 Jun;192:106757. doi: 10.1016/j.phrs.2023.106757. Epub 2023 Apr 5.PMID: 37023992
  4. Yousefi H, Khosla M, Lauterboeck L, Okpechi SC, Worthylake D, Garai J, Zabaleta J, Guidry J, Zarandi MA, Wyczechowska D, Jayawickramarajah J, Yang Q, Kissil J, Alahari SK.Oncogene. 2022 Nov;41(47):5076-5091. doi: 10.1038/s41388-022-02497-2. Epub 2022 Oct 15.PMID: 36243802
  5. Dong S, Yousefi H, Savage IV, Okpechi SC, Wright MK, Matossian MD, Collins-Burow BM, Burow ME, Alahari SK.Mol Cancer. 2022 Jun 29;21(1):138. doi: 10.1186/s12943-022-01601-0.
  6. Yousefi H, Delavar MR, Piroozian F, Baghi M, Nguyen K, Cheng T, Vittori C, Worthylake D, Alahari SK.Biomed Pharmacother. 2022 Jul;151:113144. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2022.113144. Epub 2022 May 25.PMID: 35623167 
  7. Yousefi H, Fong J, Alahari SK.Front Oncol. 2022 Apr 25;12:777824. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2022.777824. eCollection 2022.PMID: 35547878 
  8. Nguyen TH, Yousefi H, Okpechi SC, Lauterboeck L, Dong S, Yang Q, Alahari SK.Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Jan 25;23(3):1374. doi: 10.3390/ijms23031374.
  9. Okpechi SC, Yousefi H, Nguyen K, Cheng T, Alahari NV, Collins-Burow B, Burow ME, Alahari SK.Oncogene. 2022 Feb;41(8):1079-1086. doi: 10.1038/s41388-021-02150-4. Epub 2022 Jan 22.PMID: 35064214 
  10. Okpechi SC, Fong JT, Gill SS, Harman JC, Nguyen TH, Chukwurah QC, Onor IO, Alahari SK.Aging Dis. 2021 Apr 1;12(2):671-683. doi: 10.14336/AD.2020.1211. eCollection 2021 Apr.PMID: 33815890 

For full list of publications, see this link.

Research

Dr. Alahari’s lab conducts research on various aspects of cancer including understanding the role of Nischarin, a novel protein discovered by him, and microRNAs in breast cancer. Recently his lab discovered four different novel small molecules that are effective in breast cancer therapies, and they are currently being tested in animal models.

Some of the major discoveries of his lab are as follows:

  1. Research conducted by Dr. Alahari, has found that metformin, a commonly prescribed drug for Type 2 Diabetes, may be effective in treating cancers that lack a protein called Nischarin. The discovery that the effectiveness of certain drugs, such as metformin, are influenced by the level of Nischarin expression could help identify specific patients in whom it is most likely to prove beneficial. In this way, Nischarin expression could serve as a biomarker to help inform decisions in management by identifying a subset of patients most likely to benefit from AMPK activator therapies.  Also, his lab research suggests Nischarin may be a promising therapeutic target to treat or prevent metabolic disorders. The study also reported for the first-time metabolic distinctions between male and female mice. These results were published in Cancer Research, International Journal of Obesity, International Journal of Cancer and Journal of Biological Chemistry.

  2. In addition, Dr. Alahari’s lab has shown for the first time that a tiny piece of RNA  (miR-27b)deregulates energy metabolism, an emerging hallmark of cancer. The finding identifies a new target for therapeutic intervention in breast cancer and the findings were published in Molecular Cancer.

  3. Furthermore, Dr. Alahari’s lab has shown that a combination of drugs already approved by the FDA for other cancers may be effective in treating chemo-resistant triple-negative breast cancer. These findings were published in Molecular Cancer and Oncogene Journals.

Interests include:

  • Biochemistry of cell adhesion
  • The mechanism of action of Nischarin in tumor cell migration and invasion
  • Understanding the role of microRNAs in breast cancer
  • Understanding the role of PDEF in breast cancer

Media

Dr. Alahari  was interviewed by various TV channels multiple times to talk about his laboratory cancer research and his research news was cited in many international newspapers.  Some of the links are given below:

https://www.nola.com › news › healthcare_hospitals

https://www.eurekalert.org › pub_releases › lsuh-lhr091919

https://www.trialsitenews.com › Cancer

https://kpel965.com › link-found-between-diabetes-medicine-cancer-rates

https://wwl.radio.com › articles › diabetes-medication-may-also-treat-breast...

https://www.docwirenews.com › DocWire Picks

https://ruthfulmore.wordpress.com › 2019/09/20 › research-metformin-ma...

https://agenparl.eu › lsu-health-research-targets-metformin-as-breast-cancer...

https://louisianaradionetwork.com/2019/09/23/lsu-research-finds-link-between-diabetes-medicine-lower-cancer-rates/

https://www.lsuhsc.edu/newsroom/Research%20to%20Advance%20Cancer%20Therapy.html

https://www.clinicalomics.com/articles/novel-protein-plays-role-in-preventing-breast-cancer-growth-and-spread/2082

https://www.upi.com/Researchers-discover-new-protein-to-fight-breast-cancer/2981547232004/

https://www.infowars.com/breakthrough-advances-cancer-therapy/

https://www.breitbart.com/news/researchers-discover-new-protein-to-fight-breast-cancer/

https://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/258964584/now-a-novel-research-to-advance-cancer-therapy

https://neworleanscitybusiness.com/blog/2019/01/11/lsu-health-new-orleans-research-could-impact-cancer-therapy/

https://www.innovatorsmag.com/breast-cancer-breakthrough/

https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ani/now-a-novel-research-to-advance-cancer-therapy-119011200375_1.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BbLJNiI7es https://dlife.com/study-suggests-promising-new-rx-target-for-obesity-and-diabetes/

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-12/lsuh-ssp121718.php

https://medworm.com/642244538/study-suggests-promising-new-rx-target-for-obesity-and-diabetes/