Personal Information
Dr. Gatha Thacker
Assistant Professor
Ph.D from CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow (2014-2019), PostDoc. from University of Pennsylvania & University of Miami, USA (2019-2024), Staff Scientist at The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, USA (2024-2026)
- Cancer Immunology and onco-immunotherapy
- Tumor Microenvironment, Immune Escape, and Therapeutic Resistance
- iPSC-Based Immune Modeling, Neoantigen Discovery, and Precision Immunotherapy
- Multi-Omics Profiling, PDX Models, and Molecular Oncology
- Assistant Professor, Department of Health Sciences, Central University of Rajasthan, Bandarsindri, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India. (March 2026- Till date)
- Staff Scientist, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA (September 2024- February 2026).
- Postdoctoral researcher, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA (January 2023- September 2024). Project: ‘Generating melanoma antigen-specific immune responses using induced pluripotent (iPS) cells to advance immunotherapy in melanoma’.
- Postdoctoral research associate, Department of Surgery, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Fl, USA. (January 2022-December 2022). Project: ‘Understanding paradoxical role of natural killer cells in the tumor microenvironment of triple negative breast cancer’.
- Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (September 2019-December 2021). Project: ‘Elucidating the role of tumor microenvironment in triple negative breast cancer progression and metastasis’.
- Ph.D., Biochemistry Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow (2014-2019). Thesis title: ‘Probing role of E3 ubiquitin ligases in osteogenesis’.
- Assistant Professor (ad-hoc), Department of Biotechnology, Guru Ghasidas Central University, Bilaspur (2012)
- M.Sc. in Marine Biotechnology, Center of Advanced Studies in Marine Biology, Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu (2009-2011) (Dissertation: ‘Attenuation of Proliferative Potential of Breast Cancer Cell Lines by Brown Alga, Stoechospermum marginatum’)
- B.Sc. in Biotechnology, Chemistry, Zoology as major subjects, Dr. Hari Singh Gour University, Sagar (2006-2009).
Fellowships and Grants:
- ‘Basser Early Career Grant Award 2021’ from Basser Center for BRCA, grant funding in the amount of $75,000 covering the period July 1, 2021-June 30, 2022.
- Junior Research Fellowship, awarded by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR-JRF), 2013
- Junior Research Fellowship in Life Sciences, conducted by Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (UGC-JRF), 2014
- DST-INSPIRE Fellowship from Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India 2012
- Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) with 98.96 percentile conducted by Indian Institute of Technology, 2013
- Awarded Post-Graduate scholarship (National Biotechnology Fellowship) during M. Sc. Biotechnology (2009-2011) by Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology, Govt. of India
Awards and Recognitions:
- ‘East meets West Award’ and travel grant from Europian Calcified Tissue Society (ECTS) for presenting research work in 45th Annual ECTS Congress-2018 in Valencia, Spain.
- ‘Incentive awards for publications 2019’ by CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow for publication.
- National Eligibility Test (NET) in Life Sciences, conducted by Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), 2011
- Prof. V. Balaiah Prize for securing the highest marks among all the science branches in the M.Sc. degree examination, 2011
- Tmt. Sigappi Achi Prize for securing 1st rank in M.Sc. Marine Biotechnology degree examination by CAS in Marine Biology, 2011
- Consolation in Microtech-2008, Junior Scientist Award by Society for Basic and Applied Mycology (SBAM)
- National Level Biotechnology Talent Search Examination-2011 (online), organized by Biotech Helpline Foundation
- Certificate of merit for securing 1st rank at district level in High School Certificate Examination by Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad, 2003
Professional Memberships:
2018-2019 Europian Calcified Tissue Society (ECTS)
2022-Now American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
2023-Now Society for Melanoma Research (SMR)
2024-Now International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR)
Service and Outreach:
- Grant Reviewer: BCRP DoD Breast Cancer Grant (2019, 2020, 2021), ad-hoc
- Reviewer: Cellular & Molecular Biology Letters, Cell Reports, Cancers, Frontiers in Oncology, BBA Molecular Cell Research, International Journal of Molecular Sciences
- Mentorship: Natalie Agostini, E. Damilola Fapohunda, Rachel Kutler, Kara Murphy, Mousumi Borah, M. Mohanapriya (Undergraduate), Shivani Pitale (Postgraduate), Megan Reilly (Vet graduate student)
My research interests focus on cancer immunology and translational biology, particularly understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying tumor progression, immune escape, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance. I am interested in integrating multi-omics tumor profiling, patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models, and iPSC-based immune modeling to identify and validate neo-antigenic targets and study antigen-specific immune responses.
My work also explores tumor microenvironment heterogeneity, immune cell crosstalk, aberrant signaling pathways, and mechanisms of immune exhaustion and reprogramming. My long-term goal is to develop autologous regenerative immune-tumor platforms that support precision immunotherapy design and enable improved diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for solid tumors.
| S. No. | Authors | Title of Article | Journal/Conference Details | Journal/Conference | Publication Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Panneer Selvam C, Thacker G, Kim U, Tjendra Y, Boone MM, Henry S, Dos Santos CO, Chakrabarti R | KRT17 promotes triple negative breast cancer through activation of Wnt signaling and γδ T-cells recruitment. | Communications Biology, 2026 Mar 26;. doi: 10.1038/s42003-026-09897-0. PMID: 41888575 | Journal | 2026 |
| 2 | Li H, Chen Y, Kaster J, Dunne M, Xiao M, Li L, Thomas M, Promi N, Fingerman D, Brown GS, Zheng Q, Zhu X, Reale M, Patterson A, Gao L, Zhang X, Jiang S, Hu T, Fang H, Ren J, Qi C, Wang L, Mou H, Thacker G, Salazar ER, Villanueva J, Raj A, Hoon DS, Bin T, | Clonal dynamics shaped by diverse drug-tolerant persister states in melanoma resistance. | Molecular Cancer. 2026 Mar 3;. doi: 10.1186/s12943-026-02622-9. PMID: 41776501 | Journal | 2026 |
| 3 | Singh AK, Thacker G, Upadhyay V, Mishra M, Sharma A, Sethi A, Chowdhury S, Siddiqui S, Verma SP, Pandey A, Bhatt MLB, Trivedi AK | Nemo-like kinase blocks myeloid differentiation by targeting tumor suppressor C/EBPα in AML. | FEBS J. 2024 Aug 7;. doi: 10.1111/febs.17245.PMID: 39110129 | Journal | 2024 |
| 4 | Mishra M, Singh AK, Thacker G, Upadhyay V, Sanyal S, Trivedi AK | Ormeloxifene, a nonsteroidal antifertility drug promotes megakaryocyte differentiation in leukemia cell line K562. | Cell Biol Int. 2023 Jul;47(7):1247-1258. doi: 10.1002/cbin.12017. PMID: 36950830 | Journal | 2023 |
| 5 | Thacker G, Henry S, Nandi A, Debnath R, Singh S, Nayak A, Susnik B, Boone MM, Zhang Q, Kesmodel SB, Gumber S, Das GM, Kambayashi T, Dos Santos CO, Chakrabarti R | Immature natural killer cells promote progression of triple-negative breast cancer. | Science Translational Medicine. 2023 Mar 8;15(686):eabl4414. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abl4414. PMID: 36888695 | Journal | 2023 |
| 6 | Nandi A, Debnath R, Nayak A, To TKJ, Thacker G, Reilly M, Gumber S, Karagounis I, Li N, Lengner CJ, Haldar M, Welm AL, Blanco MA, Thomas C, Chakrabarti R | Dll1-mediated Notch signaling drives tumor cell crosstalk with cancer associated fibroblasts to promote radioresistance in breast cancer. | Cancer Research. 2022 Aug 24;. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-21-1225. PMID: 36007109 | Journal | 2022 |
| 7 | Sharma A, Thacker G, Mishra M, Singh AK, Upadhyay V, Sanyal S, Trivedi AK | SOX4-mediated FBW7 transcriptional upregulation confers Tamoxifen resistance in ER+ breast cancers via GATA3 downregulation. | Life Sci. 2022 Aug 15;303:120682. doi: 10.1016/j.lfs.2022.120682. PMID: 35662647 | Journal | 2022 |
| 8 | Thacker G, Mishra M, Sharma A, Singh AK, Sanyal S, Trivedi AK | CDK2-instigates C/EBPα degradation through SKP2 in Acute myeloid leukemia. | Med Oncol. 2021 May 17;38(6):69. doi: 10.1007/s12032-021-01523-9. PMID: 34002296 | Journal | 2021 |
| 9 | Sharma A, Upadhyay V, Sarkar M, Mishra M, Thacker G, Trivedi AK | Proteomic analysis of TGFβ-induced A549 secretome identifies putative regulators of epithelial-mesenchymal transition. | Biotechnol Appl Biochem. 2021 Feb 9. doi: 10.1002/bab.2121. PMID: 33559923 | Journal | 2021 |
| 10 | Mishra M, Thacker G, Sharma A, Singh AK, Upadhyay V, Sanyal S, Verma SP, Tripathi AK, Bhatt MLB, Trivedi AK | FBW7 Inhibits Myeloid Differentiation in Acute Myeloid Leukemia via GSK3-Dependent Ubiquitination of PU.1. | Mol Cancer Res. 2021 Feb;19(2):261-273. doi: 10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-20-0268. PMID: 33188146 | Journal | 2021 |
| 11 | Sharma A, Mishra T, Thacker G, Mishra M, Narender T, Trivedi AK | Chebulinic acid inhibits MDA-MB-231 breast cancer metastasis and promotes cell death through down regulation of SOD1 and induction of autophagy. | Cell Biol Int. 2020 Dec;44(12):2553-2569. doi: 10.1002/cbin.11463. PMID: 32902904 | Journal | 2020 |
| 12 | Thacker G, Mishra M, Sharma A, Singh AK, Sanyal S, Trivedi AK | E3 ligase SCFSKP2 ubiquitinates and degrades tumor suppressor C/EBPα in acute myeloid leukemia. | Life Sci. 2020 Sep 15;257:118041. doi: 10.1016/j.lfs.2020.118041. PMID: 32622945 | Journal | 2020 |
| 13 | Singh S, Kumar S, Srivastava RK, Nandi A, Thacker G, Murali H, Kim S, Baldeon M, Tobias J, Blanco MA, Saffie R, Zaidi MR, Sinha S, Busino L, Fuchs SY, Chakrabarti R | Loss of ELF5-FBXW7 stabilizes IFNGR1 to promote the growth and metastasis of triple-negative breast cancer through interferon-γ signalling. | Nature Cell Biology. 2020 May;22(5):591-602. doi: 10.1038/s41556-020-0495-y. PMID: 32284542 | Journal | 2020 |
| 14 | Thacker G, Mishra M, Sharma A, Singh AK, Sanyal S, Trivedi AK | CDK2 destabilizes tumor suppressor C/EBPα expression through ubiquitin-mediated proteasome degradation in acute myeloid leukemia. | J Cell Biochem. 2020 Apr;121(4):2839-2850. doi: 10.1002/jcb.29516. PMID: 31692040 | Journal | 2020 |
| 15 | Thacker G | Chapter IV: Recent Proteomics Development for Biomarker Detection in Breast Cancer. Book: Current Advances in Breast Cancer Research: A Molecular Approach | Bentham books; 2020. Chapter 4; p.104-122 (19). Available from: https://benthambooks.com/book/9789811451447/ | Book Chapter | 2020 |
| 16 | Mishra M, Sharma A, Thacker G, Trivedi AK | Nano-LC based proteomic approach identifies that E6AP interacts with ENO1 and targets it for degradation in breast cancer cells. | IUBMB Life. 2019 Dec;71(12):1896-1905. doi: 10.1002/iub.2132. PMID: 31329371 | Journal | 2019 |
| 17 | Kumar Y, Biswas T, Thacker G, Kanaujiya JK, Kumar S, Shukla A, Khan K, Sanyal S, Chattopadhyay N, Bandyopadhyay A, Trivedi AK | BMP signaling-driven osteogenesis is critically dependent on Prdx-1 expression-mediated maintenance of chondrocyte prehypetrophy. | Free Radic Biol Med. 2018 Apr;118:1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2018.02.016. PMID: 29452246 | Journal | 2018 |
| 18 | Chhabra S, Mishra T, Kumar Y, Thacker G, Kanojiya S, Chattopadhyay N, Narender T, Trivedi AK | Chebulinic Acid Isolated From the Fruits of Terminalia chebula Specifically Induces Apoptosis in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells. | Phytother Res. 2017 Dec;31(12):1849-1857. doi: 10.1002/ptr.5927. PMID: 28921713 | Journal | 2017 |
| 19 | Chhabra S, Kumar Y, Thacker G, Kapoor I, Lochab S, Sanyal S, Bhatt MLB, Chattopadhyay N, Trivedi AK | E6AP inhibits G-CSFR turnover and functions by promoting its ubiquitin-dependent proteasome degradation. | Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Res. 2017 Oct;1864(10):1545-1553. doi: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2017.05.026. PMID: 28578910 | Journal | 2017 |
| 20 | Kumar Y, Shukla N, Thacker G, Kapoor I, Lochab S, Bhatt ML, Chattopadhyay N, Sanyal S, Trivedi AK | Ubiquitin Ligase, Fbw7, Targets CDX2 for Degradation via Two Phosphodegron Motifs in a GSK3β-Dependent Manner. | Mol Cancer Res. 2016 Nov;14(11):1097-1109. doi: 10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-16-0138. PMID: 27470268 | Journal | 2016 |
| 21 | Thacker G, Kumar Y, Khan MP, Shukla N, Kapoor I, Kanaujiya JK, Lochab S, Ahmed S, Sanyal S, Chattopadhyay N, Trivedi AK | Skp2 inhibits osteogenesis by promoting ubiquitin-proteasome degradation of Runx2. | Biochim Biophys Acta. 2016 Apr;1863(4):510-9. doi: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2016.01.010. PMID: 26778333 | Journal | 2016 |
Received ‘Basser Early Career Grant Award 2021’ as independent PI from BASSER Center for BRCA, University of Pennsylvania, USA. Grant funding in the amount of 75,000 US dollars (@ 70 lacs INR) covering the period July 1, 2021-June 30 2022, for the project titled, “Regulation of IFN-γ signaling in BRCA1-loss dependent breast cancer”.
Attended
- The 20th International Congress of the Society for Melanoma Research, Philadelphia, November 6-9, 2023. (Oral presentation in pre-conference trainee session and poster presentation in the congress)
- Department of Surgery Research Day, Miller school of Medicine, University of Miami, 5th May 2022. (Oral presentation)
- Graduate + Postdoctoral Research Symposium, University of Miami, April 1st, 2022. (Oral presentation)
- AACR symposium ''2022 Evolutionary Dynamics in Carcinogenesis and Response to Therapy'', Tampa, Florida, USA from 14th-17th March 2022
- Biomedical Postdoctoral Council (BPC) Symposium 2021 on 28th-29th January 2021 (Virtual) in University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. (Poster presentation)
- The New York Academy of Sciences Webinar: Systemic Effects of Metastatic Cancer (Virtual), October 2020.
- Cancer immunology works in progress and journal club (CI WIP), 28th February 2020 at Hill Pavilion, PennVet, University of Pennsylvania. (Presented)
- ‘Penn Cancer Research (PCR) Postdoctoral Symposium’ on 19th November 2019 at Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute (AFCRI), University of Pennsylvania.
- 45th Annual ECTS Congress, 2018 conducted by Europian Calcified Tissue Society (ECTS) on 26th-30th May 2018 in Valencia, Spain. (Poster presentation)
- Symposium on ‘Medical writing for non-medical writers’ at CSIR-CDRI, Lucknow from 22nd and 23rd February 2018.
- 6th and 7th International Symposium on ‘Current trends in Drug discovery and Development’ (CTDDR-2016 and CTDDR-2019) at CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow (Poster presentation)
- Seminar on Optimization techniques for western blotting, Immunohistochemistry (IHC), Immunocytochemistry (ICC) held on 25th November 2016 at CSIR-CDRI, Lucknow by Abcam
- 6th International Conference on Stem Cells and Cancer (ICSCC-2015) held on 2nd - 5th October 2015, Pune, India
- International symposium on ‘Cardiovascular Disease Prevention’ held on 21st & 22nd February 2011, Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu
- UGC-SAR-DRS-Phase-I conducted national seminar on ‘Drug Delivery through Nanotechnology’ held on 10th & 11th March 2010, Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu
- National symposium on ‘Climate Change & Marine Biodiversity (CCMB – 2010)’, held on 26th February 2010, Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu
| Title | Attachment File | Other Link |
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