Arun Kanakkanthara, PhD

Dr. Arun Kanakkanthara is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Oncology Research and The Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics at Mayo Clinic. He completed his Ph.D. in Cancer Biology from the Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Prior to his current position, Dr Kanakkanthara pursued his postdoctoral training in the labs of Dr Jan van Deursen and Dr Larry Karnitz at Mayo Clinic. One aspect of his current research focuses on understanding the metabolic remodeling and associated vulnerabilities/dependencies in ovarian cancer. Another area of his work focuses on understanding the mechanisms underlying the resistance to PARP inhibitors in ovarian cancer. Through his research, Dr. Kanakkanthara works to i) better understand the causes of metabolic abnormalities, with the ultimate goal of creating individualized therapy for patients with ovarian cancer, and ii) identify and develop novel therapeutic strategies to overcome PARP inhibitor resistance in ovarian cancer. He has received research awards from the Foundation for Women’s Cancer and Mayo Clinic Ovarian Cancer SPORE.