Jagmohan Hooda, PhD

Dr. Jagmohan Hooda is a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Ronny Drapkin at Ovarian Cancer Research Center at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Dr. Hooda earned his Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biology from The University of Texas at Dallas in 2015. His Ph.D. research focused on understanding the role of heme metabolism in the progression of lung cancer cells. As a result of his graduate work he was awarded a “certificate of recognition for intellectual contribution” by The University of Texas at Dallas. His research article was highlighted as a news report at the University of Texas at Dallas, and featured in a number of newspapers and online blogs. After completing his graduate studies, Dr. Hooda joined Dr. Drapkin’s laboratory to tackle the challenges of ovarian cancer. His studies have focused on early neoplastic events in the fallopian tube that lead to high-grade serous carcinoma. Altered metabolism is a hallmark of cancer. While it is known that tumors display distinct metabolic activities that distinguish them from their benign cellular origins, the metabolic alterations that contribute to the development and progression of ovarian cancer have not been well studied. Dr. Hooda’s studies have identified an unexpected link between a histone epigenetic mark and altered glutamine metabolism. His ongoing work is aimed at defining the impact of this epigenetic mark on cell growth and survival and determining whether targeting glutamine metabolism represents a novel therapeutic opportunity in ovarian cancer.