Reshmi Parameswaran received her Master’s degree in Biochemistry from Mahatma Gandhi University, India. She moved to Israel for her Ph.D. studies and obtained a Ph.D. degree in Cell Biology from the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel in 2006. She studied the role of a cytokine Activin A in B cell development and developed cell therapy approaches for Multiple Myeloma using mesenchymal cells over-expressing Activin A. She did her post-doctoral fellowship at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (2009-2013), where she explored the role of B cell activating factor (BAFF) in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and she was the first to identify the expression of BAFF receptor in ALL cells. Dr. Parameswaran joined Case Western Reserve University as a faculty member in September 2013. Currently, she is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Department of Hematology/Oncology. Her lab focuses on developing cell therapy methods for treating various hematological malignancies using Natural Killer (NK) cells. Dr. Parameswaran’s lab is also trying to elucidate the mechanism of drug resistance in ALL patients.
I develop new tools for cancer immunotherapy including adoptive Natural Killer (NK) and CAR-T therapies. I also research mechanisms of drug resistance in leukemia and lymphoma, and understand mechanisms of NK cell cytotoxicity to improve NK therapy.
Research Information
Research Projects
1. Adoptive Natural Killer (NK) cell transfer has shown promise in cancer therapy, but the field has been hampered by insufficient cytotoxic activity of adoptively transferred NK cells in patients. Dr. Parameswaran’s lab is focusing on the role of tumor microenvironmental factors, transcription factors, post-translational modifications as well as dietary ingredients in regulating the cytotoxic function of NK cells.
2. B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) arises by malignant transformation of a progenitor (pre-B) cell. Cure rates in adults remain low and treatment is complicated by support provided by the microenvironment to the leukemic cells, promoting their survival and drug resistance. Dr. Parameswaran’s lab is focusing on understanding the mechanisms of drug resistance in ALL cells and better ways to target these cells.
Publications
Parameswaran R*, Ramakrishnan P, Moreton SA, Xia Z, Hou Y, Lee DA, Gupta K, deLima M, Beck RC, Wald DN. Repression of GSK3 restores NK cell cytotoxicity in AML patients. Nat Commun. 2016 Apr 4;;7:11154. doi: 10.1038/ncomms11154. PMID: 27040177. *Co-corresponding author.
Parameswaran R, Lim M, Fei F, Arutyunyan A, McLaughlin M, Gram H, Groffen J, Heisterkamp N. Effector-mediated eradication of precursor B acute lymphoblastic leukemia with a novel Fc engineered monoclonal antibody targeting the BAFF-R. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. 2014 Jun 13(6):1567-77. doi: 10.1158/1535 7163.MCT-13-1023. PMID:24825858.
Parameswaran R, Lim M, Arutyunyan A, Abdel-Azim H, Hurtz C, Lau K, Müschen M, Yu R, Itzstein MV, Heisterkamp N, Groffen J. O-Acetylated N-acetylneuraminic acid as a novel target for therapy in human pre-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Journal of Experimental Medicine. 2013 April 08, doi: 10.1084/jem.20121482. PMID:23478187.
Parameswaran R, Yu M, Lyu MA, Lim M, Rosenblum MG, Groffen J, Heisterkamp N. Treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia with an rGel/BLyS fusion toxin. Leukemia. 2012 Feb 29. doi: 10.1038/leu.2012.54. PMID: 22373785.
Parameswaran R, Yu M, Lim M, Groffen J, Heisterkamp N. Combination of drug therapy in acute lymphoblastic leukemia with a CXCR4 antagonist. Leukemia. 2011Aug;;25(8):1314-23. doi: 10.1038/leu.2011.76. PMID: 21483439.
Parameswaran R, Müschen M, Kim YM, Groffen J, Heisterkamp N. A functional receptor for B-cell-activating factor is expressed on human acute lymphoblastic leukemias. Cancer Research. 2010 Jun 1;;70(11):4346-56. PMID: 20460528.