Dr. Nayak is a hematology/oncologist with interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in the generation of an increased risk for thrombosis especially in the setting of malignant disorders.
I research molecular mechanisms linking inflammation and thrombosis.
Research Information
Research Interests
Dr. Nayak's present work demonstrates that transcription factor KLF2 mediates protection from thrombosis. Additionally, her work explores how this can be translated in the context of highly prothrombotic disorders such as in patients with pancreatic cancer. This work is a natural extension of Dr. Nayak's training in clinical hematology and oncology and personal curiosity in the scientific basis of the pathogenesis of thrombosis and how it is altered or affected in malignant situations. During the course of these studies, Dr. Nayak found that KLF2 also affects tumor growth. Given the present understanding that cancer patients with thrombotic events have a poor prognosis, it is imperative that further study be pursued to better understand the mechanistic pathways driving these two processes and how KLF2 affects tumor biology and outcome. The observation that myeloid KLF2 affects the growth of pancreatic cancer is very intriguing and one that merits further investigation. Dr. Nayak's studies are focused on how myeloid KLF2 alters the tumor microenvironment and angiogenesis to alter tumor growth, and how the phenotype of myeloid cells is altered with tumor progression, tumor associated thrombosis, and chemotherapy.