Murali Lab
Structural Biology and Molecular Therapeutics
Research in the Murali Laboratory focuses on defining the molecular basis of drug resistance mechanisms and cancer metastasis, and on developing new targeted therapeutic drugs. To learn the interplay between immunity and cancer, studies are focused on the role of the tumor necrosis factor receptors and the epidermal growth factor receptors in breast, lung and pancreatic cancers. The Murali Lab employs protein engineering, X-ray diffraction, molecular biology and computational biology for drug discovery and for developing molecular probes for tumor imaging and drug delivery.
The Murali Laboratory is affiliated with the Cedars-Sinai Biomedical Imaging Research Institute and the Cedars-Sinai Research Division of Immunology in the Department of Biomedical Sciences.
Personal Statement
I am trained as a structural biologist working on receptor biology relevant to cancer and immunology. I have expertise in biophysical, biochemical and biological studies, together with knowledge of immunology, which is my unique strength in receptor biology. My research interest revolves around correlating protein’s structural flexibility and its function."
Ramachandran Murali, PhD
The long-term goal of the Murali Laboratory is to understand the structural and molecular basis of cancer mediated by immune system and cellular growth machinery using structural biology. The Murali Lab’s guiding philosophy is that the complex molecular events mediated by ErbB receptors and some members of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily (TNFRSF) are responsible for tumor growth, resistance and metastasis of several solid tumors including those of breast, prostate, pancreas and lung cancer.
Internal Collaborations
Resources
Research Techniques
In vivo and in vitro models of tumorigenesis, retro/lenti/adeno-viral transduction, cDNA cloning, qPCR, recombinant protein production and purification, biochemistry, flow cytometry and cell sorting, microscopy, knockout and RNAi technology, X-ray crystallography, computational biology and drug discovery.
Research Resources
The protein crystallization room is equipped with Leica high-power microscopes, crystallization incubators, and crystals-mounting areas. The laboratory is also equipped with Rigaku MicroMax 007HF X-ray diffraction and Linux workstations for structure determination, an FPLC for protein purification, an isothermal calorimetry (VP-ITC) unit (MicroCal, MA) for thermodynamics studies, a differential scanning calorimetry (VP-DSC) unit from MicroCal/GE for designing crystallization experiments, a Zetasizer Nano ZS particle characterizer, and SPR-based system (SensiQ Pioneer).
Meet Our Team
Learn more about the scientists, faculty members, investigators and other healthcare professionals of the Murali Laboratory, whose dedicated efforts lead to groundbreaking discoveries.
Rotinen M, You S, Yang J, Coetzee SG, Reis-Sobreiro M, Huang WC, Huang F, Pan X, Yañez A, Hazelett DJ, Chu CY, Steadman K, Morrissey CM, Nelson PS, Corey E, Chung LWK, Freedland SJ, Di Vizio D, Garraway IP, Murali R, et al.
Nat Med. 2018 Dec;24(12):1887-1898.
Edderkaoui M, Chheda C, Soufi B, Zayou F, Hu RW, Ramanujan VK, Pan X, Boros LG, Tajbakhsh J, Madhav A, Bhowmick N, Wang Q, Lewis M, Tuli R, Habtezion A, Murali R, Pandol SJ.
Gastroenterology. 2018 Dec;155(6):1985-1998.
Xue J, Sharma V, Hsieh MH, Chawla A, Murali R, Pandol SJ, Habtezion A.
Nat Commun. 2015 May 18;6:7158.
Contact the Murali Lab
8700 Beverly Blvd.
Davis Building, Room 5007
Los Angeles, CA 90048