Research Areas
- Biomarker Translation
- Cellular and Molecular Biology
- Translational Research
- Gender:
- Male
Education & Training
Education
- 1995
- University of Madras, India, MS, Medical Microbiology
- 2000
- Clemson University, PhD, Microbiology
Fellowship
- Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (Silver Spring, MD)
Biography
Preveen Ramamoorthy, Ph.D., has been immersed in molecular biology and medicine since 1987 when, as a high school student, he built a model of the then recently discovered HIV virus and its interaction with the immune system. Interested in both patient care and molecular biology, he initially wanted to be a doctor and interned with his uncle, a practicing physician in India. He was disappointed to see the lack of application of any type of molecular information in routine clinical practice at that time. In further exploring his educational options which were either limited to pursuing a medical degree or a graduate education in molecular biology, Dr. Ramamoorthy decided to pursue his passion for molecular biology and apply this knowledge to advance patient care and medicine. As a result his high school dream has blossomed into a passionate career in molecular diagnostics and personalized medicine. Today, Dr. Ramamoorthy believes that molecular diagnostics and personalized medicine have already begun the process of transforming the practice of medicine.
Dr. Ramamoorthy was previously Manager of the New Technology and Innovations Group at MedImmune, Inc., where he applied molecular technologies to enable the development of viral vaccines, cancer vaccines and monoclonal antibody therapeutics. In 2007, he was invited to create a state-of-the-art molecular diagnostic laboratory within the Advanced Diagnostic Laboratories at National Jewish Health, with the mission of enabling personalized medicine.
Dr. Ramamoorthy believes the unique collaborative environment at National Jewish Health lends itself to constant innovation and the ability to respond to the unmet needs of patients in a rapid manner. When he or his colleagues get an idea for a molecular diagnostic test, they are able to develop a diagnostic test within a few months. Meeting the unmet needs of patients and physicians into molecular diagnostic tests that enable personalized medicine is what keeps him “ticking every minute.”
Dr. Ramamoorthy defines himself as a “social entrepreneur” – a person who uses market principles to further social aims. In addition to creating cutting-edge molecular diagnostic tests that help those in industrialized nations, he aspires to create low-cost molecular diagnostics tests for the developing world, where infectious diseases like malaria and tuberculosis are the leading causes of death.
Special Interests
Research Interests
Translating genomic biomarkers in immunology, chronic respiratory disease and lung cancer into molecular diagnostic tests; commercialization of Laboratory Developed Tests (LTDs); co-development of diagnostic tests with pharma/biotech and diagnostic companies; molecular diagnostic technology co-development and benchmarking; genomic, transcriptomic and epigenomic profiling; Application of next-gen sequencing tests in clinical diagnostics; miRNA profiling, validation and test development; clinical trials support for genomic and infectious disease biomarkers.
Teaching or Professional Positions
Scientific committee member of Q-PCR symposium
Guest lecturer for the Molecular Diagnostics Program, Michigan State University
Professional Memberships
Association of Molecular Pathology
Awards & Recognition
Reviewer, Journal of Asthma
Albert Krall Memorial Award, 8th Annual South Carolina Statewide Research Conference: Molecular Approaches to Biological Problems, January 1999, Wild Dunes
Executive committee member of EPPIC, a life sciences entrepreneurial organization, 2003-2007
Publications
Preveen Ramamoorthy, Rina Das, Niranjan Kanesa-Thasan, Robert Putnak and Marti Jett. Host Immune Gene Expression Profiling In the Diagnosis of DEN Infection and Application of Nanogen’s Microelectronic/Microfluidics Chip to Profile Host Immune Gene Expression Responses. 23rd Army Science Conference: “Transformational Science & Technology for the Army...a race for speed and precision.” Orlando, FL, 2-5 December 2002.
Marti Jett, Boris Ionin, Rina Das, Preveen Ramamoorthy and Roger Neill. Enterotoxins: Thomas E. Creighton (ed.) Encyclopedia of Molecular Medicine. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2002, ISBN: 0-471-37494-6.
Ramamoorthy P, Wagner TE, Chen WY. In Vitro Effects of a Human Prolactin Antagonist, hPRL-G129R in Breast Cancer Cells. International Journal of Oncology, January 2001, 18 (1): 25-32.
Cataldo LA, Chen NY, Qiu Y, Li W, Ramamoorthy P, Wagner TE, Chen WY. Inhibition of the Oncogene STAT3 by a Human Prolactin (PRL) Antagonist is a PRL Receptor Specific Event. International Journal of Oncology, December 2000; 17 (6): 1179-85.
Chen WY, Ramamoorthy P, Chen NY, Sticca R, Wagner TE. A Human Prolactin Antagonist, hPRL-G129R, Inhibits Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation through Induction of Apoptosis. Clinical Cancer Research, November 1999, 5:3583-3593.
