Swapna Asuthkar, PhD
Assistant Director of Research Services
Research Services
Cancer Biology and Pharmacology
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1 Illini Drive, Peoria, IL, 61605
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About
Dr. Asuthkar serves as the Assistant Director of Research Services, where she provides strategic leadership in student research mentorship, faculty collaboration, and institutional research advancement. She coordinates student-mentor matching programs by engaging both medical students seeking research opportunities and faculty mentors willing to guide them, ensuring meaningful alignment between student interests and faculty expertise across clinical and translational research. She works closely with the Director to support student research initiatives and manages institutional grant administration and compliance documentation.
In parallel, Dr. Asuthkar directs the Asuthkar Lab within the Department of Cancer Biology and Pharmacology, where her research program focuses on the molecular mechanisms and epigenetic regulation of pediatric brain tumors, particularly medulloblastoma, as well as prostate cancer biology and ion channel function. Throughout her career, she has mentored numerous medical students, James Scholars, Craig Fellows, and undergraduate and graduate students in her laboratory. Her discoveries have elucidated key roles of immune checkpoint B7-H3 and histone methyltransferases in tumor progression and radioresistance, and the TRPM8 ion channel in prostate cancer and behavioral responses. Her research has been supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), and reflecting her commitment to translational medicine, her recent work on novel therapeutic compounds is currently advancing through the full patent application process.
Dr. Asuthkar brings deep institutional and regulatory expertise to UICOMP. She serves as the Chair of the Chemical Safety Committee and as an NIH Ad Hoc Reviewer for the Advancing Therapeutics (ATA) study section, ensuring rigorous peer evaluation of grant proposals nationally. Her teaching portfolio spans cancer biology, molecular pathology, and translational oncology in both classroom and laboratory settings, engaging medical students in foundational and clinical sciences. Dr. Asuthkar holds a PhD in Animal Sciences from Hyderabad Central University and completed postdoctoral training at UICOMP. She is an active member of the American Association for Cancer Research, American Society for Clinical Oncology, and Children's Oncology Group, and serves on editorial boards for leading oncology journals.
Publication Aggregators
Notable Honors
2020-2021, Outstanding Research Award in Recognition of Significant Contribution to the Mission of the Institution, UICOMP
2022-2023, Outstanding Research Award In Recognition of Significant Contribution to the Mission of the Institution, UICOMP
2024-2025, Outstanding Clinical, Technological, OR Scholarly Achievements Applied to Medical Research Award, UICOMP