An innovative and patient-oriented scientist, Ashok Srinivasan has an extensive history of scientific, clinical, and leadership achievement.
As the Translational Research Scientist for NSABP Foundation/NRG Pittsburgh, Ashok has dedicated the past seven years to translating scientific advances to clinical trials, supporting new technology and therapeutic advancements for breast and colorectal cancer. In this role, Ashok has consulted as a molecular genetics / genomics expert in developing scientific rationales for 10+ clinical trials and educated clinical trialists on emerging trends and best practices in oncology research. He has also been instrumental in generating scientific documentation for intellectual property and patent application filings.
Ashok spearheaded the implementation and management of one of the first Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) facilities in Pittsburgh. As the NGS Facility Director at the University of Pittsburgh and as a Translational Scientist at the NSABP, he guided a team of technicians and postdoctoral fellows in the genomic analysis of genetic disease. His research focused on NGS based analysis, genome and transcriptome sequencing, mutational analyses, the identification of disease genes (zebrafish, mouse, human), ribosome profiling, and metagenomics. He was also instrumental in viral threat research investigating viral recombination and virus evolution for Project Prophecy.
Additionally, Ashok has served as a Staff Scientist at NHLBI/NIH and a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh, Department of Biological Sciences.
Ashok earned a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Pittsburgh and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Madras. He was an Inlaks Scholar in Genetics at the University of Cambridge, England. He has held postdoctoral research fellowships at Harvard Medical School and the Cardiovascular Research Center at the Massachusetts General Hospital, where he led a team that completed the zebrafish genetic map.
Ashok brings a valuable combination of knowledge and experience in model systems (viruses, zebrafish, mouse) and human clinical trials. In addition to his wet-lab expertise in virology, molecular biology, genetics, developmental biology, genomics, cardiovascular biology, and oncology, he is also proficient in data science, statistics, and programming. His hands-on approach to research combined with his leadership and training skills enable him to create, build, and develop passionate and productive teams driving innovative applications of cutting-edge research.
Ashok has authored and co-authored more than 20 publications in basic and clinical research. His primary motivation is overcoming barriers to effective precision medicine, the data-driven improvement of therapeutic outcomes for patients, and translating insights from oncology to ASD. The heterogeneity of ASD parallels that of cancer. However, in the absence of proven ASD biomarkers, molecular subtyping has not been achieved. The transformation of cancer multi omics, immuno-oncology, and metagenomics into technologies capable of manipulating the genome, proteome, immune system, and microbiome for therapeutic ends has the potential to alter diagnosis and treatment strategies for many diseases, including ASD, profoundly impacting human health.