Basu Lab
Head and Neck Cancer Biology and Translational Therapeutics
Devraj Basu Laboratory
Dept. Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
Philadelphia, PA USA
Varun Sahu, B.S. After graduating from Rutgers University, Mr. Sahu served the lab from 2014 until 2019 as a Research Specialist. In addition to participating in all basic studies in the laboratory, he played a central role in developing the unique patient-derived models now available to the lab, including the multiple PDXs, organoids, and cell lines derived from HPV+ head and neck cancers. He is presently working in the lab of Anil Rustgi, MD at Columbia University and applying to medical school.
Pubmed link:
Select publications:
Sannigrahi MK, Rajagopalan P, Lai L, Liu X, Sahu V, Nakagawa H, Jalaly JB, Brody RM, Morgan IM, Windle BE, Wang X, Gimotty PA, Kelly DP, White EA, Basu D. HPV E6 regulates therapy responses in oropharyngeal cancer by repressing the PGC-1α/ERRα axis. JCI Insight. 2022 Sep 22;7(18).
Brody RM, Shimunov D, Cohen RB, Lin A, Lukens JN, Hartner L, Aggarwal C, Duvvuri U, Montone KT, Jalaly JB, LiVolsi VA, Carey RM, Shanti RM, Rajasekaran K, Chalian AA, Rassekh CH, Cannady SB, Newman JG, O'Malley BW, Weinstein GS, Gimotty PA, Basu D. A benchmark for oncologic outcomes and model for lethal recurrence risk after transoral robotic resection of HPV-related oropharyngeal cancers. Oral Oncol. 2022 Apr;127:105798.
Hatterschide J, Castagnino P, Kim HW, Sperry SM, Montone KT, Basu D, White EA. YAP1 activation by human papillomavirus E7 promotes basal cell identity in squamous epithelia. Elife. 2022 Feb 16;11.
Carey RM, Shimunov D, Weinstein GS, Cannady SB, Lukens JN, Lin A, Swisher-McClure S, Bauml JM, Aggarwal C, Cohen RB, Newman JG, Chalian AA, Rassekh CH, Basu D, O'Malley BW Jr, Rajasekaran K, Brody RM. Increased rate of recurrence and high rate of salvage in patients with human papillomavirus-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma with adverse features treated with primary surgery without recommended adjuvant therapy. Head Neck. 2021 Apr;43(4):1128-1141.
Facompre ND, Rajagopalan P, Sahu V, Pearson AT, Montone KT, James CD, Gleber-Netto FO, Weinstein GS, Jalaly J, Lin A, Rustgi AK, Nakagawa H, Califano JA, Pickering CR, White EA, Windle BE, Morgan IM, Cohen RB, Gimotty PA, Basu D. Identifying predictors of HPV-related head and neck squamous cell carcinoma progression and survival through patient-derived models. Int J Cancer. 2020 Dec 1;147(11):3236-3249. Epub 2020 Jul 6.
Facompre ND, Harmeyer KM, Sole X, Kabraji S, Belden Z, Sahu V, Whelan K, Tanaka K, Weinstein GS, Montone KT, Roesch A, Gimotty PA, Herlyn M, Rustgi AK, Nakagawa H, Ramaswamy S, Basu D: JARID1B Enables Transit between Distinct States of the Stem-like Cell Population in Oral Cancers. Cancer Res 76(18): 5538-49, Sep 2016.
Harmeyer KM, Facompre ND, Herlyn M, Basu D. JARID1 Histone Demethylases: Emerging Targets in Cancer. Trends Cancer. 2017 Oct;3(10):713-725
Facompre ND, Harmeyer KM, Sahu V, Gimotty PA, Rustgi AK, Nakagawa H, Basu D: Targeting JARID1B's Demethylase Activity Blocks a Subset of Its Functions in Oral Cancer Oncotarget 9(10): 8985-8998, December 2017.
Facompre ND, Sahu V, Montone KT, Harmeyer KM, Nakagawa H, Rustgi AD, Weinstein GS, Gimotty PA, Basu D : Barriers to Generating PDX Models of HPV-Related Head and Neck Cancer. Laryngoscope 127(12): 2777-2783, Dec 2017.
Natsuizaka M, Whelan K, Kagawa S, Tanaka K, Giroux V, Chandramouleeswaran P, Long A, Sahu V, Darling D, Que J, Yang Y, Katz J, Wileyto E, Basu D, Kita Y, Natsugoe S, Naganuma S, Klein-Szanto A, Diehl JA, Bass A, Wong K, Rustgi A, Nakagawa H. Interplay between Notch1 and Notch3 promotes EMT and tumor initiation in squamous cell carcinoma. Nature Communications 8(1): 1758, Nov 2017.
Basu D, Bewley AF, Sperry SM, Montone KT, Gimotty PA, Rasanen K, Facompre ND, Weinstein GS, Nakagawa H, Diehl JA, Rustgi AK, Herlyn M : EGFR Inhibition Promotes an Aggressive Invasion Pattern Mediated by Mesenchymal-like Tumor Cells within Squamous Cell Carcinomas. Mol Cancer Ther 12(10): 2176-86, Oct 2013.
Facompre N, Nakagawa H, Herlyn M, Basu D: Stem-like cells and therapy resistance in squamous cell carcinomas. Adv Pharmacol 65: 235-65, October 2012.
Basu D, Montone KT, Wang LP, Gimotty PA, Hammond R, Diehl JA, Rustgi AK, Lee JT, Rasanen K, Weinstein GS, Herlyn M: Detecting and targeting mesenchymal-like subpopulations within squamous cell carcinomas. Cell Cycle 10(12): 2008-16, Jun 2011.
Basu D, Ngyen TK, Montone KT, Zhang BS, Wang L, Diehl JA, Rustgi AK, Lee JT, Weinstein GS, Herlyn M: Evidence for mesenchymal-like subpopulations within squamous cell carcinomas possessing chemoresistance and phenotypic plasticity. Oncogene 29(29): 4170-82, Jul 2010.