Anjana Bhardwaj, MS, PhD
Department of Breast Surgical Oncology, Division of Surgery
Research Interests
My research efforts have been focused around understanding the early molecular changes that underlie the development of breast cancer and their targeting for prevention of breast cancer across all subtype including the most aggressive triple negative breast cancer for which there are no targeted therapies. In particular, one of my goals been identification and targeting of miRNA and their downstream functional genes changes that characterize pre-neoplastic transition in breast cancer and targeting of their downstream pathways for prevention of breast cancer by repurposing low toxicity drugs that are already in clinic. We will be testing these drugs in a small scale clinical trial for prevention of breast cancer. Our molecular profiling studies from breast samples that represent a histological continuum from normal to invasive breast cancer have revealed that a vast majority of gene and protein level changes occur early (during normal like to hyperplasia) transition in breast cancer development and suggested a that change in immune environment might play a role in driving the progression of molecularly altered DCIS lesions to invasive breast cancer transition. These results have shaped the second line of my recent research efforts that are focused on characterizing the immune environment during breast cancer development and if these can be targeted for prevention of breast cancer.
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2002 | Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, IND, PHD, Cancer Biology |
| 1997 | Panjab University, Chandigarh, IND, MS, Biophysics |
| 1994 | Panjab University, Chandigarh, IND, BS, Biophysics |
Postgraduate Training
| 2003-2009 | Post Doc Fellow, Molecular Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX |
| 2002-2003 | Post Doc Fellow, Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX |
Experience & Service
Academic Appointments
Assistant Professor, Department of Breast Surgical Oncology, Division of Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2013 - 2022
Honors & Awards
| 2006 | Best Oral Presentation Award, Texas Forum For Reproductive Sciences |
| 2005 | Lalor Foundation Fellowship, Lalor Foundation |
| 2002 | K. S. Koregaonkar Award, Indian Society of Biophysics |
| 1998 | PGIMER fellow, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research |
| 1998 | GATE Fellow |
Professional Memberships
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Bhardwaj A, Embury MD, Ju Z, Wang J, Bedrosian I. Gene signature associated with resistance to fluvastatin chemoprevention for breast cancer. BMC Cancer 22(282):282, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35296281.
- Bhardwaj A, Sohni A, Lou CH, De Gendt K, Zhang F, Kim E, Subbarayalu P, Chan W, Kerkhofs S, Claessens F, Kimmins S, Rao MK, Meistrich M, Wilkinson MF. Concordant Androgen-Regulated Expression of Divergent Rhox5 Promoters in Sertoli Cells. Endocrinology 163(1):bqab237, 2022. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 34902009.
- Bhardwaj A, Embury MD, Rojo RD, Albarracin C, Bedrosian I. Efficacy of fluvastatin and aspirin for prevention of hormonally insensitive breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat 187(2):364-374, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 33893908.
- Zhenlin Ju1,*, Anjana Bhardwaj2,*, Matthew D. Embury2, Harpreet Singh2, Preethi Gunaratne3, Isabelle Bedrosian2,†, Jing Wang1,†. Integrative analyses of multi-level omics reveal preneoplastic breast to possess a molecular landscape that is globally shared with invasive basal-like breast cancer. Cancers 12(3), 2020. PMID: 32204397.
- Bhardwaj A, Singh H, Trinidad CM, Albarracin CT, Hunt KK, Bedrosian I. The isomiR-140-3p-regulated mevalonic acid pathway as a potential target for prevention of triple negative breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res 20(1):150, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 30537987.
- Bhardwaj A, Singh H, Rajapakshe K, Tachibana K, Ganesan N, Pan Y, Gunaratne PH, Coarfa C, Bedrosian I. Regulation of miRNA-29c and its downstream pathways in preneoplastic progression of triple-negative breast cancer. Oncotarget 8(12):19645-19660, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28160548.
- Anjana Bhardwaj, Nivetha Ganesan, Kazunoshin Tachibana, Kimal Rajapakshe, Constance T. Albarracin, Preethi H. Gunaratne, Cristian Coarfa, and Isabelle Bedrosian. Annexin A1 overexpression preferentially predicts poor prognosis of basal-like breast cancer patients by activating mTOR-S6 signaling. PLoS One 10(5):e1027678, 2015. e-Pub 2015.
- Rao MK, Matsumoto Y, Richardson ME, Panneerdoss S, Bhardwaj A, Ward JM, Shanker S, Bettegowda A, Wilkinson MF. Hormone- and DNA Demethylation-Induced Relief of a Tissue-Specific and Developmentally Regulated Block in Transcriptional Elongation. J Biol Chem 289(51):35087-101, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 25331959.
- Bhardwaj A, Rosen D, Liu M, Liu Y, Hao Q, Ganesan N, Etzel CJ, Gullett A, Albarracin CT, Bedrosian I. Suppression of Akt-mTOR pathway-a novel component of oncogene induced DNA damage response barrier in breast tumorigenesis. PLoS One 9(5):e97076, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 24811059.
- Bhardwaj A, Song HW, Beildeck M, Kerkhofs S, Castoro R, Shanker S, De Gendt K, Suzuki K, Claessens F, Issa JP, Orgebin-Crist MC, Wilkinson MF. DNA demethylation-dependent AR recruitment and GATA factors drive Rhox5 homeobox gene transcription in the epididymis. Mol Endocrinol 26(4):538-49, 2012. e-Pub 2012. PMID: 22322598.
- Bruno IG, Karam R, Huang L, Bhardwaj A, Lou CH, Shum EY, Song HW, Corbett MA, Gifford WD, Gecz J, Pfaff SL, Wilkinson MF. Identification of a MicroRNA that Activates Gene Expression by Repressing Nonsense-Mediated RNA Decay. Mol Cell 42(4):500-10, 2011. e-Pub 2011. PMID: 21596314.
- Maclean JA, Bettegowda A, Kim BJ, Lou CH, Yang SM, Bhardwaj A, Shanker S, Hu Z, Fan Y, Eckardt S, McLaughlin KJ, Skoultchi AI, Wilkinson MF. The rhox homeobox gene cluster is imprinted and selectively targeted for regulation by histone h1 and DNA methylation. Mol Cell Biol 31(6):1275-87, 2011. e-Pub 2011. PMID: 21245380.
- Bhardwaj A, Rao MK, Kaur R, Buttigieg MR, Wilkinson MF. GATA factors and androgen receptor collaborate to transcriptionally activate the Rhox5 homeobox gene in Sertoli cells. Mol Cell Biol 28(7):2138-53, 2008. e-Pub 2008. PMID: 18212046.
- Hu Z, MacLean JA, Bhardwaj A, Wilkinson MF. Regulation and function of the Rhox5 homeobox gene. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1120:72-83, 2007. e-Pub 2007. PMID: 18184911.
- Bhardwaj A, Sethi G, Vadhan-Raj S, Bueso-Ramos C, Takada Y, Gaur U, Nair AS, Shishodia S, Aggarwal BB. Resveratrol inhibits proliferation, induces apoptosis, and overcomes chemoresistance through down-regulation of STAT3 and nuclear factor-kappaB-regulated antiapoptotic and cell survival gene products in human multiple myeloma cells. Blood 109(6):2293-302, 2007. e-Pub 2006. PMID: 17164350.
- Bhardwaj A, Wilkinson MF. A metabolic enzyme doing double duty as a transcription factor. BioEssays 27(5):467-71, 2005. e-Pub 2005. PMID: 15832388.
- Li S, Wilkinson M, Xia X, David M, Xu L, Purkel-Sutton A, Bhardwaj A. Induction of IFN-regulated factors and antitumoral surveillance by transfected placebo plasmid DNA. Mol Ther 11(1):112-9, 2005. e-Pub 2005. PMID: 15585412.
- Takada Y, Bhardwaj A, Potdar P, Aggarwal BB. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents differ in their ability to suppress NF-kappaB activation, inhibition of expression of cyclooxygenase-2 and cyclin D1, and abrogation of tumor cell proliferation. Oncogene 23(57):9247-58, 2004. e-Pub 2004. PMID: 15489888.
- Aggarwal BB, Bhardwaj A, Aggarwal RS, Seeram NP, Shishodia S, Takada Y. Role of resveratrol in prevention and therapy of cancer: preclinical and clinical studies. Anticancer Res 24(5A):2783-840, 2004. e-Pub 2004. PMID: 15517885.
- Khanduja KL, Bhardwaj A, Kaushik G. Resveratrol inhibits N-nitrosodiethylamine- induced ornithine decarboxylase and cyclooxygenase in mice. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo) 50(1):61-5, 2004. e-Pub 2004. PMID: 15228220.
- Bhardwaj A, Aggarwal BB. Receptor-mediated choreography of life and death. J Clin Immunol 23(5):317-32, 2003. PMID: 14601641.
- Khanduja K.L. and Bhardwaj A.. Stable free radical scavenging and antiperoxidative properties of resveratrol compared in vitro with some other bioflavonoids. Ind. J. Biotechnology, 2003. e-Pub 2003.
- Sharma, R.N., Bhardwaj A. and Khanduja, K.L.. Oxidative burden and antioxidant defense system in polymorphonuclear leukocytes of human lung diseases. Indian Journal of Biochemistry and Biophysics, 2002. e-Pub 2002.
- Khanduja, K. L., Verma, A. and Bhardwaj A.. Impairment of human sperm motility by quercetin is independent of lipid peroxidation. Andrologia 33(5):277-281, 2001. e-Pub 2001.
- Bhardwaj A, Khanduja, K.L and Sangari R.K. (2001). Alizarin inhibits oxidative damage and lung tumors in mice induced by N-nitrosodiethylamine. International Journal of Medicine Biology and Environment, 2001. e-Pub 2001.
- Khanduja, K.L., Sangari, R.K. and Bhardwaj, A.. Caffeine, Quercetin and Alizarin stimulate the exhalation of metabolic end products of [14C]-N-nitrosodiethylamine in mice. Indian Journal of Experimental Biology, 2001. e-Pub 2001.
- Bhardwaj A., Verma, A., Majumdar, S. and Khanduja, K. L.. Status of vitamin E and reduced glutathione in semen of oligozoospermic and azoospermic patients. Asian Journal of Andrology 2(3):161-166, 2000. e-Pub 2000.
Grant & Contract Support
| Title: | “Targeting of miRNA-140 and its downstream pathway for prevention of triple negative breast cancer” |
| Funding Source: | DFI |
| Role: | Co-Investigator |
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified January 09, 2024