Dr. Aswin Natarajan joins CCRI team
Dr. Aswin Natarajan has joined UMMC and CCRI as an assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, bringing expertise in structural immunology and cancer immunotherapy.
In addition to his academic appointment, Natarajan will contribute to the mission of the Cancer Center and Research Institute, supporting our continued progress toward National Cancer Institute designation and strengthening our growing portfolio in cancer immunology and experimental therapeutics.
He brings more than two decades of experience in structural biology, biophysics and molecular biology, complemented by over 14 years of focused work in T-cell biology and cancer immunology. His research has centered on understanding the molecular mechanisms that govern T cell receptor signaling — work that has advanced the field’s understanding of how T cells recognize antigens and initiate immune responses.
His contributions include:
• Defining the extracellular architecture of the TCR CD3 complex, using NMR spectroscopy, photo crosslinking, and computational modeling — work published in Cell Reports and EMBO Reports.
• Identifying structural determinants that regulate T cell activation, including key signaling motifs within the TCR constant domains.
• Co-authoring and contributing to multiple NIH funded grants, including an NCI R21 as principal investigator and two R01 grants focused on optimizing TCR CD3 signaling for cancer immunotherapy.
• Developing strategies to enhance T cell responses against melanoma and other solid tumors, with an emphasis on improving the safety and specificity of engineered TCR and CAR based therapies.
Before joining UMMC, he served as an Instructor in the Department of Pathology at New York University Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, where he led and collaborated on projects spanning T cell mechanotransduction, phospho neoantigen recognition and checkpoint blockade responsiveness. His work has involved extensive collaboration with leaders in biophysics, computational biology and immunotherapy, including partnerships with academic and industry groups.
A native of Chennai, India, he earned his B.Tech. in Industrial Biotechnology from Anna University before completing both his M.Phil. and PhD in Biochemistry at the City University of New York.