Avaniyapuram Kannan Murugan

Dr. Murugan is a Senior Scientist and Team Leader of the Oncogenomics and Translational Oncology Laboratory in the Department of Molecular Oncology at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Saudi Arabia. His research focuses on molecular and cellular oncology, cancer genetics, and oncogenic signaling pathways, including PI3K/AKT/mTOR and RTKs/RAS/MAPK, in solid tumors, with particular emphasis on endocrine malignancies such as thyroid cancer. He is currently leading several IRB-approved research projects centered on cancer genomics, noncoding RNAs, and precision oncology, aiming to elucidate molecular mechanisms of cancer, identify novel therapeutic targets, and improve prognostic and diagnostic strategies. Dr. Murugan has published extensively in high-impact international journals and holds a U.S. patent. He is consistently ranked among Stanford University’s World’s Top 2% Most Cited Scientists in both single-year and career-long categories and serves as an Associate and Academic Editor for several international journals.

Cancer Genomics and Precision Oncology.

Molecular and Cellular Oncology.

Oncogenic Cell Signaling Pathways (PI3K/AKT/mTOR, RTKs, RAS, MAPK).

Endocrine and Solid Tumor Malignancies.

Noncoding RNAs and Epigenetic Regulation in Cancer.

Translational and Functional Cancer Genomics and NGS.

Molecular Diagnostics and Prognostic Biomarker Discovery.

Dr. Murugan has over 25 years of research experience in cancer biology and has been educated and trained at several premier institutions across the globe. He completed his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and MPhil degrees in Genetics from the University of Madras and also holds a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Mysore, India. He earned his PhD from the Department of Molecular Oncology at Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan, with support from the Japanese Government Monbukagakusho Fellowship, where his doctoral research focused on head and neck cancers. He subsequently undertook postdoctoral training at Hoshi University, Tokyo, specializing in signal transduction, and at the Johns Hopkins University, USA, in the Departments of Medicine and Oncology, where he conducted advanced research in various solid malignancies cancers including thyroid. His career spans basic, translational, and clinical cancer research, with a strong emphasis on oncogenic signaling, cancer genetics, and precision oncology.