Arur Laboratory
Swathi Arur, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Areas of Research
- Developmental Biology
- miRNAs
- ncRNAs
- Nutrition
- Meiosis
- Cancer Metastasis
Welcome to the Arur Laboratory. We use multidisciplinary approaches and model systems with a goal to gain knowledge into three specific biological questions. We hope to understand the basis of (i) environmental signaling and its role in female and male fertility, (ii) signaling and control of birth defects, with specific focus on Ras pathway and (iii) signaling-based control of post-transcriptional regulation on cancer metastasis.
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Research Focus
- Female and male germ cell development primarily in C. elegans
- Role of Ras signaling on embryonic morphogenesis in C. elegans
- Mechanisms of cancer progression and metastasis using mouse models and human cultured cells.
Research projects in the Arur Laboratory are focused on the following major areas:
- Unraveling the environmentally regulated mechanisms and molecules that control meiotic I progression in female germ cells. We use C. elegans as our model system for this work.
- Determining the role of small RNA pathways and post-transcriptional regulation during male and female germ cell development in C. elegans.
- Understanding the role of Ras signaling during embryonic morphogenesis in C. elegans.
- Identifying principles that regulate tumor progression upon signal-mediated regulation of post-transcriptional regulation rather than through the increase in mutational burden. We use mouse and cultured cells as models for this work.
Explore the various links on our web page and get to know us and our research. We welcome discussions; please contact us using our email address.
Meet the Team
From left to right: Shin-Yu Chen, Melany Puente, Deba Das, Xingxing Yan, Amelia Li, Han Bit Baek, Kenneth Trimmer, Nick Newkirk, Rares Drula, Tokiko Furuta, Lisa Watson, Swathi Arur (PI).
Arur Lab News
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September 24, 2025
Congratulations to Nick Newkirk for successfully defending his Ph.D. thesis on the role of Dicer modulation in regulating oocyte to embryo transition in C. elegans.
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September 15, 2025
Congratulations to Swathi for being awarded the 2025 Paul E. Darlington Mentor Award from MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. This prestigious award is presented annually to honor a graduate school faculty member who has demonstrated exceptional impact on both graduate school students and faculty through their mentoring efforts.
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September 9, 2025
Congratulations to Swathi for being awarded the D. Dudley and Judy White Oldham Faculty Award from MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. This award is given to recognize an exceptional graduate school faculty member who consistently demonstrates excellence in service and leadership.