Amit Kumar, Ph.D.

Amit Kumar, Ph.D., serves as a Program Director in the Nutrition Science Research Group (NSRG), Division of Cancer Prevention (DCP), National Cancer Institute (NCI).

In his current role, he oversees a grant portfolio in nutrition and cancer prevention and interception research that include studies on the effects of dietary components on transcriptomic, metabolomic, and epigenetic changes that can affect cancer-related signaling pathways in normal and tumor microenviroment.

He also helps to coordinate the inter-agency research program between NCI, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Kumar is a member of the NIH Nutrition Research Coordinating Committee and the Trans-NIH Microbiome Working Group.

Before joining NSRG in 2017, Dr. Kumar served as a research fellow and staff scientist at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and the Center of Cancer Research at NCI.  During his tenure in the Intramural program at NIH, he studied the signaling pathways involved in cholesterol homeostasis and the role of Insulin-like growth factors binding proteins (IGFBPs) in Insulin/IGFs signaling and cancer. He also explored the interplay of morphogens signaling (TGF-β family members, Wnts and Fibroblast Growth Factors) in stem cells differentiation and mouse embryonic development using genetic, biochemical, omics, and imaging technology.

Dr. Kumar received his Ph.D. degree in Biochemistry/Immunology from All India Institutes of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, India, where he explored the role of immune complexes as markers in immune-complex mediated autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and nephritis.