Rakesh K. Jain is the Andrew Werk Cook Professor of Tumor Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital

Massachusetts General Hospital

Massachusetts General Hospital is a teaching hospital and biomedical research facility in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts...

 in the Harvard Medical School

Harvard Medical School

Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....

. Dr. Jain primarily researches tumor

Tumor

A tumor or tumour is commonly used as a synonym for a neoplasm that appears enlarged in size. Tumor is not synonymous with cancer...

 pathophysiology

Pathophysiology

Pathophysiology is the study of the changes of normal mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions, either caused by a disease, or resulting from an abnormal syndrome...

. His work on cancer therapies led to discovery of an alternate use of Herceptin, an anti-tumor cell pharmaceutical compound produced by Genentech

Genentech

Genentech Inc., or Genetic Engineering Technology, Inc., is a biotechnology corporation, founded in 1976 by venture capitalist Robert A. Swanson and biochemist Dr. Herbert Boyer. Trailing the founding of Cetus by five years, it was an important step in the evolution of the biotechnology industry...

, as an inhibitor for blood vessel

Blood vessel

The blood vessels are the part of the circulatory system that transports blood throughout the body. There are three major types of blood vessels: the arteries, which carry the blood away from the heart; the capillaries, which enable the actual exchange of water and chemicals between the blood and...

 growth necessary for tumor growth. His award-winning work on tumor biology has been recognized by a number of professional recognitions, including the following awards in 2006:

• Distinguished Service Award, Nature Biotechnology-Miami Symposium on Angiogenesis
• Outstanding Achievement Award, Society of American Asian Scientists in Cancer Research
• Robert L. Krigel Lecture, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia
• Alpha Chi Sigma
  Alpha Chi Sigma
  Alpha Chi Sigma is a professional fraternity specializing in the field of chemistry. It has both collegiate and professional chapters throughout the United States consisting of both men and women and numbering more than 63,400 members...
  
   Research Award, American Institute of Chemical Engineers
  American Institute of Chemical Engineers
  The American Institute of Chemical Engineers is a professional organization for chemical engineers.AIChE was established in 1908 with the purpose of establishing chemical engineers as a profession independent from chemists and mechanical engineers.As of 2010, AIChE had over 40,000 members,...
  
  
• Benjamin Zweifach Distinguished Lecture, The City College, New York

Dr. Jain received his B.Tech. degree from the Indian Institutes of Technology

Indian Institutes of Technology

The Indian Institutes of Technology are a group of autonomous engineering and technology-oriented institutes of higher education. The IITs are governed by the Institutes of Technology Act, 1961 which has declared them as “institutions of national importance”, and lays down their powers, duties,...

 in Chemical Engineering

Chemical engineering

Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...

 in 1972 and received his M.Ch.E. and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Delaware

University of Delaware

The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...

 in 1974 and 1976, respectively. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering

National Academy of Engineering

The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...

, the Institute of Medicine

Institute of Medicine

The Institute of Medicine is a not-for-profit, non-governmental American organization founded in 1970, under the congressional charter of the National Academy of Sciences...

, and the National Academy of Sciences

United States National Academy of Sciences

The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...

.

Research work

Dr. Jain's Taming Vessels To Treat Cancer, published in Scientific American of January 2008, describes his work in solid cancer tumors. The main theory suggested in this article is to normalize the tumor blood vessels in order to improve the effect of chemotherapy and radiation treatment. This can be achieved using angiogenesis inhibitor drugs, and has shown promise in reducing edema in mice with glioblastoma.

External links

• Curriculum Vitae at Harvard Medical School