Shanker Japa, MPhil, PhD

Associate Professor of School of Medicine

Director, Clinical Trials Cooperative Core Laboratory
Phone
(504) 988-4011
Office Address
1440 Canal St., New Orleans, LA 70112
School of Medicine
Department
Medicine
This is a headshot of Dr. Shanker Japa.

Biography

Dr. Shanker Japa is an Associate Professor at the Tulane University School of Medicine (SOM) and Director of the Clinical Trials Cooperative (CTC) Core Laboratory. With over 25 years of experience, Dr. Japa is a leading expert in clinical biospecimen handling, molecular diagnostics, and clinical chemistry.

Dr. Japa has worked extensively with the Tulane Clinical Pathology Laboratories, the NIH-supported Tulane-LSU-Charity General Clinical Research Center, and the Clinical Translational Research Center Core Laboratories. He has led CAP inspections for general and molecular pathology, as well as next-generation sequencing (NGS), and directed multiple CLIA and CAP-certified laboratories, including the Retrovirology laboratory at Tulane SOM Section of Infectious Diseases, the SOM Department of Molecular Pathology, and the SOM Clinical Translational Unit.

Dr. Japa works closely with NIH-sponsored multicenter clinical trials as well as vaccine trials conducted by private companies. He is widely recognized for his expertise in molecular and multiplex immunoassays for biomarker research, and the validation of molecular biology techniques. Dr. Japa collaborates with internal and external investigators to contributing to clinical research with partners such as the NIAID, HVTN, HPTN, Johnson & Johnson (Janssen), and Sanofi Pasteur.

Dr. Japa’s research interests include Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, mitochondria, infectious diseases, cardiovascular and diabetes. Dr. Japa’s lab focuses on detecting Alzheimer's disease and related dementias through minimally invasive liquid biopsy techniques with clinically relevant applications. As a mentor, he has trained numerous resident and fellow physicians, graduate students, and research technicians.

Contributions

  1. Thethi TK, Sigel A, Japa S, Katalenich B, Liu S, Nguyen T, Larrazolo J, Syu S, Carefoot E, McDuffie R, Fonseca V. Racial and sex differences in the polymorphisms of the endocannabinoid receptor genes in obesity. J Diabetes Complications. 2020 Nov;34(11):107682. doi: 10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2020.107682. Epub 2020 Jul 17. PubMed PMID: 32732136; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7508856.
  2. Kimbrell HZ, Sholl AB, Ratnayaka S, Japa S, Lacey M, Carpio G, Bhatia P, Kandil E. BRAF Testing in Multifocal Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma. Biomed Res Int. 2015; 2015:486391. doi: 10.1155/2015/486391. Epub 2015 Sep 13. PubMed PMID: 26448939; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4584030.
  3. Shackelford RE, Whitling NA, McNab P, Japa S, Coppola D. KRAS Testing: A Tool for the Implementation of Personalized Medicine. Genes Cancer. 2012 Jul;3(7-8):459-66. doi: 10.1177/1947601912460547. PubMed PMID: 23264846; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3527988.
  4. Thethi TK, Parsha K, Rajapurkar M, Mukhopadhyay B, Shah S, Yau CL, Japa S, Fonseca V. Urinary catalytic iron in obesity. Clin Chem. 2011 Feb;57(2):272-8. doi: 10.1373/clinchem.2010.154757. Epub 2010 Dec 28. PubMed PMID: 21189275.
  5. Chuang CZ, Boyles A, Legardeur B, Su J, Japa S, Lopez-S A. Effects of riboflavin and folic acid supplementation on plasma homocysteine levels in healthy subjects. Am J Med Sci. 2006 Feb;331(2):65-71. doi: 10.1097/00000441-200602000-00011. PubMed PMID: 16479177.
  6. Clejan S, Mandrea E, Pandrea IV, Dufour J, Japa S, Veazey RS. Immune responses induced by intranasal imiquimod and implications for therapeutics in rhinovirus infections. J Cell Mol Med. 2005 Apr-Jun;9(2):457-61. doi: 10.1111/j.1582-4934.2005.tb00370.x. PubMed PMID: 15963264; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6740272.
  7. Clejan S, Japa S, Clemetson C, Hasabnis SS, David O, Talano JV. Blood histamine is associated with coronary artery disease, cardiac events and severity of inflammation and atherosclerosis. J Cell Mol Med. 2002 Oct-Dec;6(4):583-92. doi: 10.1111/j.1582-4934.2002.tb00456.x. PubMed PMID: 12611642; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6741342.
  8. Cuchacovich R, Japa S, Huang WQ, Calvo A, Vega L, Vargas RB, Singh R, Flores D, Castro I, Espinoza LR. Detection of bacterial DNA in Latin American patients with reactive arthritis by polymerase chain reaction and sequencing analysis. J Rheumatol. 2002 Jul;29(7):1426-9. PubMed PMID: 12136901.
  9. Obungu V, Yu LP, Japa S, Beattie DS. The role of the membrane-spanning and extra-membranous regions of the iron-sulfur protein in its assembly into the cytochrome bc1 complex of yeast mitochondria. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1997 Oct 20;1321(3):229-37. doi: 10.1016/s0005-2728(97)00057-1. PubMed PMID: 9393640.
  10. Japa S, Sun JZ, Beattie DS. Import of subunit VII of the cytochrome bc1 complex into yeast mitochondrial. Arch Biochem Biophys. 1995 May 10;319(1):250-6. doi: 10.1006/abbi.1995.1289. PubMed PMID: 7771792.
  11. Beattie DS, Japa S, Howton M, Zhu QS. Direct interaction between the internal NADH: ubiquinone oxidoreductase and ubiquinol:cytochrome c oxidoreductase in the reduction of exogenous quinones by yeast mitochondria. Arch Biochem Biophys. 1992 Feb 1;292(2):499-505. doi: 10.1016/0003-9861(92)90022-o. PubMed PMID: 1309974.
  12. Fu W, Japa S, Beattie DS. Import of the iron-sulfur protein of the cytochrome b.c1 complex into yeast mitochondria. J Biol Chem. 1990 Sep 25;265(27):16541-7. PubMed PMID: 2168894.
  13. Japa S, Beattie DS. Electron transfer through center o of the cytochrome b-c1 complex of yeast mitochondria involves subunit VII, the ubiquinone-binding protein. J Biol Chem. 1989 Aug 25;264(24):13994-7. PubMed PMID: 2547777.
  14. Japa S, Beattie DS. The iron-sulfur protein is necessary for the complete assembly of the low-molecular-weight subunits into the cytochrome b-c1 complex of yeast mitochondria. Arch Biochem Biophys. 1989 Feb 1;268(2):716-20. doi: 10.1016/0003-9861(89)90340-8. PubMed PMID: 2536536.
  15. Japa S, Beattie DS. Cytochrome b is necessary for the assembly of subunit VII in the cytochrome b-c1 complex of yeast mitochondria. Arch Biochem Biophys. 1988 Jul;264(1):231-7. doi: 10.1016/0003-9861(88)90589-9. PubMed PMID: 2840025.
  16. Japa S, Zhu QS, Beattie DS. Subunit VII, the ubiquinone-binding protein, of the cytochrome b-c1 complex of yeast mitochondria is involved in electron transport at center o and faces the matrix side of the membrane. J Biol Chem. 1987 Apr 25;262(12):5441-4. PubMed PMID: 3032932.

To view more of Dr. Japa publications, visit https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/shanker.japa.1/bibliography/public/