Welcome to the Kolhe Lab at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University

We are a state-of-the-art molecular diagnostics lab specializing in ____ and an NCI-designated translational pathology laboratory for Molecular Analysis for Therapy Choice (MATCH) comprehensive genomic testing in oncology.

Ravindra Kolhe is a Professor and Distinguished Chair of Pathology at the Medical College of Georgia. and the inaugural. He also serves as the Associate Dean for Translational Research and Associate Director for Genomics at the Georgia Cancer Center.

Ravindra Kolhe, MD, PhD, FCAP

Professor and Chair, Department of Pathology

Edgar R. Pund, MD, Distinguished Chair in Pathology

Director, Georgia Esoteric and Molecular Laboratory

Associate Dean for Translational Research, Medical College of Georgia

Associate Director for Genomics, Georgia Cancer Center

He co-founded a consortium (SEQUOIA) of over 40+ clinical laboratories across the globe for the democratization of NGS testing in oncology and successfully helped multiple labs bring NGS testing in-house. He has led several studies focused on adapting and validating newer technologies (NGS, RNA-seq, OGM, etc.) in CLIA laboratories by establishing PLA, Z-codes, GAP filing, and reimbursement.

He has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and serves on CAP committees and scientific advisory boards for numerous private and non-profit organizations.

Lab Members

Ashis Mondal, PhD

Lab Supervisor

Assistant Professor

Kimya Jones, MS, HT(ASCP)CM, QIHC(ASCP)CM

Lab Manager

Vishakha Vashisht, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

Pankaj Ahluwalia, PhD

Assistant Professor

Harmanpreet Singh, PhD

Research Associate

Ashutosh Vashisht, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

Jana Woodall, MPH

Pandemic Medicine Fellow

Aruna Bandi Ganta, MSc

Data Coordinator

Research Projects

SARS2 Seroprevalence and Respiratory Tract Assessment (SPARTA)

The goal of this project is to understand the immune responses that emerge in response to this Sars-COV-2 infection in health care workers and their immediate families.

Understanding the role of JAK inhibition (with Ruxolitinib) on the Donor T-cell population

The goal of this project is to investigate by pulsing donor cells with Ruxolitinib in the presence or absence of G-CSF, donor cells do not cause GVHD or cause only minor GVHD after transplantation.

Shaping the future of hereditary cancer testing in minorities

The major goal is to sequence 86 hereditary cancer genes on paired tumor/blood (germline) samples of all patients with solid tumors who undergo their surgery at AU Medical Center. While universal paired testing of tumor and blood (germline) provides direct clinical value to patients, we propose to study whether we can define and overcome minority barriers among Georgia Cancer Center patients.

Clinical validation of Saphyr technology for the identification of constitutional genomic variants in a pediatric neurodevelopmental cohort.

The goal of this study is to determine the performance of optical genome mapping as it compares to results from a standard of care genetic testing by chromosomal microarray, or karyotyping, or FISH. Concordance of results will be documented and analyzed in a pediatric neurodevelopmental cohort.

Validation of optical genome mapping (OGM) technology for the identification of constitutional genomic variants in a multisite prenatal study.

The goal of this study is to determine the performance of optical genome mapping as it compares to results from a standard of care genetic testing by chromosomal microarray, karyotyping or FISH. Concordance of results will be documented and analyzed in prenatal cases.

Cellular Heterogeneity and Tumor Microenvironment in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Disparities

The goal of this project is to develop innovative therapeutic strategies targeting tumor cells and the tumor microenvironment (TME) in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), which disproportionally affects African American and other minority populations. We hypothesize that differential cellular subpopulations comprising tumor cells and the TME may contribute to disparate TNBC prevalence and treatment outcomes.