Role
Dr. Jayakumar Vadakekolathu serves as Associate Professor and leads the Spatial and Single‑Cell Cancer Genomics Group at the John van Geest Cancer Research Centre. His research integrates bulk, single‑cell, and spatial transcriptomics to dissect the molecular architecture of the tumour microenvironment. He also develops next‑generation T‑cell and NK‑cell therapies using gene editing and other genetic engineering technologies. His work elucidates tumour-stromal-immune cell interactions that underpin immune resistance and metastatic progression.
The John van Geest Cancer Research Centre hosts an extensive suite of advanced genomics, proteomics, flow cytometry, and spatial‑profiling technologies. Key platforms include the Sciex ZenoTof 7600 Plus mass spectrometer, Cytek Aurora spectral flow cytometer, NanoString GeoMx® Digital Spatial Profiling System, NanoString nCounter® FLEX Analysis System, the 10x Genomics Chromium-X Single‑Cell Platform, the 10x CytAssist, and the 10x Xenium In Situ system. Together, these capabilities enable high‑resolution single‑cell, spatial, and multi‑omic gene and protein expression analysis.
Career overview
Dr Vadakekolathu obtained an MSc in Biotechnology from Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, India. Following his Master's, he worked as a Senior Research Fellow at the Indian Institute of Spices Research (IISR), Calicut, Kerala, for five years. He then pursued an MRes in Advanced Genomics and Proteomics Sciences (AGPS), a joint programme between the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University. He later completed his PhD in Cancer Immunology at Nottingham Trent University under the supervision of Professor Robert C. Rees. Since completing his PhD, Dr Vadakekolathu has been part of the John van Geest Cancer Research Centre, contributing to various research projects led by Professor Sergio Rutella.
Research areas
Dr. Vadakekolathu’s current research investigates the tumour microenvironment (TME) in a range of cancers, including acute myeloid leukaemia, breast cancer, and colorectal cancer. Employing state-of-the-art technologies such as GeoMx spatial profiling, Illumina next-generation sequencing, 10X-Chromium single-cell sequencing, 10X-Xenium single-cell spatial analysis, and the nCounter Flex Analysis system, he aims to comprehensively characterise the tumour ecosystem in real-world patient samples.
Having profiled hundreds of patient samples from prominent research institutions across Europe and the US, including the University of Nottingham, University of Sheffield, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (Toronto), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Technische Universität Dresden, University of Regensburg, University of Pennsylvania, University of Freiburg, and The Ohio State University, Dr. Vadakekolathu integrates insights from these studies into cell line models for the mechanistic validation of key TME-regulating genes.
In breast cancer research, he leads spatial profiling efforts in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), focusing on stromal-tumour-immune cell interactions. As part of a biomarker discovery project with the University of Nottingham, his team has profiled 400 breast cancer samples, identifying protein methyltransferases (PMTs) as pivotal regulators of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasion, and migration, particularly in adipose-rich tumours. Activation of PMTs by inflammatory cytokines/adipokines (e.g., IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-6) correlates with poor survival outcomes. High-throughput transcriptomic and proteomic analyses, supported by functional assays, have further validated their role in epigenetic regulation. His current research focuses on targeting PMTs with small-molecule inhibitors.
In addition to his research, Dr. Vadakekolathu supervises Master's and PhD students and actively contributes to teaching modules at NTU.
Publications
1. Alhamar, G., Fallucca, S., Richardson, S.J., Torabi, F., Christie, M.R., Vadakekolathu, J., Boocock, D.J., Pieralice, S., Manfrini, S. and Pozzilli, P. (2025) ‘Raised levels of Interleukin-8 and myeloperoxidase in patients with recent onset type 1 diabetes’, Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, 27(11), pp. 6491–6498. https://doi.org/10.1111/dom.70048
2. Tin, E., Rutella, S., Khatri, I., Na, Y., Yan, Y., MacLean, N., Vadakekolathu, J., Minden, M.D., Schimmer, A.D., Lee, J. and Zhang, L. (2025) ‘SOCS1 Protects Acute Myeloid Leukemia against Allogeneic T Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity’, Blood Cancer Discovery, 6(3), pp. 217–232. https://doi.org/10.1158/2643-3230.BCD-24-0140
3. Vadakekolathu, J. and Rutella, S. (2024) ‘Escape from T-cell-targeting immunotherapies in acute myeloid leukemia’, Blood, 143(26), pp. 2689–2700. https://doi.org/10.1182/blood.2023019961
4. Hatziapostolou, M., Koutsioumpa, M., Zaitoun, A.M., Polytarchou, C., Edderkaoui, M., Mahurkar-Joshi, S., Vadakekolathu, J., D’Andrea, D., Lay, A.R., Christodoulou, N., Pham, T., Yau, T.O., Vorvis, C., Chatterji, S., Pandol, S.J., Poultsides, G.A., Dawson, D.W., Lobo, D.N. and Iliopoulos, D. (2024) ‘Promoter Methylation Leads to Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4A Loss and Pancreatic Cancer Aggressiveness’, Gastro Hep Advances, 3(5), pp. 687–702. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gastha.2024.04.005
5. Ocadlikova, D., Lussana, F., Fracchiolla, N., Bonifacio, M., Santoro, L., Delia, M., Chiaretti, S., Pasciolla, C., Cignetti, A., Forghieri, F., Grimaldi, F., Corradi, G., Zannoni, L., De Propris, S., Borleri, G.M., Tanasi, I., Vadakekolathu, J., Rutella, S., Guarini, A.R., Foà, R. and Curti, A. (Campus ALL) (2023) ‘Blinatumomab differentially modulates peripheral blood and bone marrow immune cell repertoire: A Campus ALL study’, British Journal of Haematology, 203(4), pp. 637–650. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjh.19104
6. Torabi, F., Vadakekolathu, J., Wyatt, R., Leete, P., Tombs, M.A., Richardson, C.C., Boocock, D.J., Turner, M.D., Morgan, N.G., Richardson, S.J. and Christie, M.R. (2023) ‘Differential expression of genes controlling lymphocyte differentiation and migration in two distinct endotypes of type 1 diabetes’, Diabetic Medicine, 40(9), e15155. https://doi.org/10.1111/dme.15155
7. Atobatele, A.G., Tonoli, E., Vadakekolathu, J., Savoca, M.P., Barr, M., Kataria, Y., Rossanese, M., Burhan, I., McArdle, S., Caccamo, D. and Verderio, E.A.M. (2023) ‘Canonical and truncated transglutaminase-2 regulate mucin-1 expression and androgen independency in prostate cancer cell lines’, Cell Death & Disease, 14(5), 317. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41419-023-05818-9
8. Luce, A., Lombardi, A., Ferri, C., Zappavigna, S., Tathode, M.S., Miles, A.K., Boocock, D.J., Vadakekolathu, J., Bocchetti, M., Alfano, R., Sperlongano, R., Ragone, A., Sapio, L., Desiderio, V., Naviglio, S., Regad, T. and Caraglia, M. (2022) ‘A Proteomic Approach Reveals That miR-423-5p Modulates Glucidic and Amino Acid Metabolism in Prostate Cancer Cells’, International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24(1), 617. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24010617
9. Rutella, S., Vadakekolathu, J., Mazziotta, F., Reeder, S., Yau, T.O., Mukhopadhyay, R., Dickins, B., Altmann, H., Kramer, M., Knaus, H.A., Blazar, B.R., Radojcic, V., Zeidner, J.F., Arruda, A., Wang, B., Abbas, H.A., Minden, M.D., Tasian, S.K., Bornhäuser, M., Gojo, I. and Luznik, L. (2022) ‘Immune dysfunction signatures predict outcomes and define checkpoint blockade-unresponsive microenvironments in acute myeloid leukemia’, Journal of Clinical Investigation, 132(21), e159579. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI159579
10. Vadakekolathu, J., Boocock, D.J., Pandey, K., Guinn, B.A., Legrand, A., Miles, A.K., Coveney, C., Ayala, R., Purcell, A.W. and McArdle, S.E. (2022) ‘Multi-Omic Analysis of Two Common P53 Mutations: Proteins Regulated by Mutated P53 as Potential Targets for Immunotherapy’, Cancers, 14(16), 3975. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14163975
11. Corradi, G., Bassani, B., Simonetti, G., Sangaletti, S., Vadakekolathu, J., Fontana, M.C., Pazzaglia, M., Gulino, A., Tripodo, C., Cristiano, G., Bandini, L., Ottaviani, E., Ocadlikova, D., Piccioli, M., Martinelli, G., Colombo, M.P., Rutella, S., Cavo, M., Ciciarello, M. and Curti, A. (2022) ‘Release of IFNγ by Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells Remodels Bone Marrow Immune Microenvironment by Inducing Regulatory T Cells’, Clinical Cancer Research, 28(14), pp. 3141–3155. https://doi.org/10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-21-3594
12. Vu, P.L., Vadakekolathu, J., Idri, S., Nicholls, H., Cavaignac, M., Reeder, S., Khan, M.A., Christensen, D., Pockley, A.G. and McArdle, S.E. (2022) ‘A Mutated Prostatic Acid Phosphatase (PAP) Peptide-Based Vaccine Induces PAP-Specific CD8+ T Cells with Ex Vivo Cytotoxic Capacities in HHDII/DR1 Transgenic Mice’, Cancers, 14(8), 1970. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14081970
13. Howard, F.H.N., Al-Janabi, H., Patel, P., Cox, K., Smith, E., Vadakekolathu, J., Pockley, A.G., Conner, J., Nohl, JF., Allwood, D.A., Collado-Rojas, C., Kennerley, A., Staniland, S. and Muthana, M. (2022) ‘Nanobugs as Drugs: Bacterial Derived Nanomagnets Enhance Tumor Targeting and Oncolytic Activity of HSV-1 Virus’, Small, 18(13), e2104763. https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202104763
14. Yau, T.O., Vadakekolathu, J., Foulds, G.A., Du, G., Dickins, B., Polytarchou, C. and Rutella, S. (2022) ‘Hyperactive neutrophil chemotaxis contributes to anti-tumor necrosis factor-α treatment resistance in inflammatory bowel disease’, Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 37(3), pp. 531–541. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgh.15764
15. Ferri, C., Di Biase, A., Bocchetti, M., Zappavigna, S., Wagner, S., Le Vu, P., Luce, A., Cossu, A.M., Vadakekolathu, J., Miles, A., Boocock, D.J., Robinson, A., Schwerdtfeger, M., Tirino, V., Papaccio, F., Caraglia, M., Regad, T. and Desiderio, V. (2022) ‘MiR-423-5p prevents MALAT1-mediated proliferation and metastasis in prostate cancer’, Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research, 41(1), 20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13046-021-02233-w
16. Ragaini, S., Wagner, S., Marconi, G., Parisi, S., Sartor, C., Nanni, J., Cristiano, G., Talami, A., Olivi, M., Ocadlikova, D., Ciciarello, M., Corradi, G., Ottaviani, E., Papayannidis, C., Paolini, S., Vadakekolathu, J., Cavo, M., Rutella, S. and Curti, A. (2022) ‘An IDO1-related immune gene signature predicts overall survival in acute myeloid leukemia’, Blood Advances, 6(1), pp. 87–99. https://doi.org/10.1182/bloodadvances.2021004878
17. Manjunath, H.S., Al Khulaifi, M., Sidahmed, H., Ammar, A., Vadakekolathu, J., Rutella, S., Al-Mohannadi, M.J., Elawad, M., Mifsud, W., Charles, A., Maccalli, C. and Tomei, S. (2022) ‘Gene Expression Profiling of FFPE Samples: A Titration Test’, Technology in Cancer Research & Treatment, 21, 15330338221129710. https://doi.org/10.1177/15330338221129710
18. Tulotta, C., Lefley, D.V., Moore, C.K., Amariutei, A.E., Spicer-Hadlington, A.R., Quayle, L.A., Hughes, R.O., Ahmed, K., Cookson, V., Evans, C.A., Vadakekolathu, J., Heath, P., Francis, S., Pinteaux, E., Pockley, A.G. and Ottewell, P.D. (2021) ‘IL-1B drives opposing responses in primary tumours and bone metastases; harnessing combination therapies to improve outcome in breast cancer’, NPJ Breast Cancer, 7(1), 95. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41523-021-00305-w
19. Almshayakhchi, R., Nagarajan, D., Vadakekolathu, J., Guinn, B.A., Reeder, S., Brentville, V., Metheringham, R., Pockley, A.G., Durrant, L. and McArdle, S. (2021) ‘A Novel HAGE/WT1-ImmunoBody® Vaccine Combination Enhances Anti-Tumour Responses When Compared to Either Vaccine Alone’, Frontiers in Oncology, 11, 636977. https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2021.636977
20. Zhou, Q., Vadakekolathu, J., Watad, A., Sharif, K., Russell, T., Rowe, H., Khan, A., Millner, P.A., Loughenbury, P., Rao, A., Dunsmuir, R., Timothy, J., Damiani, G., Pigatto, P.D.M., Malagoli, P., Banfi, G., El-Sherbiny, Y.M., Bridgewood, C. and McGonagle, D. (2021) ‘SARS-CoV-2 Infection Induces Psoriatic Arthritis Flares and Enthesis Resident Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Type-1 Interferon Inhibition by JAK Antagonism Offer Novel Spondyloarthritis Pathogenesis Insights’, Frontiers in Immunology, 12, 635018. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2021.635018
21. Kwan, A., Winder, N., Atkinson, E., Al-Janabi, H., Allen, R.J., Hughes, R., Moamin, M., Louie, R., Evans, D., Hutchinson, M., Capper, D., Cox, K., Handley, J., Wilshaw, A., Kim, T., Tazzyman, S.J., Srivastava, S., Ottewell, P., Vadakekolathu, J., Pockley, G., Lewis, C.E., Brown, J.E., Danson, S.J., Conner, J. and Muthana, M. (2021) ‘Macrophages Mediate the Antitumor Effects of the Oncolytic Virus HSV1716 in Mammary Tumors’, Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, 20(3), pp. 589–601. https://doi.org/10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-20-0748
22. Uy, G.L., Aldoss, I., Foster, M.C., Sayre, P.H., Wieduwilt, M.J., Advani, A.S., Godwin, J.E., Arellano, M.L., Sweet, K.L., Emadi, A., Ravandi, F., Erba, H.P., Byrne, M., Michaelis, L., Topp, M.S., Vey, N., Ciceri, F., Carrabba, M.G., Paolini, S., Huls, G.A., Jongen-Lavrencic, M., Wermke, M., Chevallier, P., Gyan, E., Récher, C., Stiff, P.J., Pettit, K.M., Löwenberg, B., Church, S.E., Anderson, E., Vadakekolathu, J., Santaguida, M., Rettig, M.P., Muth, J., Curtis, T., Fehr, E., Guo, K., Zhao, J., Bakkacha, O., Jacobs, K., Tran, K., Kaminker, P., Kostova, M., Bonvini, E., Walter, R.B., Davidson-Moncada, J.K., Rutella, S. and DiPersio, J.F. (2021) ‘Flotetuzumab as salvage immunotherapy for refractory acute myeloid leukemia’, Blood, 137(6), pp. 751–762. https://doi.org/10.1182/blood.2020007732
23. Vadakekolathu, J., Lai, C., Reeder, S., Church, S.E., Hood, T., Lourdusamy, A., Rettig, M.P., Aldoss, I., Advani, A.S., Godwin, J., Wieduwilt, M.J., Arellano, M., Muth, J., Yau, T.O., Ravandi, F., Sweet, K., Altmann, H., Foulds, G.A., Stölzel, F., Middeke, J.M., Ciciarello, M., Curti, A., Valk, P.J.M., Löwenberg, B., Gojo, I., Bornhäuser, M., DiPersio, J.F., Davidson-Moncada, J.K. and Rutella, S. (2020) ‘TP53 abnormalities correlate with immune infiltration and associate with response to flotetuzumab immunotherapy in AML’, Blood Advances, 4(20), pp. 5011–5024. https://doi.org/10.1182/bloodadvances.2020002512
24. Vadakekolathu, J., Minden, M.D., Hood, T., Church, S.E., Reeder, S., Altmann, H., Sullivan, A.H., Viboch, E.J., Patel, T., Ibrahimova, N., Warren, S.E., Arruda, A., Liang, Y., Smith, T.H., Foulds, G.A., Bailey, M.D., Gowen-MacDonald, J., Muth, J., Schmitz, M., Cesano, A., Pockley, A.G., Valk, P.J.M., Löwenberg, B., Bornhäuser, M., Tasian, S.K., Rettig, M.P., Davidson-Moncada, J.K., DiPersio, J.F. and Rutella, S. (2020) ‘Immune landscapes predict chemotherapy resistance and immunotherapy response in acute myeloid leukemia’, Science Translational Medicine, 12(546), eaaz0463. https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.aaz0463
25. Vadakekolathu, J., Al-Juboori, S.I.K., Johnson, C., Schneider, A., Buczek, M.E., Di Biase, A., Pockley, A.G., Ball, G.R., Powe, D.G. and Regad, T. (2020) ‘Correction: MTSS1 and SCAMP1 cooperate to prevent invasion in breast cancer’, Cell Death & Disease, 11(3), 205. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41419-020-2401-8
26. Alves, R., McArdle, S.E.B., Vadakekolathu, J., Gonçalves, A.C., Freitas-Tavares, P., Pereira, A., Almeida, A.M., Sarmento-Ribeiro, A.B. and Rutella, S. (2020) ‘Flow cytometry and targeted immune transcriptomics identify distinct profiles in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia receiving tyrosine kinase inhibitors with or without interferon-α’, Journal of Translational Medicine, 18(1), 2. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-019-02194-x
27. Al-Juboori, S.I., Vadakekolathu, J., Idri, S., Wagner, S., Zafeiris, D., Pearson, J.R., Almshayakhchi, R., Caraglia, M., Desiderio, V., Miles, A.K., Boocock, D.J., Ball, G.R. and Regad, T. (2019) ‘PYK2 promotes HER2-positive breast cancer invasion’, Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research, 38(1), 210. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13046-019-1221-0
28. Wagner, S., Vadakekolathu, J., Tasian, S.K., Altmann, H., Bornhäuser, M., Pockley, A.G., Ball, G.R. and Rutella, S. (2019) ‘A parsimonious 3-gene signature predicts clinical outcomes in an acute myeloid leukemia multicohort study’, Blood Advances, 3(8), pp. 1330–1346. https://doi.org/10.1182/bloodadvances.2018030726
29. Foulds, G.A., Vadakekolathu, J., Abdel-Fatah, T.M.A., Nagarajan, D., Reeder, S., Johnson, C., Hood, S., Moseley, P.M., Chan, S.Y.T., Pockley, A.G., Rutella, S. and McArdle, S.E.B. (2018) ‘Immune-Phenotyping and Transcriptomic Profiling of Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells From Patients With Breast Cancer: Identification of a 3 Gene Signature Which Predicts Relapse of Triple Negative Breast Cancer’, Frontiers in Immunology, 9, 2028. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2018.02028
30. Vadakekolathu, J., Al-Juboori, S.I.K., Johnson, C., Schneider, A., Buczek, M.E., Di Biase, A., Pockley, A.G., Ball, G.R., Powe, D.G. and Regad, T. (2018) ‘MTSS1 and SCAMP1 cooperate to prevent invasion in breast cancer’, Cell Death & Disease, 9(3), 344. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41419-018-0364-9
31. Balahmar, R.M., Boocock, D.J., Coveney, C., Ray, S., Vadakekolathu, J., Regad, T., Ali, S. and Sivasubramaniam, S. (2018) ‘Identification and characterisation of NANOG+/OCT-4high/SOX2+ doxorubicin-resistant stem-like cells from transformed trophoblastic cell lines’, Oncotarget, 9(6), pp. 7054–7065. https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.24151
32. Zafeiris, D., Vadakekolathu, J., Wagner, S., Pockley, A.G. and Ball, G.R. (2017) ‘Discovery and application of immune biomarkers for hematological malignancies’, Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics, 17(11), pp. 983–1000. https://doi.org/10.1080/14737159.2017.1381560
33. Vadakekolathu, J. and Rutella, S. (2017) ‘T-Cell Manipulation Strategies to Prevent Graft-Versus-Host Disease in Haploidentical Stem Cell Transplantation’, Biomedicines, 5(2), 33. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines5020033
34. Harner-Foreman, N., Vadakekolathu, J., Laversin, S.A., Mathieu, M.G., Reeder, S., Pockley, A.G., Rees, R.C. and Boocock, D.J. (2017) ‘A novel spontaneous model of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) using a primary prostate cancer derived cell line demonstrating distinct stem-like characteristics’, Scientific Reports, 7, 40633. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep40633
35. Saif, J.M., Vadakekolathu, J., Rane, S.S., McDonald, D., Ahmad, M., Mathieu, M., Pockley, A.G., Durrant, L., Metheringham, R., Rees, R.C. and McArdle, S.E. (2014) ‘Novel prostate acid phosphatase-based peptide vaccination strategy induces antigen-specific T-cell responses and limits tumour growth in mice’, European Journal of Immunology, 44(4), pp. 994–1004. https://doi.org/10.1002/eji.201343863
36. Malhi, S.K., Saif, J. and Vadakekolathu, J.N. (2013) ‘The Twelfth International Conference on Progress in Vaccination Against Cancer (PIVAC 12), Nottingham, UK, 11–13 September 2012: insights into the dynamics of anti-tumour immunity and the development of cancer vaccines’, Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy, 62(8), pp. 1431–1437. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00262-013-1440-8
See a full list of Dr Vadakekolathu’s publications on ORCID
Google scholar of Dr Vadakekolathu : https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=YF4qwmcAAAAJ&hl=en