DR. MOLY J. ARYANKALAYIL
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
CONTACT INFORMATION
National Cancer Institute
9609 Medical Center Dr., MSC 9727
For USPS: Bethesda, MD 20892-9727
For Express and Courier: Rockville, MD 20850
Phone: 240-858-3002
Fax: 240-276- 5827
Email: aryankalayilm@mail.nih.gov
Moly J. Aryankalayil, Ph. D., is a distinguished biomedical researcher and science administrator renowned for her substantial contributions to cancer therapy and radiobiology. As a leading figure in the radiation research field, her work has made significant findings in understanding how multifractionated radiotherapy enhances immune cell-tumor interactions. Her pivotal work demonstrated that the PC3 prostate carcinoma cell line showed notable upregulation of immune-related genes following multifractionated treatment and was a pioneering manuscript in the field of radiation-induced immune response. This finding opened a new chapter as emerging evidence for adapting radiotherapy in combination with immunotherapy. She has also made significant advancements in the development of mRNAs and non-coding RNAs as biomarkers. Her pioneering research at the Radiation Oncology Branch (ROB) of NCI has significant applications, including mitigation of the toxic effects of radiotherapy. With a strong foundation in radiation biology, she also developed practical expertise in managing grant portfolios and overseeing the implementation and daily management of extramural program activities.
She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Kerala and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Florida, supported by the American Cancer Society. Following four years of postdoctoral training at NIH, she joined Dr. Norman Coleman's laboratory at NCI as the scientific lead. In this role, she played a pivotal part in demonstrating that radiation adaptive responses induce new molecular targets that could transform drug-resistant cancer cells into responsive ones. Her expertise is supported by extensive hands-on experience with pre-clinical studies involving animal and human tissues, 3D cell cultures, and organ-on-a-chip models. Additionally, she introduced microRNA and long non-coding RNA as novel biomarkers of radiation exposure, pioneering the field of non-coding RNAs and radiobiology. As the principal investigator of Radiation Biodosimetry projects funded by NIAID and BARDA, she produced several impactful publications and is recognized nationally and internationally as a leader in radiation biomarker discovery. Her expertise is frequently sought after, as evidenced by her speaking engagements at the Radiation Research Society, the International Congress of Radiation Research, and various workshops and symposia. In 2019, she was honored with the prestigious National Cancer Institute’s Director's Award of Merit for her transformational contributions to radiation oncology.
Her extensive contributions to cancer therapy and radiation biology are reflected in numerous high-impact publications, book chapters, and editorial roles. In addition to her research, she has held leadership positions in the Radiation Research Society and actively participates in international forums, including consultancy meetings with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as a presenter and panelist. Currently she oversees a portfolio of grants, related to molecular targeted therapy, adaptive radiotherapy, radiation sensitizes, RNA based cancer biomarkers, and combination therapies as a Program Officer for the Radiation Research Program (RRP). Her ongoing work continues to shape the future of radiation research and cancer therapy.