Aswin Natarajan, PhD
Assistant Professor-Research
Department:
SOM-Pharmacology/Toxicology
Email:
anatarajan@umc.edu
Work Phone:
(601) 815-8966
Biography
Dr. Aswin Natarajan joined the University of Mississippi Medical Center as an Assistant Professor of Research in the School of Medicine’s Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology in April 2026. In addition to his academic appointment, Dr. Natarajan will contribute to the mission of the Cancer Center and Research Institute, supporting the continued progress toward National Cancer Institute designation and strengthening our growing portfolio in cancer immunology and experimental therapeutics.
Dr. Natarajan brings more than two decades of experience in structural biology, biophysics and molecular biology, complemented by over 14 years of focused work in T cell biology and cancer immunology. His research has centered on understanding the molecular mechanisms that govern T cell receptor signaling — work that has advanced the field’s understanding of how T cells recognize antigens and initiate immune responses.
His contributions include:
Defining the extracellular architecture of the TCR‑CD3 complex, using NMR spectroscopy, photo‑crosslinking, and computational modeling — work published in Cell Reports and EMBO Reports.
Identifying structural determinants that regulate T‑cell activation, including key signaling motifs within the TCR constant domains.
Co‑authoring and contributing to multiple NIH‑funded grants, including an NCI R21 as principal investigator and two R01 grants focused on optimizing TCR‑CD3 signaling for cancer immunotherapy.
Developing strategies to enhance T‑cell responses against melanoma and other solid tumors, with an emphasis on improving the safety and specificity of engineered TCR‑ and CAR‑based therapies.
Before joining UMMC, Dr. Natarajan served as an Instructor in the Department of Pathology and Perlmutter Cancer Center at New York University Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, where he led and collaborated on projects spanning T‑cell mechanotransduction, phospho‑neoantigen recognition and checkpoint blockade responsiveness. His work has involved extensive collaboration with leaders in biophysics, computational biology and immunotherapy, including partnerships with academic and industry groups.
A native of Chennai, India, Dr. Natarajan earned his B.Tech. in Industrial Biotechnology from Anna University before completing both his M.Phil. and PhD in Biochemistry at the City University of New York.
Dr. Natarajan’s expertise, collaborative approach, and commitment to advancing immunotherapy research make him an exceptional addition to our scientific community. We are pleased to welcome him to UMMC and look forward to the impact his work will have on cancer research and patient care.
Education
| New York University Grossman School of Medicine, Postdoctoral Fellow, Immunology | 2017 |
| The City College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY), PhD, Biochemistry | 2011 |
| The Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY), M.Phil, Biochemistry | 2007 |
| Anna University, BS, Industrial Biotechnology | 2004 |
Current Positions
| Member, Cancer Center and Research Institute, School of Medicine | 05/2026 - Present |
| The University of Mississippi Medical Center Jackson, Mississippi 39216 | |
Sponsored Program Funding
| Extramural, Optimizing gamma-delta T cell receptor-mediated signaling to improve cancer immunotherapy, National Cancer Institute, NIH | 06/2026 - 05/2028 |
| Extramural, Modulating extracellular TCR-CD3 interactions to identify new melanoma immunotherapy targets, National Cancer Institute, NIH | 06/2021 - 05/2024 |
Publications
Journal Article | |
| Li G, Guzmán-Bringas OU, Sharma A, Dellacherie M, Sekhri P, Yamin R, Stepec D, Burq M, Clotea I, Tardio E, Natarajan A, Harpaz Z, Liu X, Requena D, Taylor D, Ueberheide BM, Krogsgaard M, Cruz CRY, Cimermancic P, Yarmarkovich M, A pan-cancer atlas of therapeutic T cell targets. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology, 2025 Jul 7; | 2025 |
| Natarajan A, Velmurugu Y, Becerra Flores M, Dibba F, Beesam S, Kikvadze S, Wang X, Wang W, Li T, Shin HW, Cardozo T, Krogsgaard M, In situ cell-surface conformation of the TCR-CD3 signaling complex. EMBO reports, 2024 Dec;25(12):5719-5742 | 2024 |
| Patskovsky Y, Natarajan A, Patskovska L, Nyovanie S, Joshi B, Morin B, Brittsan C, Huber O, Gordon S, Michelet X, Schmitzberger F, Stein RB, Findeis MA, Hurwitz A, Van Dijk M, Chantzoura E, Yague AS, Pollack Smith D, Buell JS, Underwood D, Krogsgaard M, Molecular mechanism of phosphopeptide neoantigen immunogenicity. Nature communications, 2023 Jun 23;14(1):3763 | 2023 |
| Choi HK, Cong P, Ge C, Natarajan A, Liu B, Zhang Y, Li K, Rushdi MN, Chen W, Lou J, Krogsgaard M, Zhu C, Catch bond models may explain how force amplifies TCR signaling and antigen discrimination. Nature communications, 2023 May 5;14(1):2616 | 2023 |
| Natarajan A, Krogsgaard M, The myriad targets of a T cell. Nature biotechnology, 2018 Dec 6;36(12):1152-1154 | 2018 |
| Natarajan A, Nadarajah V, Felsovalyi K, Wang W, Jeyachandran VR, Wasson RA, Cardozo T, Bracken C, Krogsgaard M, Structural Model of the Extracellular Assembly of the TCR-CD3 Complex. Cell reports, 2016 Mar 29;14(12):2833-45 | 2016 |
| Natarajan A, Dutta K, Temel DB, Nair PA, Shuman S, Ghose R, Solution structure and DNA-binding properties of the phosphoesterase domain of DNA ligase D. Nucleic acids research, 2012 Mar;40(5):2076-88 | 2012 |
| Dutta K, Natarajan A, Nair PA, Shuman S, Ghose R, Sequence-specific 1H, 13C and 15N assignments of the phosphoesterase (PE) domain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa DNA ligase D (LigD). Biomolecular NMR assignments, 2011 Oct;5(2):151-5 | 2011 |
| Natarajan A, Ghose R, Hill JM, Structure and dynamics of ASC2, a pyrin domain-only protein that regulates inflammatory signaling. The Journal of biological chemistry, 2006 Oct 20;281(42):31863-75 | 2006 |