Meet the Editor: An Interview with Rajesh Singh, Senior Editor for Journal of Ovarian Research
Published in Healthcare & Nursing, Cancer, and General & Internal Medicine
Dr Rajesh Singh, a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), is a Professor at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. He earned his B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. degrees from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. His multidisciplinary research program integrates cancer immunobiology, drug discovery, precision oncology, health disparities, nanotechnology, and chemokine biology, using both in vitro and in vivo models to develop innovative approaches to cancer prevention and treatment. His work spans multiple areas, including oncology, vaccine development, chemoprevention, and targeted drug delivery. Dr Singh has authored more than 240 scientific publications and communications, including peer-reviewed articles, patents, and conference presentations. His scientific contributions have been nationally and internationally recognized through appointments to editorial boards and invitations to serve as a reviewer for major funding agencies, including the NIH, NCI, Department of War, National Science Foundation, and NHLBI, as well as numerous scientific journals.
What first inspired you to pursue a career in ovarian research, and what has kept you engaged in the field?
I was drawn to ovarian cancer research because it is a challenging disease in which patients still face significant uncertainty. Ovarian cancer is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, and even when treatment works initially, the cancer can return and become resistant to therapy. That challenge motivated me to understand why this happens and, more importantly, how we can find better ways to prevent it. What has kept me engaged over the years is the possibility that something we discover in the laboratory could eventually help a patient live longer or improve quality of life. Knowing that our research has the potential to make a real difference for women with ovarian cancer continues to be my greatest motivation.
Looking back on your career so far, what achievement are you most proud of, and why?
One achievement I am most proud of is building a research program focused on understanding why ovarian cancer grows, spreads, and becomes resistant to treatment, and then translating those discoveries into new therapeutic approaches. I am particularly proud of our work that has led to two important, patented technologies. One is “Anti-CCL25 and Anti-CCR9 Antibodies for the Prevention and Treatment of Cancer and Cancer Cell Migration,” which grew from our research on the CCL25–CCR9 pathway and its role in cancer cell migration and progression. The second is US8231907B2, “Nanoparticles for Delivery of Active Agents,” which reflects our efforts to develop innovative ways to deliver therapeutic agents more effectively to cancer cells. These inventions are especially meaningful to me because they represent the journey from understanding a biological problem in the laboratory to developing potential solutions that could eventually benefit patients. I am also very proud to mentor students and trainees and to watch them grow into independent scientists. For me, the greatest reward is bringing together scientific discovery, innovation, and mentorship with the hope that our work can ultimately make a meaningful difference in cancer treatment and patient care.
What do you consider to be the most exciting development in ovarian research today?
I think the most exciting development is the move toward precision medicine. We are beginning to understand that ovarian cancer is not one disease; different patients can have tumors with very different biological features and vulnerabilities. New technologies are helping us look at tumors in much greater detail and understand their genetics, immune environment, and responses to treatment. This information is allowing doctors and researchers to better match treatments to individual patients rather than using the same approach for everyone. We are already seeing this change influence patient care, and I believe it will continue to lead to treatments that are more effective, less toxic, and more personalized. Ultimately, the goal is to give each patient the treatment most likely to work for her cancer.
How has the field changed since you began your career, and what change has surprised you the most?
Ovarian cancer research has changed tremendously since I began my career. We have moved from thinking about ovarian cancer as largely one disease to understanding that there are many different types, each with its own biological characteristics and treatment challenges. We now have powerful tools that allow us to study tumors at the genetic, molecular, and cellular levels and to understand how cancer cells interact with the immune system and surrounding tissues. What has surprised me most is how quickly this transformation has happened. Technologies such as artificial intelligence, advanced genetic analysis, and single-cell approaches that once seemed far in the future are now becoming important parts of everyday cancer research. I am excited about how these advances will continue to change the way we diagnose and treat ovarian cancer.
What is one research question in ovarian biology that you hope will be answered during your vlifetime?
The question I most want us to answer is why some ovarian cancers respond very well to treatment while others become aggressive and resistant, and whether we can predict and prevent that resistance before it happens. If we can understand what causes a tumor to change and become resistant, we may be able to intervene much earlier and choose a different treatment before the cancer has a chance to return or spread. I believe the answer will involve understanding not only the cancer cells themselves, but also the immune system and the surrounding environment in which the tumor grows. I hope that, in the future, we will be able to identify the right treatment for each patient from the beginning and prevent recurrence, making ovarian cancer a disease that can be effectively controlled and, for many patients, ultimately cured.
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Before joining Springer Nature in 2021, Tamara completed an MBio in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Warwick and now manages a portfolio of fully open access journals focused on women's health and implementation science. In addition, she chairs the Springer Nature SDG3 (Good Health and Well-Being) working group.
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Journal of Ovarian Research
This is an open access, peer reviewed, online journal that aims to provide a forum for high-quality basic and clinical research on ovarian function, abnormalities, and cancer.
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