Rate My Professor Anumantha Kanthasamy

Anumantha Kanthasamy, a Biology professor at the University of Georgia, serves as the inaugural John H. “Johnny” Isakson Chair for Parkinson’s Research, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar, and Professor in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology within the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. As Director of the Isakson Center for Neurological Disease Research, he leads efforts in advancing neurological disease research. His academic journey began with a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Madras in 1981, followed by an M.S. in Biochemistry in 1984, M.Phil. in Biochemistry in 1986, and Ph.D. in Biochemistry in 1989, all from the University of Madras, India. He completed postdoctoral training in Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Purdue University in 1994.

Before joining UGA in September 2021, Kanthasamy had a distinguished career at Iowa State University starting in 1999, progressing from Associate Professor to Distinguished Professor and Eugene and Linda Lloyd Chair in Neurotoxicology. He chaired the Department of Biomedical Sciences from 2011 to 2019 and founded the Iowa Center for Advanced Neurotoxicology in 2006. His research specializes in unraveling cell signaling mechanisms in Parkinson’s disease pathogenesis, including mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, α-synuclein aggregation, neuroinflammation, and gut dysbiosis. Key studies involve RT-QuIC assays for α-synuclein biomarkers and testing therapeutics in animal models. Notable publications include: Huang et al., "Mitochondrial dysfunction-induced H3K27 hyperacetylation perturbs enhancers in Parkinson’s disease" (JCI Insight, 2021); Ghaisas et al., "Chronic Manganese Exposure and the Enteric Nervous System: An in Vitro and Mouse in Vivo Study" (Environ Health Perspect, 2021); Manne et al., "Blinded RT-QuIC analysis of α-synuclein biomarker in skin tissue from Parkinson’s Disease patients" (Movement Disorders, 2020); and Sarkar et al., "Kv1.3 modulates neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease" (J Clin Invest, 2020). His NIH-funded program (NIEHS, NINDS) for over 20 years has trained over 30 Ph.D. students, employs more than 25 researchers, and resulted in patent applications such as utility patent 16/287,437 for “L-Dopa Microbiome Therapy.” Kanthasamy’s contributions have profoundly influenced neurotoxicology and neurodegeneration research, pioneering insights into environmental factors and therapeutic strategies.