Rate My Professor Rakesh Naidu

Dr. Rakesh Naidu serves as Professor in Biomedical Science at the Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia. He earned his BSc(Ed) Honours from Universiti Sains Malaysia, followed by an MSc in Molecular Oncology and a PhD in Molecular Oncology from Universiti Malaya. Before joining Monash University in 2012 as Associate Professor, he was a lecturer at the International Medical University and the Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya. At Monash, he teaches biochemistry, genetics, and cancer-related courses and supervises graduate students, including PhD candidates.

Naidu's research specializes in the molecular biology of cancer, cancer therapeutics, and cancer venomics. His work investigates molecular alterations leading to breast, prostate, and colon cancers, utilizing genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics via high-density microarrays, sequencing, and mass spectrometry to identify biomarkers and anti-cancer mechanisms. He explores synthetic diarylpentanoids, natural compounds, and venom-derived components for their anti-cancer activities in various human cancer cells. As principal investigator, he has secured grants such as Genetic Analysis of a Selected Gene in Breast Cancer (2004-2006) and Mechanisms of Action of Selected Bioactive Synthetic Diarylpentanoids on Human Colorectal Cancer Cells (2011-2013). Key publications include "Immunohistochemistry of C-MYC In Breast Carcinoma" (2004), "Human Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase Gene Amplification in Breast Tumors" (2006), "Antileukemic Properties of Curcumin and Diarylpentanoid Analogue on Bcr-Abl-Positive Leukemic Cells" (2025), and "Gut microbial metabolites targeting JUN in renal cell carcinoma via IL-17 signaling pathway: a network pharmacology approach" (2026). He received the AACR-NCI International Investigator Opportunity Grant (2008) and recent teaching awards: PVC's Commendation for Excellence in Education (2025), Most Inspiring Supervisor (2022), and Outstanding Supervision and Educational Excellence (2023).