Sam Thiagalingam, PhD

Associate Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Dr. Thiagalingam is an expert cancer geneticist and was the first to show that SMAD4 inactivation is a critical event during the late stages of colon cancer progression. He was a lead researcher in the team that first identified a family of five novel SMAD genes. He also proposed a simple minded multi-modular molecular network (MMMN) cancer progression model as a road map to visualize the various gene alterations in modules of networks of pathways. Recently, his studies found that intact hyperactive TGFß-Smad signaling is required to sustain “epigenetic memory” responsible for epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a critical step during conversion to malignant cancer. His long-term goal is to identify novel cancer biomarkers and therapeutic targets by contributing to the “big picture” of interconnected network of events that mediate cancer progression to metastasis using breast and colon cancers as the model systems. In addition to studying the various aspects of cancer, Dr. Thiagalingam has also been interested in taking an interdisciplinary approach to studying epigenomics of other complex diseases such as schizophrenia (SCZ) and bipolar disorder (BD). Recent studies by the lab found that there is asymmetric expression of many genes involved in the TGFB super family signaling pathways and those known to establish left-right asymmetry in SCZ and BD. Research efforts are ongoing to correlate epigenomic alterations in SCZ and BD to pathogenesis to identify effective therapeutic targets and agents.

Publications

  • Published 7/16/2026

    Nohesara S, Mostafavi Abdolmaleky H, Thiagalingam S. Crosstalk Between Gut Microbiota, Epigenome, and Neurotransmitters in Health and Disease. Cells. 2026 Jul 16; 15(14). PMID: 42505389.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 6/17/2026

    Abdolmaleky HM, Nohesara S, Subramonian R, Duraiarasan K, Dorzin M, Zhou JR, Pettinato G, Thiagalingam S. Lactate-Mediated Brain Acidosis Drives Epigenetic Dysregulation of TGFB2 and Associated Gene Networks in Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder. Int J Mol Sci. 2026 Jun 17; 27(12). PMID: 42353172.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 10/27/2025

    Mostafavi S, Nohesara S, Pirani A, Mostafavi Abdolmaleky H, Thiagalingam S. Oral-Gut Microbiota Crosstalk and Epigenetic Targets in Metabolic and Neuropsychiatric Diseases. Nutrients. 2025 Oct 27; 17(21). PMID: 41228440.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 7/18/2025

    Nohesara S, Mostafavi Abdolmaleky H, Pirani A, Thiagalingam S. Epigenetics and Gut Microbiota in the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Bipolar Disorder (BD). Cells. 2025 Jul 18; 14(14). PMID: 40710357.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 7/4/2025

    Nohesara S, Mostafavi Abdolmaleky H, Pirani A, Thiagalingam S. Therapeutic Horizons: Gut Microbiome, Neuroinflammation, and Epigenetics in Neuropsychiatric Disorders. Cells. 2025 Jul 04; 14(13). PMID: 40643545.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 73 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Associate Professor, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Member, BU-BMC Cancer Center
    Boston University
  • Member, Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research
    Boston University
  • Member, Genome Science Institute
    Boston University
  • Graduate Medical Sciences Educator and Mentor (Primary Mentor of Graduate Students)
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences

Websites

Education

  • Johns Hopkins University, PhD
  • Bowling Green State University, MS
  • University of Jaffna, BSc

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