Advancing Multiple Myeloma Research with Kiran Kumar Mangalaparthi, Ph.D.

The following is the eighth entry in a Q&A series highlighting selected Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) researchers and their work. Join us as we discuss proteomic aspirations, the value of mentorship in science, and progress in multiple myeloma with Kiran Kumar Mangalaparthi, Ph.D., a Postdoctoral Researcher at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Transcript is edited for clarity. 

Q: Could you please provide a brief overview of your academic and professional journey? 

Kiran Kumar Mangalaparthi, Ph.D.: Currently, I’m a research fellow working with Dr. Akhilesh Pandey in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic Rochester campus. I started my academic journey at Osmania University in India where I got my bachelor’s and master’s degrees. After that, I ended up at a proteomics facility—I remember specifically there was a lot of proteomics instrumentation around including a MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer, but at the time I was not allowed to work with it. I was really curious—I thought “what is this instrument?” 
I moved on to an institute in the southern part of India called the Institute of Bioinformatics. My Ph.D. work there was related to whole exome sequencing analysis and global proteomic analysis in order to understand molecular mechanisms in squamous cell carcinoma. While I was working on that, I got an offer from my current boss Dr. Pandey; he was moving to Mayo Clinic and asked me to come and join his lab. At first, I joined as a visiting graduate scholar before eventually graduating to a postdoctoral researcher. That’s kind of an overview of how I’ve evolved from being interested in a mass spectrometer behind closed doors to handling a mass spectrometer and working on exciting multiomic data analysis. 

Q: Could you describe your current work focusing on multiple myeloma at Mayo Clinic?

KKM: As part of Dr. Pandey’s lab my work consists of immunopeptidomic analysis and global proteomic analysis. Our lab collaborates with the pioneering multiple myeloma clinical team at Mayo including Dr Rafael Fonseca—He's a co-PI on the CPTAC grant—and Drs. Leif Bergsagel, Vincent Rajkumar, and Shaji Kumar. Our groups began to work together when we applied for the CPTAC grant and, at that time, [the clinical team] always used to emphasize that multiple myeloma because there is so much heterogeneity. Essentially, the disease is very complicated. Collectively, [multiple myelomas] are treated with two major types of drugs: proteosome inhibitors and immunomodulatory drugs. Many patients respond well to these treatments initially but ultimately almost all of them relapse. For us, this represents an opportunity to do more, to study more, and to investigate the mechanisms of resistance in multiple myeloma in order to identify new therapeutic targets. 

Q: Can you touch on the value of interagency collaboration within CPTAC? 

KKM: Dr. Pandey truly believes in interdisciplinary collaboration. He believes that major discoveries come from working together with different teams and groups. Part of the benefit is that, in science, the technology is progressing very rapidly.  There are new tools coming to the market with lots of exciting possibilities. [Because of this,] we need an awareness of these developments as well the expertise to use them in our science—collaboration really helps in that regard. Collaboration also invites different thought processes and thoughtful critiques which benefit progress. New ideas develop all the time when scientific teams align with each other. 

Q: What are some technological or scientific barriers you encounter in your work and how do you think these might be overcome?   

KKM: Regarding technology—in multiple myeloma, there’s huge potential. [Years ago,] I think no one could have imagined single cell proteomics would be possible. Yet, it has become possible and is rapidly progressing. The other technology, which is progressing rapidly, is the spatial biology approach. Now, people are recognizing the importance of studying spatially distinct regions rather than studying [the disease] all together. These two technologies generate a lot of data, right? I think that brings an additional burden—you need good bioinformatics approaches to handle this data. Making sense of these data is a major barrier currently. 

Q: Do you have any advice for someone interested in following your career path or a similar one? 

KKM: I think the most important thing is to stay positive. The research does not always go in the direction we want—that’s how research is. Also, especially when you become a postdoc, you need to develop critical thinking skills because if you intend to be an independent research fellow you need to be able to develop and address research questions. You also need to find the right mentor. Your boss will be very, very helpful in shaping how you think and how you do your work. With that, I think networking is something you should start doing and keep doing right from the beginning, because that’s where true collaborations come from. Ultimately, you just keep moving forward. Don’t take anything as a “do or die” situation. Apply yourself and leave the rest to the reviewers; all you can do is keep working on the next problem.