Alagarraju Muthukumar, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor

     

Dr. Kumar has a Masters and PhD in Biochemistry. He has completed clinical fellowships in clinical chemistry and molecular diagnostics at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. He had worked in the clinical diagnostic industry for 4 years before moving back to academia. He is a board certified Clinical chemist, and is currently the Medical Director of Clinical Chemistry at the Clements University Hospital, Zale Lipshy University hospital, Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, Moncrief Cancer Institute in Fort Worth, and the UT Southwestern Clinics in Plano and Richardson.

His research interests include validating new diagnostic assays, repurposing big data for clinical research, and finding new applications for existing diagnostic markers. Current ongoing projects in his labs include the assessment of humoral immune response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and a collaboration with Johns Hopkins University on the evaluation of clinical implications of LDL under-estimation in Coronary Heart Disease patients.

Undergraduate

Unlisted - International Colle (1988), Biochemistry

Graduate School

Madras University - India (1990), Biochemistry

Graduate School

Madras University - India (1996), Biochemistry

• Repurposing of big data for clinical research
• Validation of new diagnostic assays

Featured Publications

Evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 Serological Testing in Patients with Multiple Myeloma and Other Hematologic Malignancies on Monoclonal Antibody Therapies.

Mahimainathan L, Narasimhan M, Corchado R, Patel H, Kansagra A, Devaraj S, Geethakumari PR, Muthukumar A, Diagnostics (Basel) 2020 Nov 10 12

Effect of Doxorubicin on Myocardial Bicarbonate Production from Pyruvate Dehydrogenase in Women with Breast Cancer.

Park JM, Reed GD, Liticker J, Putnam WC, Chandra A, Yaros K, Afzal A, MacNamara JP, Raza J, Hall RG, Baxter J, Derner K, Pena S, Kallem RR, Subramanyan I, Edpuganti V, Harrison C, Muthukumar A, Lewis C, Reddy S, Unni N, Klemow D, Syed S, Li HC, Cole SM, Froehlich T, Ayers CR, de Lemos JA, Malloy CR, Haley B, Zaha VG, Circ Res 2020 Oct

Accuracy of New Equation to Calculate Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol.

Muthukumar A, Mahimainathan L, Joshi PH, JAMA Cardiol 2020 Sep

Saliva for use with a point of care assay for the rapid diagnosis of COVID-19.

SoRelle JA, Mahimainathan L, McCormick-Baw C, Cavuoti D, Lee F, Thomas A, Sarode R, Clark AE, Muthukumar A, Clinica chimica acta; international journal of clinical chemistry 2020 Sep

SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Responses Do Not Predict COVID-19 Disease Severity.

Phipps WS, SoRelle JA, Li QZ, Mahimainathan L, Araj E, Markantonis J, Lacelle C, Balani J, Parikh H, Solow EB, Karp DR, Sarode R, Muthukumar A, Am. J. Clin. Pathol. 2020 Jul

Diagnostic Performance of a Rapid Point of Care Test for SARS-CoV-2 in an Urban ED Setting.

McDonald S, Courtney DM, Clark AE, Muthukumar A, Lee F, Balani J, Mahimainathan L, Bararia A, Oliver D, Sarode R, Diercks D, Acad Emerg Med 2020 Jun

Complete Depletion of Daratumumab Interference in Serum Samples from Plasma Cell Myeloma Patients Improves the Detection of Endogenous M-Proteins in a Preliminary Study.

Vakili H, Koorse Germans S, Dong X, Kansagra A, Patel H, Muthukumar A, Hashim IA, Diagnostics (Basel) 2020 Apr 10 4

Impact of High-sensitivity Troponin Testing on Operational Characteristics of an Urban Emergency Department.

Furmaga J, McDonald SA, Hall HM, Muthukumar A, Willett K, Basit M, Diercks DB, Acad Emerg Med 2020 Mar

Variability and Lability of Ammonia Levels in Healthy Volunteers and Patients With Cirrhosis: Implications for Trial Design and Clinical Practice.

Bajaj JS, Bloom PP, Chung RT, Hassanein TI, Padilla-Martinez M, Kayali Z, Rockey DC, Sasso R, Muthukumar AR, Lee WM, Denney WS, Gavis EA, Anderson C, Blankstein L, Brennan AM, Puurunen MK, Lawitz E, Am. J. Gastroenterol. 2019 Aug

Susceptibility of Cardiac Troponin Assays to Biotin Interference.

Frame IJ, Joshi PH, Mwangi C, Gunsolus I, De Lemos JA, Das SR, Sarode R, Balani J, Apple FS, Muthukumar A Am. J. Clin. Pathol. 2019 Feb

• Best Poster Finalist
  Systematic Analysis of Biotin Interference in Roche Chemistry Assays. ASCP 2017 Annual Meeeting, Chicago, IL. September 6-8, 2017
• Best Poster Finalist
  Are all creatinine results suspect during Dopamine and Debutamine infusions? ASCP 2017 Annual Meeeting, Chicago, IL. September 6-8, 2017
• Distinguished Abstract award
  Susceptability of High Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin I and Gen 5 cTnT assays to Biotin interference. 70th AACC Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL. July 29 - August 2, 2018

• American Society for Clinical Pathology (2015)
• American Association of Clinical Chemistry (2005)