Rajvir Dahiya
Rajvir Dahiya is an American Indian medical oncology scientist with expertise in urology oncology diagnosis, prognosis and risk assessment through genetic and epigenetic technology. Dahiya retired in 2021 as a Professor Emeritus and Director of Urology Oncology Research Center at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine after 34 years of service.
After retirement, Dahiya founded . in 2021, a company registered in California, USA. The company is dedicated to research and development in precision oncology, particularly in the creation of in vitro diagnostic tests for cancer screening, early diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment follow-up. Geneverify is also working on developing novel medical technologies that target oncogenes, aiming to provide the most effective and highly specific treatments for various cancers, potentially saving the lives of millions of cancer patients.
Early life and family
Dahiya was born in Bidhlan, Sonipat, Haryana, India. His parents were farmers. He finished his PhD in 1983 in the field of Experimental Medicine from Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research Chandigarh, India. After completing his PhD, Dahiya joined the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and did his post doctoral fellowship in medical oncology and molecular biology. After completing his fellowship, Dahiya joined UCSF School of Medicine and San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center in 1987. Dahiya received his M.D. from the Kagoshima University Faculty of Medicine, Kagoshima, Japan and D.Sc. from the Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan. He became director of Oncology Urology Oncology Research Center at the UCSF/VAMC in 1991. After 34 years of service at the UCSF, he retired as a Professor Emeritus and Director of Urology Research Center. Also retired as a Senior Research Career Scientist from the Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington DC.Positions and publications
Dahiya was a scientific reviewer and chairman for the medical research programs in prostate, ovarian and breast cancer at the United States Army Department of Defense’s. He was also a member and chairman of various scientific committees for National Institutes of Health, including the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Dahiya is a medical research advisor and scientific reviewer for several international programs and institutions.Dahiya has published more than 550 original research manuscripts. Dahiya’s world ranking in medicine is 4759 and USA ranking is 2644 with more than 35,500 research citations and D-index of 107 in 2024. He has written books and holds multiple patents in oncology. Based on the NIH and VA data base NIH Reporter and, Dahiya's research programs were supported by the NIH and VA. Dahiya was a scientific adviser to the President of India Dr. A.P.J. Abul Kalam.
Dahiya is an Associate Editor of Cancer Research, is an Associate Editor of Clinical Cancer Research, an Academic Editor of “PLoS ONE, and a senior academic editor of American Journal of Cancer Research.
Dahiya and Chauhan of "Society of American Asian Scientists in Cancer Research" are leading this society that has more than 5,000 cancer scientists in the USA.
Keynote Speaker and Scientific Contributions
Dahiya has been internationally recognized as a keynote speaker, organizing committee member, and scientific advisor for leading global cancer conferences. His participation underscores his pioneering contributions to cancer epigenetics, molecular oncology, and RNA therapeutics.Selected Conferences:I
Landmark Discoveries in Molecular Oncology and Cancer Biology
Dahiya’s pioneering research has significantly advanced the understanding of the fundamental molecular mechanisms that drive tumor initiation, progression, and metastasis. His discoveries have profoundly influenced current knowledge of microsatellite instability, gene methylation, and epigenetic regulation in prostate and other cancers. His groundbreaking work has led to landmark publications, influential patents, and transformative paradigms in cancer biology that continue to shape the field of modern precision oncology.1986 – Early Biomarkers of Colon Cancer: Discovered premalignant alterations in lipid composition and phospholipid methylation in a colon cancer model, demonstrating that changes in glycosphingolipids may serve as early molecular biomarkers for colon cancer detection. PubMed: | | |- ·1989 – Role of Blood Group Antigens in Tumor Progression: Discovered that ABH antigen expression, synthesis, and degradation are critically involved in colon cancer progression, providing novel insights into glycosylation pathways and tumor biology. PubMed: 1991 – Mucin Gene Expression and Metastasis: Discovered that mucin gene expression correlates with the metastatic potential of human colon cancer cells, influencing their ability to colonize the liver in experimental models and establishing a mechanistic link between mucin regulation and metastatic behavior. PubMed: | | | | | Discovery of Metastasis-Related Glycoproteins: Identified that cell-surface sialoproteins and glycoproteins play a critical role in determining metastatic behavior in colon cancer, laying the groundwork for future studies in cancer glycomics and molecular targeting. PubMed: 1997 – Microsatellite Instability in Prostate Cancer: Dahiya’s group was among the first to demonstrate that microsatellite instability plays a crucial role in the pathophysiology of prostate cancer, identifying genomic instability as a driving force in tumorigenesis and progression. PubMed: | | | 2000 – Gene Methylation in Prostate Cancer Initiation and Progression: Dahiya made landmark discoveries showing that frequent promoter methylation of multiple tumor suppressor genes contributes to both initiation and progression of prostate cancer. These studies established the epigenetic silencing of key regulatory genes as a hallmark of prostate tumorigenesis and paved the way for methylation-based diagnostic and prognostic assays. PubMed: | | | | | | | |