Kiran K Velpula is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Cancer Biology and Pharmacology, Pediatrics, and Neurosurgery at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria (UICOMP). He received his M.S. in Biochemistry from Osmania University in 2001 and earned his Ph.D. from the University of Hyderabad in 2008. He was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Case Western Reserve University and a Postdoctoral Research Associate at UICOMP. His lab is involved with the development of novel gene therapy strategies targeting and development of small molecule compounds targeting cancer cell metabolism for the treatment of malignant gliomas. Another area of interest is the mechanisms of metastasis and proliferation in medulloblastoma progression.