Friday, September 30, 2016

Project BOLD Teaches Girls Self-Defense


Madhu Kumar is an established scientist with experience in the areas of cancer therapy, circulating cell-free DNA, immune therapies, and cancer genetics. In addition to his research, Madhu Kumar serves as a scientific advisor and volunteers as a tutor for Girls, Inc.

Girls, Inc., is a national organization devoted to providing girls with educational and recreational programs to improve their health and well-being and help them to succeed in their endeavors. Girls, Inc., dates back to the industrial revolution and has since continued to serve as support for girls through teaching and creating awareness of girls’ struggles. The organization has a multitude of ways that volunteers can donate to the cause or give their time.

Many of organization’s programs are educationally focused, providing girls with additional learning opportunities in media and economic literacy, science, technology, sexual education, and more. One of these programs is Project BOLD, which focuses on giving participants smart strategies for dealing with life in their home, community, and personal relationships, as well as online. The course also provides self-defense instruction, and older girls are encouraged to take on a project within their own community to assist in the general health and safety of girls in their area.

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

New England Innocence Project


Madhu Kumar is an experienced scientist who recently served as a scientific advisor for Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. Outside of work, Madhu Kumar serves as a mentor for the New England Innocence Project.

The New England Innocence Project is an organization that provides organized pro bono representation for people who claim to have been wrongfully convicted. A relatively recent project, The New England Innocence Project was founded in 1997 by a group of lawyers who felt passionately about the innocent people who had no representation in court. Along with providing this support, the New England Innocence Project works to raise awareness of false conviction. 

In doing so, the New England Innocence Project also confronts the main question: how does wrongful conviction happen? On its website, the project goes into detail on this topic. The causes include eyewitness misidentification, unvalidated forensic science, false confessions, snitch (informant) testimony, police and prosecutorial misconduct, and poor defense representation. To learn more about each specific cause, visit www.newenglandinnocence.org/causes-of-wrongful-convictions.

Monday, September 12, 2016


Dr. Madhu Kumar, a consultant with the New England Innocence Project, received his doctoral degree in biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. As a consultant, Dr. Madhu Kumar helps the New England Innocence Project spread awareness and information regarding wrongful imprisonment.

Eyewitness misidentification is by far the most common cause of wrongful convictions in the United States’ criminal justice system. Nearly 76 percent of cases overturned due to DNA evidence have involved at least one instance of an eyewitness incorrectly identifying a suspect. Experts have identified a myriad of factors that can result in a false identification, though most incidents can be attributed to the imperfect nature of human recall.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, inappropriately utilized forensic science is another common cause behind false incarceration. In recent years, the emerging field of forensic science has helped legal professionals and law enforcement officers solve a number of cases. However, certain methods and technologies have yet to be approved by the legal and scientific communities, and for good reason. Invalid science, such as bite mark analysis, has figured into more than half of US cases being reversed due to DNA evidence.                            

Friday, August 19, 2016

The New England Innocence Project - Proving Innocence through Science



Scientist Madhu Kumar's research on ctDNA has developed into invaluable cancer screening technologies in recent years. Alongside his scientific research, Madhu Kumar volunteers his time with the New England Innocence Project.

The New England Innocence Project is a network of attorneys and other legal professionals who work to exonerate people who have wrongly been convicted of a crime. They take pro bono cases in six New England states and help individuals with strong cases regain their freedom.

A large portion of the organization's work deals with DNA evidence, a rapidly growing technology. DNA testing has only been available since the mid-1980s, and has improved dramatically since then. Modern science can identify people by tiny traces of biological material.

The New England Innocence Project helps wrongly convicted individuals get DNA testing that sometimes exonerates them. Some of the people they work with have been in prison for a decade or more, meaning that these technologies were unavailable at the time of their conviction. By applying new technology to old cases, the New England Innocence Project has helped dozens of innocent people walk out of prison.

Thursday, August 11, 2016

The New England Innocence Project in Boston


Scientific consultant and advisor Dr. Madhu Kumar, whose professional interests include molecular diagnostics, circulating cell-free DNA, and targeted cancer therapy, most recently served as a scientific advisor for Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati. Dr. Madhu Kumar gives back in his spare time by volunteering, dedicating his time as a mentor with the New England Innocence Project (NEIP), a nonprofit organization based in Boston which offers a legal internship program.

The New England Innocence Project’s full-time legal internship attracts students from many of the nearby institutions of legal learning, and the organization tasks them, along with its experienced collection of in-house legal professionals, to aid in the exonerations of innocent individuals in New England.

In September 2016, the company will host A Night Out with NEIP in conjunction with the Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center, where they will present awards to individuals with exceptional commitment to the organization’s cause. For more information about the NEIP, including opportunities for volunteering, visit www.newenglandinnocence.org.

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Immunotherapy is a Helpful Tool in Fighting Cancer


An experienced biologist in White Plains, New York, Madhu Kumar has had many opportunities to contribute to cancer research. As a cancer researcher, Madhu Kumar has been significantly involved with studies involving immunotherapy for patients.

Immunotherapy aims to utilize a patient’s own immune system to fight cancer. Also called biotherapy or biologic therapy, immunotherapy can either be used on its own or in conjunction with other cancer treatments. Currently, certain types of cancer respond to this treatment better than others.

There are four common types of immunotherapy. First, monoclonal antibodies(MAbs) are man-made versions of proteins found in the immune system. These antibodies are designed to bind to and attack specific parts of cancer cells.

Immune checkpoint inhibiters are drugs that are designed to take the brakes off of the immune system, essentially allowing the body’s immune system to kill off harmful cancer cells.

Cancer vaccines are another immune-related treatment option. These treatments contain cancer-associated antigens and are meant to enhance the immune system’s response to tumor cells.

Finally, non-specific immunotherapies are often used concurrently with other treatment options. They are intended to give the entire immune system a boost, making it more effective as it fights cancer cells.

Side effects to immunotherapies can include pain, swelling, soreness, redness, or itchiness at the injection site. Sometimes, a patient may experience flu-like symptoms or a serious allergic reaction.

Monday, July 25, 2016

How Eyewitness Misidentification Leads to Wrongful Convictions


Madhu Kumar is a scientist who received his PhD in biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Between 2009 and 2014, he served as a postdoctoral fellow at the London Research Institute, where he received the Hardiman-Redon Prize. For his charitable activities, Madhu Kumar serves as a consultant for the New England Innocence Project (NEIP).

The NEIP is an organization that provides pro bono legal services to people wrongfully convicted who have claims of actual innocence. In the course of the NEIP’s advocacy work, it also aims to raise awareness for the causes of wrongful convictions in hopes of bringing about reforms that will lead to the reduction of such cases.

On its website, the NEIP identifies several causes of wrongful convictions. The apparent leading cause is eyewitness misidentification. Mainly due to the fallibility of human memory, eyewitnesses can wrongly identify a suspect, thereby leading to a false conviction. In 75 percent of cases, DNA tests prove these false testimonies wrong and thereby absolve the convicted of any wrongdoing.