PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
I have over 25
years of research experience in the fields of molecular, cell,
and developmental biology as well as stem cell biology and tissue
engineering. More specifically, my expertise covers:
• PhD project 1988 - 1992 from University of Cambridge UK
: Generation of mouse models of diseases- involving design and
generation of constructs, Embryonic stem cells (ES) culture, analyses
of clones using classical molecular biology techniques, Animal
husbandry.
• Post PhD projects: (1992
– 1996) University of Cambridge. Department of Genetics
and Gurdon Institute (MRC post-doctoral fellowship) on Molecular
Analysis of Cystic Kidney disease in chimaeric mice under Dr.
C.A. Boulter
• (1996 - 2009) Investigator
Scientist at the National Institute of Medical Research, London
(now part of the Francis Crick Institute, London) under Dr. Vassilis
Pachnis: research in Investigating the development of Enteric
Nervous System (ENS) using mouse models of Hirschsprung disease
and isolation of ENS precursor cells. This involved setting up
and optimising in vitro gut organ cultures, injecting cells into
gut, isolation of neural crest cells from mouse gut, identification
and isolation of ENS precursor cells from mouse ENS; preparation
of retroviruses and using Flow cytometry to isolate precursor/stem
cells of the ENS.
• 2011 - 2017: Research Associate
in the Department of Stem cell and Regenerative Medicine at Great
Ormond Street Institute of Child Health (GOSICH), UCL London,
under Drs Nikhil Thapar and Dr. Alan Burn. Here, I set up and
executed experiments for the isolation and labelling of human
foetal and paediatric gut ENS precursor cells for human gut motility
disorders. I was also part of projects whereby precursors were
transplanted back into animal models leading to rescued gut motility.
Other techniques included generation of lentiviruses, immunolabelling
techniques and use of confocal microscopes.
• 2016 - 2019: Tissue Engineering
projects both at GOSICH, UCL, London, UK under Prof. Paolo de
Coppi (tissue engineering of oesophagus) and Institute of Hepatology,
London, UK under Dr. Luca Urbani and Prof. Roger Williams (tissue
engineering of liver). Project involved making scaffolds of tissues
to study extracellular matrices in normal development and disease
progression as well as create models for testing drugs and make
scaffolds to replace diseased parts. Generation of decellularized
scaffolds, recellularization either by injection or perfusion,
bioreactor use, assay techniques such as In vivo Imaging System
(IVIS).
• Part of international workshops
in India (Indo-UK Stem cells workshop, 2005). This was at the
Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research in Bangalore,
India and supported by The Royal Society in collaboration with
the British High Commission in India and Indian Department of
Science and Technology. It was set up to train students in various
stem cell culturing techniques and applications.
• Trainer at Cold Spring Harbor
Laboratories for Molecular Embryology of the Mouse course in 2007.
It was a workshop of lectures and practical work for understanding
mouse development and applications.
• Successfully set up many
fully functional labs from scratch in UK and India:
2009
- 2011: Set up cell and molecular biology labs in India for Prescient
Biosciences Pvt. Ltd (Training Institute), Peenya, Bangalore, India.
These included setting up various projects (molecular biology, cell
biology, tissue engineering, training labs). Training labs included
the planning, designing of course work manuals and conducted (theory
and practical) training modules with troubleshooting in the various
fields, presentation skills and writing up of project thesis for
corporate employees and students from biotechnology and M.Sc backgrounds.
2017 - 2019: Institute
of Hepatology, UK, working with Dr. Luca Urbani. Liver tissue engineering
lab was set up from scratch with aim of making models for fibrosis
and colon cancer liver metastasis. Involved setting up and optimizing
protocols for decellularization of rat and human livers, isolation
of various cells types from livers, lentiviral labelling and IVIS,
seeding of cells, some bioreactor work and training and working with M.Sc and PhD students.
2019 - 2022: Set up a wet lab in Bangalore, India, for an Enzyme Engineering company specializing in the design and screening of engineered enzyme variants to produce new and more efficient enzymes for various products such as drug development, vaccines, herbal medicines and for a greener environment.
2022 - : Technical consultant for an Enzyme Engineering company - involved in development of cloning strategies and troubleshooting of experiments.
