Lecture Series in Advanced Biology 2018

Theme: Regenerative Biology

Course title: "Regenerative Biology : From lab to bedside ",  28th Jan to 18th March 2018.

Every sunday from 9am to 12 pm at Malgova, NCBS.

Stem cells are at the core of developmental processes as well as our bodies ability to repair regular wear and tear. Research suggests that tapping the potential of stem cells can help us tinker our capacity to regenerate damaged tissues. In this lecture series, we aim to give you a flavor of this area of biology by taking you through some exciting research articles on tissue degeneration and repair. We will address the biology at a cellular and molecular level and build up towards understanding how therapeutic capacity can be achieved.

Co-ordinators: Bhaktee Dongaonkar, Dhananjay Chaturvedi, Ganesh K. Bhavani, Girish R. Kale, Lakshmi Balasubramanian, Mamatha Nijaguna, Nishtha Nayyar, Megha, Pankaj Jain, Renjitha Gopurapilly, Ruchi Jhonsa, Sathyaa Subramaniyam, Subhasri Ghosh, Savitha Chib

Registration closed for 2018!!!!

Teachers:

Bhaktee Dongaonkar
I completed my PhD in Cognition and Neural Systems at the University of Arizona. I am postdoctoral fellow at NCBS. I study how psychosocial stress and depression affect memory processes in humans.

Dhananjay Chaturvedi
As an undergrad I studied microbiology but switched to Development from my masters’ onwards. I’ve studied brain development in mice and stem cells in Drosophila. Most recently our group uncovered a novel stem cell population in Adult fly muscles which maybe the basis of muscle main attendance in repair. This whole journey in knowledge had been enriching and rewarding. I’d like to share some of what fascinates me.

Ganesh Kadamur Bhavani
In my PhD work, I focused on understanding the molecular basis of regulation of a lipid modifying enzyme by signaling through GPCRs and heterotrimeric G proteins. Using a combination of structural, biochemical and enzymatic analyses, I identified a new mechanism of enzyme activation. I then decided to change fields and am now working on understanding how metabolites also complement protein mediated signaling, but also are able to coordinate communication between different organelles in cells.

Girish R. Kale
I did my PhD in developmental biology. During my PhD, I tried to understand how tension affects cell-cell adhesion. I am interested in understanding how cells respond to the physical composition of their surroundings and how that affects their behavior. To that end, I am interested in comparing similar cells from different species to identify the differences in their behavior in similar physical environment.

Lakshmi Balasubramanian
I am trained chemist and got my PhD in Bioinformatics while I was working in conformations of protein structure. Currently I am a postdoctoral fellow at NCBS studying to understand host-pathogen interactions using a combined approach of 3D quantitative image analysis and Bioinformatics.

Nishtha Nayyar
I am interested in understanding the role of small RNAs in gene regulation. During my PhD, I have identified novel miRNAs encoded by a Baculovirus upon host infection and have studied their role in host pathogenesis. For my postdoctoral research, I am trying to identify how miRNAs are involved in governing anterior v/s posterior polarity decisions in Planaria.

Megha
I studied the biophysical properties of lipids for my PhD at Stony Brook University. Then I wanted to work with complex systems so I had a brief foray in infectious diseases at the University of Washington, Seattle. Currently I am fulfilling my interest in studying animal-level biology with investigations on nutrition and development in Drosophila here at NCBS.

Mamatha Nijaguna
I completed my PhD in molecular oncology background at IISc, Bangalore, India and currently working at CCBT, inStem. Our lab is an inter-disciplinary organization and works on chemical biology aspect. This organization reflects earlier drug-discovery kind of set-up. I am associated with cell biology team and mainly involved in assay development to screen/validate hit molecules and study their mechanism of action.

Pankaj Jain
I completed my BSc from University of Mumbai in 2008. Following that I pursued my Masters and PhD in Molecular Biophysics from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore working on forces governing the folding and stability of a protein. Presently I am carrying out my Post Doctoral work at the Centre for Brain Development and Repair, InStem, Bangalore looking at the effect of stress hormone on stem cell derived neurons at morphological and molecular level

Renjitha Gopurapilly
I worked on embryonic and adult stem cells since the completion of my post graduation. I have been associated with both the corporate and academic sector for biological research. I then did my PhD on pancreatic stem cells from Manipal University. I joined National Centre for Biological Sciences as a post doc after that and currently study the role of intracellular calcium homeostasis in neural stem cells and their derivatives.

Ruchi Jhonsa 
I am a developmental biologist by profession and I completed my Ph.D. from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. As a postdoctoral fellow at NCBS, I am trying to understand how photoreceptors maintain polarity using fruit flies as the model system.

Sathyaa Subramaniyam
I did my PhD in Computational Neuroscience. During my PhD, I have developed a detailed model for a neuron called Unipolar brush cells in granular layer of Cerebellum. Using the model, we characterized the intrinsic property of the neuron and predicted the importance of specific ion channels to generate late-onset response. I am currently doing my postdoctoral work in understanding the single neuronal integration of information at varying timescales.

Subhasri Ghosh
I am a postdoctoral fellow at InStem studying the mechanism by which stem cells sense a wound and move towards it. Previously, in my PhD at NCBS, I have studied how plasma membrane nanoscale domains form in association with a dynamic cortical actin.

Savita Chib, PhD

I received PhD from Indian Institute of Science Bangalore. During PhD, I investigated the genetic basis of adaptation in bacteria under prolonged starvation. After PhD, I worked on cellular immune responses to flaviviruses, particularly Japanese Encephalitis viruses in humans. My current research involves genome-wide profiling of bacteria evolving under stress in order to study the nature of mutations and map the underlying transcriptional changes which aid bacterial survival under stress.

For further queries: ncbs.outreach@gmail.com