The recent focus on increasing diversity by including ethnic populations in human genetic studies has increased global equity and opportunities of new discoveries. Catalogue of genetic variations among diverse populations from South Asia has enabled us to ask questions on the functional and evolutionary backdrop of the variations which are novel and population specific. However, functional genomi c data still are extremely sparse among non-European populations. To establish a causal link between DNA sequence variations to phenotypes, we also need to have a mechanistic understanding of how these loci operate at the molecular level. My research interest lies in functional dissection and comprehension of the genetic underpinning of complex traits with the help of multi-omics high throughput technologies. Read less
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Long COVID: post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 with a cardiovascular focus COVID-19 is increasingly recognized as a multisystem disorder with persistent cardiovascular sequelae. Post-acute infection, particularly following the Delta and Omicron waves, is associated with heightened cardiovascular risk, potentially mediated by alterations in host immuno-genetic determinants. Hence, our study aims at characterizing the host molecular signatures for targeted therapeutic intervention. Read less
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My current research project is focussed in understanding the extracellular vesicles (EVs) mediated crosstalk taking place between cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) and cancer cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) to understand how heterogeneity among CAFs prevalent in oral tumors drives the cancer cells to acquire different functional status. Also there is emerging role of LncRNAs in cancer cell plasticity and tumor progression. So identifying the LncRNAs originating from different CAF subtype-rich TME and taking part in CAF-cancer crosstalk may hold the key towards understanding the poor cancer prognosis as well as further seek its association with therapeutics, disease management and patient survival. Read less
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My work investigates how tumor-driven gene expression and epigenetic changes contribute to cancer-associated cachexia. By analyzing tumor–muscle interactions and key molecular pathways, I aim to identify targets for improving patient outcomes and quality of life.
