Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer related deaths among Indian women. One of the major risk factors, which accounts for 99.7%, cases of the cervical cancer is persistent infection with a sexually transmitted, high risk Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). It has been found that E6 and E7, two oncoproteins encoded by HPV, deregulates p53 and pRb and promotes cervical cancer in the
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Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer related deaths among Indian women. Persistent infection with oncogenic Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the major etiology of the disease. Expression of the viral oncoproteins E6 and E7 are critical for malignant transformation of the host cells and is mediated through the interaction with other host encoded molecules. E6 regulates the deca
Read MoreGlobally, 25% of children < 5years suffer from growth restriction and impairment of overall development. India represents one-third of the global burden (38.4% born annually). Despite its high prevalence, biological and other associated factors that can lead to this condition are poorly understood. My research interest is focused on studying the impact of breastfeeding practices in the change i
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Tuberculosis (TB) is primarily an infection of the lungs caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC). This complex comprises of upto seven Mycobacterium species including but not limited to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) and M. bovis. This disease is a major public health burden for the country with India accounting for 27% of the world TB cases. This strain on the health
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The overarching goal of my research is to study the ancestry of Indian populations, mainly the Ancestral South Indians (ASI) and the admixture of ASI with other populations. The early migration and ancestries of Indian populations are hugely debated and there is a lack of consensus on important issues. I will use advanced statistical methods, simulation studies and genomic data to gain furt
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JMJD6 has diverse enzymatic activities including histone arginine demethylation, lysyl hydroxylation, and is recently shown to phosphorylate proteins. It’s high expression is robustly associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer. JMJD6 binds RNA but lacks a DNA binding domain. However, by interacting with other transcription factors like BRD4, it was recently shown to regulate the anti
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Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is an irreversible disease characterized by progressive inflammation, fibrosis of pancreas, and loss of pancreatic functions. Epidemiological studies have identified CP to be a major risk factor for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). PDAC is one of the most lethal diseases with an incidence rate almost equal to the rate of mortality. Elucidation of the molecul
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Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a condition characterized by progressive and irreversible damage to both exocrine and endocrine components of the pancreas, eventually resulting in significant exocrine insufficiency and diabetes. In the recent years, several genetic risk factors for chronic pancreatitis have been identified in genes like PRSS1, PRSS2, SPINK1, CFTR, CTRC etc. In view of these fin
Read MoreA number of GWAS studies conducted in 2009 on HCV (hepatitis C virus) showed that polymorphisms/variants in the interferon-lambda (IFNL) locus affect the HCV disease outcomes. Following this, in 2013, a new type III IFN, Interferon lambda-4 (IFN-λ4) was discovered. This gene is expressed due to the presence of the ΔG allele at the dinucleotide polymorphism rs368234815. Even though IFN-λ4 has po
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Modern human originated in Africa nearly 150K YBP (Years Before Present) from where they spread to different parts of the world. This “out-of-Africa” migration took place nearly 60-75K YBP. The migrating population carried with them the genetic variants inherited from their parents but simultaneously, with the passage of time, accumulated mutations which gave rise to new variants. This m
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