Download Work Summary: (Please sketch the significance of your research

Work Summary: (Please sketch the significance of your research contributions so
far, in around 100 to 200 words) 600 Characters remaining.
Currently, I have been working on the epigenetic regulation (e.g. histone acetylation,
DNA methylation and microRNAs) of alcoholism. I have successfully implicated the
role for DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) and histone deacetylases (HDACs) enzymes
in different models of co-morbidity of anxiety and alcoholism. Although preclinical, my
current research hints the use of HDACs inhibitors as novel therapeutic agents for the
treatment of alcoholism. My recent publication in the journal ‘Alcoholism: Clinical and
Experimental Research’ has shown the role for histone acetylation in the development of
rapid tolerance to the anxiolytic effects of acute ethanol exposure. Some of the key
findings on the similar lines are in the pipeline for the publications in very high impact
factor journals.
During my Ph.D., I have contributed significantly in the fish brain research implicating
novel role for neuropeptides, such as neuropeptide Y and β-endorphin, in the
reproductive behaviors of commercially important fishes of Indian subcontinent. To
mention a few, some of my research work was published in the ‘Journal of Comparative
Neurology’ and ‘Journal of Neuroendocrinology’. During my postdoctoral work at
Pennigton Biomedical Research Center (PBRC), USA, I could show for the first time, a
novel mechanism of involvement of astrocytic leptin receptors in adult-onset obesity
using a Avy agouti mice as an animal model, which further culminated in several breakthrough findings.
Research Programme: (Please project a Programme of Research, in around 400
words, in a frontier area involving your sub-discipline, which you would like to
pursue at an Indian University in the event of your selection) 1500 Characters
remaining
Epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation and histone acetylation regulate
chromatin structure and thereby modulate gene expressions. Unlike genetic mutations in
the DNA, these epimutations are stable and heritable, but are also reversible. In fact, the
reversibility of these epimutations have formed the basis of novel therapeutic targets for
the treatment of neurological ailments e.g. depression, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s
disease and drug addictions. A study conducted by NIMHANS (India) has shown a steep
decrease in the average age of alcohol addiction among the Indian population from 28
years in the 1980s to 17 years in 2007. I have been working on the neuroepigenetics of
alcoholism for the last four years; and my expertise lies in epigenetic mechanisms of gene
regulation, which is why I am highly motivated to explore the role of epigenetic factors in
the adolescent brain, such as histone acetylation and DNA methylation, that are affected
by alcohol abuse, and how they change during neurodevelopment through adulthood.
More precisely, the initial set of experiments will try to establish the causal link between
these epigenetic marks and candidate genes that are affected by the exposure of bingelike drinking by adolescent rats, using high-throughput sequence based analysis after
ChIP (Chromatin Immunoprecipitation) and MeDIP (Methylated DNA
Immunoprecipitation). Based on the enormous amount of data generated by these initial
assays, my laboratory will be engaged in validating these results using real-time PCR
arrays and proteomics, such as western blot and immunohistology, in relation with the
phenotypic alterations. Although, the majority of these experiments will be performed in
vivo using rat and/or mouse as animal models, in vitro studies will be preferred for more
molecular mechanistic approaches such as signaling or gene silencing studies. During
the course of my research, the over-arching goal of my team will be to identify the altered
epigenome in the context of brain development in well-characterized models of
alcoholism, and the possible therapeutic targets. Simultaneously, I will also explore the
opportunities to extrapolate the preclinical observations of my laboratory to the alcoholic
patients. As a out-reach program, I would like to engage the young college students to
reach out to the society and help educate the people about the risks of drug addiction and
the miseries it brings to the society, from a socio-economic standpoint.
Although the above mentioned plan of my research looks highly ambitious at this time of
my research career, I believe that the present scientific scenario of collaborations with
different labs across the country, at academia and industrial levels, and engagement with
overseas laboratories, will help me navigate the alcoholism research in fruitful directions.
Plan of Teaching: Very briefly, state your Plan of Teaching in predoctoral /
postgraduate / undergraduate classes, which you will be obligated to execute as part
of your professional responsibilities (50 to 100 words)
I find myself competent of teaching Cellular and Molecular Biology, Biotechnology,
Biochemistry, Animal Physiology, Neurobiology to the undergraduate/postgraduate
students (Four theory classes/week) and guiding initially the research of 2 postgraduate
and 2 Ph.D. students, while applying simultaneously for the extramural funding from
agencies e.g. CSIR, ICMR, DBT and DST. To digress a little bit, my main focus of
research training will be towards orienting the students’ attitude for research; while on
another hand, building their research career so that they confidently compete at the
international platform.