Postdoctoral Associates

Joined the Mueller Lab in 2019

"I chose this career because I was always curious to learn how one of the most complex machines in biological world works so efficiently and if they are not working efficiently what can be done to fix them."

Education
2017 PhD in Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH; “Role of miR-122 in Acetaminophen-Induced Liver Injury”; Advisor: Dr. Kalpana Ghoshal
2010 BSc in Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, UP- India 

Research interests
I am a molecular biologist with expertise in liver physiology. I have graduated with a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from The Ohio State University. My graduate and post-graduate work focused on microRNA-122 mediated regulation of drug and alcohol induced liver injury. Here at Mueller Lab, I focus on developing therapeutic strategies to counter Alpha-1 anti-trypsin deficiency disease. We employ novel methodologies to correct mutated gene and evaluate their clinical significance.

Joined the Mueller Lab in 2019

"Gene therapy is tremendously fascinating and incredibly exciting, especially its use of something as annoying as viruses to correct devastating genetic conditions."

Education
2019 PhD in Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, United Kingdom; “Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Disease Mechanisms and Therapeutic Approaches”. Advisors: Professor Matthew Wood, Dr. Melissa Bowerman
2014 MSc in Neuroscience and Cognition, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands
2011 BSc in Cognitive and Neurobiological Psychology, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands

Research interests
Translational research; AAV-mediated gene transfer, gene silencing, gene editing; RNAi therapeutics; central nervous system diseases

Project
I work on gene therapy for diseases of the central nervous system. My main project is on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. The project is specifically focused on a hexanucleotide repeat mutation found in chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9orf72) that is toxic and causes ALS pathology. I use different strategies to eliminate or silence this toxic repeat, such as gene editing or the use of microRNAs. My other project is on Neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2), a disease that is caused by mutations in the NF2 gene that result in the growth of multiple tumors throughout the central and peripheral nervous systems. For this, I am designing a viral vector that can deliver a functioning copy of the gene.