Reddy Staff Bios

I did my undergraduate years at Duke University where I studied Neuroscience. My previous research experience was in Parkinson's disease. I focused on using optogenetics to selectively excite GABAergic and Glutamatergic Neurons in the Pedunculopontine nucleus of mice in order to observe changes in motor behavior. I am an incoming MD/MBA student who enjoys cooking, working out, and standup comedy. 

I did my masters in Biotechnology from Choudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut and Ph.D. from Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India. My Ph.D. thesis research was on liver-specific microRNA-122 (miR-122) and hepatitis C virus infection. I studied several aspects of miR-122 in relation to hepatitis C - i) expression of circulating miR-122 in Hepatitis C patients’ serum and its correlation with disease severity, ii) role of miR-122 in hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication and propagation using in vitro cell culture system, iii) role of miR-122 in hepatocellular and tumor suppression. MicroRNAs (MiRNAs) are the class of small non-coding RNA molecules regulating gene expression by binding with the 3’-UTR of their specific target mRNAs and implicated in various human diseases including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, liver diseases, viral infection, diabetes and in neurodegenerative disorders. MiRNAs also participate in inter-and-intracellular communication and are transported from cells/tissues to the extracellular spaces and bio-fluids. In the diseased state, endogenous levels of miRNAs change in disease-infected tissues and occasionally are released into the peripheral system. My long-term goal is to build up my research carrier in miRNA biology and to understand the biomarker and therapeutic impacts of miRNAs in human diseases.

I joined Dr. Reddy’s lab as a postdoctoral research associate in 2015. Dr. Reddy’s lab is working on several aspects of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) such as APP processing, Aβ pathology, Tau/p-Tau pathology, synaptic dysfunction, mitochondrial biogenesis, mitochondrial dynamics, and mouse models of aging and neurodegenerative diseases. In Dr. Reddy’s lab, my research project was to investigate the peripheral circulating miRNAs as biomarkers for AD. We performed the global Affymetrix microarray analysis of serum samples collected from AD patients, Mild cognitive impairment individuals (MCI) and healthy controls. We identified several miRNAs which were deregulated in AD vs MCI vs healthy subjects. Our careful validation analysis of potential miRNAs on large number of AD serum samples, AD postmortem brains, AD Fibroblasts, AD B-lymphocytes, AD mouse model (Tg2576) and AD cell lines identified microRNA-455-3p (miR-455-3p) as potential biomarker for AD. Our lab was the first to discover the role of miR-455-3p in AD. Further, we investigated the molecular mechanism of miR-455-3p in AD progression and pathogenesis. We unveiled the protective role of miR-455-3p in APP processing, Aβ pathology, mitochondrial biogenesis, mitochondrial dynamics and synaptic activity. 

I received my Ph.D. in Bioinformatics from Sri Venkateswara University. In my Ph.D. findings, I undertook a challenging research problem on "Identification and characterization of potential drug targets in Brucella genomes." I identified few putative drug targets genes that are potential candidate for Brucella pathogenesis through computational studies like molecular modeling, molecular docking, molecular dynamic simulation studies, and pharmacophore in drug discovery.

Currently, I am working on a project for identification of potential drugs (small molecules) for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neuronal disorders. Small molecule therapeutics, neuronal interaction, molecular behavior, in vitro cells cultures and animal models tests are used for drug discovery and computational screening to find the best possible rational therapeutic small molecules for AD and other neurological disorders. I am looking at small molecules involvement of therapeutic protection with inhibition against neurodegeneration including the role of secretase and tau components, synaptic, biogenesis and mitochondrial dynamic proteins and genes role in the pathogenesis of AD including Tau and APP metabolism.

I attended Mumbai University, India where I received my BSC and MSC in Microbiology. I then worked as a Clinical Microbiologist. I had an opportunity to lead and operate a very busy Clinical lab. I was intrigued by the emerging antibiotic resistant infections and hence moved to USA to do research in this area. I obtained MS and PhD in Medical Microbiology at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX. During my graduate studies I focused on gene regulation and genetics of Multidrug resistant (MDR) efflux pump, a mechanism by which bacteria become resistant to antibiotics.  I have extensive research laboratory experience in microbiology, biochemistry and molecular biology labs. I have worked for prestigious organizations such as UTMB, Galveston and Scott and White Healthcare, Temple TX.      

Later, I developed interest towards studying aging and neurological diseases and currently I am a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the lab of Dr. Hemachandra Reddy, Department of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX. My current research interests include:

1. Develop a rational basis for neuroprotective strategies to prevent the onset or slow the progression of Huntington’s disease. The main focus of this project is to generate and maintain colonies of transgenic Huntington’s disease mice. We will then determine protective effects of mitochondrial division inhibitor in these mouse models for Huntington’s disease. The outcome will provide new insights for therapeutics for Huntington’s disease.

2. We are also developing a diet from Chaya (tree spinach) leaves for diabetes using a mouse, in collaboration with researchers from Texas Tech University.  This project will elucidate the parameters and scope of the antidiabetic effects of Chaya using naturally occurring polygenic mouse model – TallyHo mice. The outcome of our findings will provide new insights about basic molecular mechanisms and translational aspects of Chaya against diabetes.

Outside the lab I enjoy music, photography and love to explore nature.

I work as a Medical Research Tech in the Reddy lab. Earlier I did my undergrad coursework in Biotechnology from Mumbai, India followed by Masters at Texas Tech University, Lubbock TX. For my masters my research was focused on “Epigenetic effects of oxidative stress induced by natural and synthetic estrogens on various breast cancer cell lines”. After graduating I began working in the Reddy lab where initially my research was focused on effects of SSRIs on progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Presently I am studying the effects of mitochondrial fission inhibitor Mdivi-1 on Huntington’s animal models.  I soon plan to start my doctoral studies under the guidance of Dr. Reddy.

When I am not in the lab I love to travel, exploring various landscapes and cultures. And I hike as often as possible!

Murali Vijayan received his doctoral degree from Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India, in 2015. During his Ph.D. study, he investigated the candidate genes and risk of ischemic stroke in south Indians. He joined Dr. Reddy’s laboratory at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in November 2015 as a postdoctoral research associate. His postdoctoral study focused on the circulatory microRNAs (miRNAs) as biomarkers and therapeutic targets for ischemic stroke.

He is also involved in several other research projects including characterization of Alzheimer’s disease mouse models - APP (Tg2576 line) and Tau (P301L) and also genetic crossings of APP and Tau mice with voltage-dependent anion channel 1 heterozygote knockout mice (VDAC1+/-) and dynamin-related protein 1 heterozygote knockout mice (Drp1+/-); and maintaining different lines mice (APP, Tau, VDAC1+/- X APP, VDAC1 X Tau, Drp1+/-, Drp1+/- X APP and Drp1+/- X Tau) and assessing cognitive behavior using rotarod, morris water maze, open field and Y-maze.

He is the recipient of FIMSA/IIS travel bursary award, Newton International Fellowship 2015 Round 2, Royal Society of London and the Science and Engineering Board of India (SERB), through the Newton- Bhabha Fund (Un-availed). He is the member of several learned accredited bodies and review editor for many journals.

His current work investigates the mechanisms of miRNA-mRNA involvement in therapeutic response for ischemic stroke and its related vascular dementia.

• murali.vijayan@ttuhsc.edu
• 806-743-2479