SERB-DST Biosciences JRF Post Vacant @ Siddaganga Institute of Technology (SIT)

Sree Siddaganga Education Society (R)

Siddaganga Institute of Technology (An Autonomous Institution Affiliated to Visvesvaraya technological University, Approved by AICTE, ISO 9001: 2008 Certified)

Tumkur- 572 103, Karnataka, India.

Ph. +91 816 2282696, Fax: +91 816 2282994; Website: www.sit.ac.in Dr. Sudhir H. Ranganath Assistant Professor & Principal Investigator Lab for Biomedical Innovations via Engineering & NanoTechnology (Bio-INvENT Lab) Department of Chemical Engineering Siddaganga Institute of Technology (SIT) Dr. SUDHIR H RANGANATH B.H. Road, Tumkur – 572103 Phone: +91-816-2214038 (Office); +91-9901699216 (Mobile) Advertisement for Junior Research Fellow (JRF) post under DST - SERB sponsored project Email: sudhirh@sit.ac.in and sudhiratnus@gmail.com Applications are invited for a Junior Research Fellow (JRF) position under the Science and Engineering Board (SERB), DST, New Delhi, for the research project titled “Nanoparticle-based Prophylactic Drug Delivery to the Corneal Endothelium” Principal Investigator:

Dr. Sudhir H Ranganath Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering Siddaganga Institute of Technology, Tumkur - 572103

Project Duration:

03 Years

Number of Posts:

01

Essential Qualifications:

M.Sc/M.Phil/M.S in Molecular Biology/Cell Biology/Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Microbiology with minimum of 60% marks in B.Sc/M.S and M.Sc/M.Phil/M.S (or) M.E/M.Tech/M.Eng/M.S in Chemical Engineering/Biotechnology/Nanotechnology with minimum of 60% marks in B.E/B.Tech/M.E/M.Tech/M.Eng (or) B.E/B.Tech/B.S in any of the above disciples with minimum of 60% marks and an additional 2 years of research experience in biology or bio-nanotechnology.

Desirable Credentials:

Preference will be given to NET/SLET/GATE qualified candidates.

Relevant experience (1-2 years) in molecular/cell biology, biomedical or bionanotechnology research is an added advantage.

Fellowship / Salary:

Rs. 25,000/- per month for NET/SLET/GATE-qualified candidates Rs. 18,000/- per month for candidates without NET/SLET/GATE qualification

Important Note:

The selected candidate (having Master’s degree) will have an opportunity to register for Ph.D under Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), Belagavi.

Last date of Application: Interview Date:

25 November 2018 01 December 2018

Highlights:

This project is in collaboration with Dr. SP Srinivas (Indiana University, USA)

Interested candidates are requested to apply with a brief bio-data (see CV format attached) along with the copies of relevant certificates cum research publications. These documents should be sent via email to the Principal Investigator at sudhirh@sit.ac.in

NOTE: • Candidates will be shortlisted for the interview based on merit and research experience.

• Candidates shortlisted for the interview should produce original testimonials/certificates at the time of the interview.

• No allowances (TA/DA) will be paid for attending the interview.

• The date and time of the interview will be communicated via email.

CV FORMAT 1 Name 2 Contact No. Email 3 Date of Birth 4 Address Present

Permanent

5 Educational Qualifications Degree Description of Subjects/ Year of Passing Percentage College/Institution/University the Degree Specialization Scored Class X Class XII UG Degree PG Degree 6 Qualification in Competitive Exams (NET, SLET, GATE, etc), if any Exam Subject Qualified Year of Qualification Validity (till MM-YY) Score

7 Professional Experience (Research or Industry), if any Name of the Research Institute Job Title and Description (or) Industry

Area of Research (or) Industry Domain

Years of Experience (MM-YY to MM-YY)

8 Research Publications, if any (If yes, list them with full details of authors, title, journal name, vol, Issue, year, page) 1 2 3 9 Conference Presentations and Publications, if any (If yes, list as suggested above) 1 2 3 10 Awards and Significant Achievements, if any (If yes, please list them below) 1 2 11 Any other relevant information 12 References, if any (If yes, please send TWO letters of academic, research or industry references in sealed envelopes) Name of the Referee Position and Affiliation Email Contact Number 1 2 13 Signature of the Applicant 14 Place 15 Date

Job Description for the position of Junior Research Fellow (JRF) under DST - SERB sponsored research project Principal Investigator: Dr. Sudhir H Ranganath Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering Siddaganga Institute of Technology, Tumkur - 572103 Project Duration:

03 Years

Project Title:

Nanoparticle-based Prophylactic Drug Delivery to the Corneal Endothelium

Abstract

The cornea is the primary refracting element of the eye, and hence its transparency is critical for perfect vision. There are no FDA-approved drugs for treating major corneal disorders such as Fuchs Dystrophy and Keratoconus. The current standard of care is corneal transplantation.

The demand for donor cornea in India is ~200,000/yr and is increasing. Moreover, transplantation entails risks of allograft rejection and surgical trauma to the corneal endothelium (CE) in ~ 30% of transplants. Therefore, it is imperative to enhance the success of corneal transplantation.

The barrier and pump functions of CE maintain corneal stroma in a state of dehydration, which is essential for corneal transparency. Before transplantation, donor CE is inevitably exposed to cold stress (hypothermia). After transplantation, CE is challenged by cytokines in the event of allograft rejection. The impact of hypothermia and cytokines on functions of CE are unknown at the molecular level. Previous studies in many cell types have shown that both hypothermia and cytokines induce microtubule disassembly and apoptosis. In CE, microtubule disassembly subverts barrier function. Thus, we hypothesize that preconditioning of CE by a sustained intracellular release of microtubule stabilizing agents can surmount the adverse effects of hypothermia and cytokines. Thus, the major goals of this project are to establish the effects of hypothermia and cytokines on microtubule disassembly and to develop a nanoparticle-based strategy for delivering microtubule stabilizers to donor CE as a prophylactic treatment to enhance the success of corneal transplantation.

We will test our hypotheses in rabbit CE ex vivo. Microtubule stabilizers (paclitaxel, epothilone B) will be loaded into PLGA nanoparticles (PNPs) and delivered to CE immediately upon excision of the cornea. Uptake kinetics will be optimized by altering size and surface properties of PNPs. Drug release kinetics will be tailored by varying physicochemical properties of PLGA. The efficacy of drug-loaded PNPs (dPNPs) will be examined in response to cytokine stress (TNF-α) and hypothermia (4° C, 12 h). To visualize destruction of the cytoskeleton, we will image microtubules, peri-junctional actomyosin ring, and ZO-1 with and without treatment with dPNPs. Activation of p38 MAPK, which is upstream of microtubule disassembly, will be examined by Western Blotting. The barrier function of CE will be determined as fluorescein permeability with a custom-made CSMF. Loss of stromal deturgescence will be ascertained by trans-corneal scatter measurements using CSMF. These findings will facilitate the development of a rational approach to enhance corneal transplantation and establish a technology for prophylactic and sustained drug delivery to CE.

Job Description

• Isolation and culture of rabbit corneas ex vivo and phenotypic characterization using immunocytochemistry and phase contrast microscopy.

• Performing experiments to investigate the effects of hypothermia and cytokine stress on the barrier function of CE including western blotting, RT-PCR and immunocytochemistry.

• Synthesizing polymeric nanoparticles loaded with microtubule stabilizers (Paclitaxel and epothilone-B) and physicochemical characterization (size, zeta potential, surface chemistry, etc) and biological characterization on ex vivo rabbit corneas (cytotoxicity, cellular uptake kinetics, immunocytochemistry and fluorescence spectroscopic examination of barrier function) in collaboration with Dr. SP Srinivas (Indiana University, Bloomington, USA).

• Design and execution of experiments, writing manuscripts for publications and drafting of patent application based on the nanoparticle uptake by donor cornea.

• Present the research findings in international conferences and symposiums.