SUMMARY:

• Highly enthusiastic and dedicated Research Scientist with 12 years of experience in biochemistry, cancer biology, virology, cellular and molecular biology.
• Thorough in experimental plans, performing evaluation, characterization and validation of scientific goals, project management, development and optimization of new and existing assays, documenting test results.
• Strong written skills including composing scientific reports and presenting research findings.
• Well versed in training and supervising junior researchers to advance job performance and scientific understanding, writing manuscripts and grants.
• Experience working with in vitro cell cuture, immunoassay, viral infection and flow cytometry.
• Working as a Research Scientist in Confidential for five years on a Confidential and Confidential collaborative project on characterizing mRNA vaccine delivery with nanomaterial in vitro in skeletal muscle cell line and in vivo in mice / cynomolgus monkeys focusing on mRNA endosomal entry, release and protein production in muscle and lymph nodes.
• Also investigating the lymphatic trafficking, immune response post intramuscular injection of mRNA vaccines and localization of mRNA or protein in immune cells.

SKILLS & TECHNIQUES:

RNA biology: In vitro transcribed mRNA, mRNA labeling with MTRIPs, mRNA delivery with lipid nanoparticle, endosomal trafficking, protein production with mRNA formulation with nanocarriers in vitro and in vivo, imaging labelled mRNA punctas in cells and tissue sections, RNA isolation for RNA sequencing, In vitro translation, RNA/Protein or Protein/Protein interaction with Proximity ligation assay, familiar with DLS for measuring particle size and zeta potential.

Protein Studies and Molecular Biological Techniques: SDS PAGE, Western Blotting, Affinity chromatography, Protein purification, DNA / plasmid extraction (Mini - prep / Maxi-prep), DNA electrophoresis, Electrophoretic Mobilty Shift Assay (EMSA), development and optimization of Polymer Chain Reaction (PCR), RT-PCR, qPCR, Cloning, Transformation, PCR microarray, siRNA transfections, SNP detection, Reverse Phase HPLC for mRNA purification.

Cell Biology Studies: Excellence in handling cells in culture (primary cell lines, immortalised and transformed cell lines, hybridoma cell lines for antibody production, Culturing PBMCs and dendritic cells, Cryopreservation, Transfections, apoptosis, Signal transduction and DNA repair mechanism, Luciferase assay on cell or tissue lysates, Cell based assay, Flow cytometry, Stable cell line generation.

Virology studies: Reverse transcriptase assay, Generating constructs, Experience in retrovirus ( Confidential ), Yellow fever Virus, Experience working with BSL2 and BSL3 laboratories.

Immunology: Trafficking of mRNA vaccines to lymph node, Elispot, Familiar with Elisa, Staining of Lymph nodes for immune cell marker and infiltrating immune cells in skeletal muscle cells.

Cytological Studies: Apoptosis TUNEL, AnnexinV, Fluorescence microscopy, Fluorescence spectrophotometry, IHC, IF, Confocal Microscopy, Familiar with live cell imaging, FISH assay.

Animal Studies: Handling Swiss mice and Confidential /c mice, Tumor transplantation, Intramuscular and intraperitoneal injections, Isolation of tumor cells from peritoneal cavity, Lymphatic trafficking visualisation with fluobeam, Extraction of anterior tibialis muscle, Lymph nodes and spleen from mice.

Clinical Studies: Isolating DNA from blood samples of prostate cancer patients and normal donors, worked on cervix cancer biopsies.

Computer Skills-: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Power Point, Microsoft Excel, Prism, Microcal Origin, Sigma Plot, Lab Image Software (Band analysis), Data analysis with statistical programmes, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Software for primer designing, Computational analysis for DNA sequences using Vector NTI, CLC sequencer, Sequence alignment software, Designing DNA sequence for making IVT mRNA with sequence builder, Imaging analysis with Volocity imaging software, Analysis of RNAseq data.

Management and writing Skills: Excellent project management skill to achieve goal in defined timeline, Scientific writing, Laboratory notebook documentation skills, Composition of written protocols and reports

EXPERIENCE:

Research Scientist

Confidential, Atlanta, GA

Responsibilities:

• Working on characterizing intramuscular delivery of mRNA vaccines with nanoparticles in vivo ( Confidential /C mice and Cynomolgus monkeys).
• Extensive experience in mRNA labeling with fluorescently tagged MTRIPs and endosomal trafficking of mRNA in vitro in skeletal muscle cell line and in vivo in anterior tibialis muscle of mice.
• Developed skills for making in vitro transcribed mRNA, mRNA labeling and HPLC purification of mRNA.
• Working on lymphatic trafficking of mRNA in mouse model and nonhuman primates, determining mRNA localization and protein expression in immune cells of lymph node by immunostaining.
• Experience with making polyacrylamide hydrogels to culture skeletal muscle cells. This model could be considered to mimic in vivo system for mRNA uptake, translation and endosomal trafficking.
• Developed skills in advanced microscopic imaging using spinning disk and confocal microscope, analyzing imaging data with Volocity softwareWorked on isolation and culturing of CD8 positive human dendritic cells.
• Proficiency in labeling the mRNA with Nano gold for TEM.

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Confidential, Atlanta, GA

Responsibilities:

• Experience with genotyping DNA extracted from human blood samples for Single Nucleotide Polymorphism detection.
• Developed simple and easy kit method to detect OAS enzyme in prostate cell lines.
• Identifying SNPs at splice acceptor sites of Confidential gene in Caucasian and African American prostate cancer patients and its correlation with health disparities between the two population.
• Provided training to graduate and undergraduate students.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Confidential

Responsibilities:

• Characterizing the entry of Confidential retrovirus in human primary cell line (Epithelial, Smooth Muscle and Fibroblast).
• Worked on Xpr1, receptor for XMLV and PMLV and elucidating the involvement of ECL3 and ECl4 loops of Xpr1 receptor for Confidential virus entry.
• Worked in BSL3 facility for virology studies
• Production of monoclonal antibody from hybridoma cell lines
• Worked on cloning promoter region of receptor
• Trained several rotation students on cell and molecular biology techniques.

Research Fellow

Confidential

Responsibilities:

• Established a procedure to isolate the chromatin-bound XRCC4 with associated molecules, probably including other Confidential factors, DNA damage signaling molecules and also chromatin components.