DasGupta Lab

Principal Investigator

Biplab Dasgupta, PhD, did doctoral research in molecular biology and immunology from the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Calcutta, and postdoctoral research at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis. Dasgupta joined Cincinnati Children’s in 2009 as a tenure track assistant professor of pediatrics within the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He rose through the ranks and is now a tenured associate professor of pediatrics.

Broadly, he is interested in understanding the mechanisms of cancer development and progression. Using various state-of-the-art techniques and brain tumor as a model, his lab examines cancer stem cell metabolism, bioenergetics, signal transduction and the potential link between and cell-intrinsic and cell-extrinsic factors that influence cancer incidence and penetrance. 

biplab.dasgupta@cchmc.org

Research Fellow

I am Abitha Sukumaran, a biomedical researcher in the Department of Oncology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. My doctoral and postdoctoral studies at Christian Medical College and Hospital, India and Yale University School of Medicine, USA, respectively, involved studying disorders of iron metabolism using cells in culture, mouse models and human subjects. In the DasGupta laboratory, my research work involves deciphering the role of AMPK-mTOR signaling axis in normal cells and gliomas, in an attempt to better understand the pathogenesis of brain tumors. We envisage that this would lead to the development of better treatment strategies. In another project I am beginning to examine the interactions between extrinsic factors and mutations during cancer initiation and progression.

abitha.sukumaran@cchmc.org

Research Fellow

I obtained my PhD in stem cell biology and cancer genetics in 2014 from the University of Nottingham, UK. My current research is focused on understanding the role of AMPK in Brain development. Considering the high metabolic demand of the developing brain, our understanding of AMPK function is limited. To assess the role of AMPK during Brain development, we are using various transgenic mouse models to conditionally inactivate AMPK in neural cells. I am also interested in understanding the metabolic changes in a highly aggressive pediatric brain tumors. We are examining brain region-specific metabolic uniqueness of stem/progenitor cells, developing mouse models of pediatric brain tumors to understand bio-energetic and metabolic pathways essential for reprogramming of normal brainstem cells into tumor cells.

ranjithmenon.muraleedharan@cchmc.org

Research Assistant III

I am a Research Assistant in the Dasgupta laboratory. I have done my Masters in Pharmacology from the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, India and previously worked as a research assistant at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria. I have gained expertise in handling and maintaining different animal models like zebra fish used for neurological studies and genetically modified mouse models. I am also experienced in in-vivo techniques like mouse embryo and oocyte injections with stem cells. My current research is focused on understanding the mechanisms of biguanide sensitivity and resistance of patient derived glioblastoma lines. I also assist other lab members in various ways including genotyping transgenic mice, maintaining mouse colonies, cell culture and molecular techniques. I am also involved in ordering lab supplies, reagents and lab organization.

mruniya.gawali@cchmc.org

Graduate Student

I obtained my Bachelor of Science in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Bachelor of Arts in German Studies from the University of Arizona. Currently I’m working toward a PhD in the Cancer and Cell Biology Graduate Program at University of Cincinnati. My research interests include examining passenger deletions that engender therapeutic vulnerabilities in adult high grade gliomas, and examining the role of metabolic regulators including the cellular energy sensor AMPK in mouse models of pediatric high grade glioma.

nicole.oatman@cchmc.org

Undergraduate Student

I am working toward my bachelor of science in neurobiology at the University of Cincinnati. I will graduate by the end of 2018, and I hope to start medical school by fall 2019. My current research consists of looking at the expression levels of SCD1 in PTEN wild-type and PTEN hemizygous deleted lines, determining the cellular viability of these lines upon exposure to SCD inhibitors, and testing the efficacy of SCD inhibitors in metastatic melanoma mouse models.

Student Aide

I am an undergraduate at the University of Cincinnati majoring in medical sciences with a minor in Spanish. In the Dasgupta laboratory, I extract DNA from tails or ears of transgenic mice and run polymerase chain reactions for genotyping of the mouse strains used by other members of the lab for their projects. I also help with the maintenance of mouse colonies in the animal house by weaning and separating pups and adult mice. I prepare different reagents and sterilize (autoclave) various types of equipment used in the lab. With my experience in the Dasgupta lab, I hope to work in research projects through SURF or other programs.

Student

I graduated in 2012 from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, and I worked as a pharmaceutical chemist for 5 years. I am currently a PhD student in the Cancer and Cell Biology Graduate Program at University of Cincinnati and I joined the Dasgupta Lab in March 2019. My current research focuses on the pediatric glioma DIPG, where I have performed integrative analyses on transcriptomic and metabolomic datasets to uncover previously unknown mechanisms that create an environment that is favorable for tumor progression. We are actively investigating some of the pathways that have been uncovered through these analyses, including the de novo and salvage purine pathways among others.

ian.mersich@cchmc.org

Student

I was born and raised in Dubai and moved to the US for higher studies. Presently, I am an undergraduate student at the University of Cincinnati majoring in Biological Sciences. In the Dasgupta lab, I run polymerase chain reactions for genotyping of various mouse strains that are critical for research projects of all lab members. I assist other lab members by helping out with western blots and cell culture. By being a part of this lab, I am learning several cool methods and research done by lab members and other labs by participating in lab meeting sand journal clubs. I expect to contribute specifically in one project to examine the energy sensor AMP kinase in tumorigenesis as I get acquainted with the aims and objectives of the project.

gandhijj@mail.uc.edu