Investigator Profile

Dr. Bhupendra Kumar Verma,
Associate Professor,
Department of Biotechnology,
All India Institute of Medical Sciences,
Ansari Nagar,
New Delhi-110029

Email ID: bverma@gmail.com, bverma@aiims.edu

Phone(O): +91-11-26593617

Research:
15 years of research experience in field of Molecular Biology, Virology, Post-transcriptional Gene regulation, RNA splicing etc.

Research Focus:
DENV virus-host interaction, non-coding RNAs, Alternate Splicing

1. Characterization of non-coding RNA interactome in DENV pathophysiology:
   The global burden of dengue infection poses significant challenges in terms of medical treatment options, as there is a lack of effective therapeutic regimens. This highlights the need to expand our knowledge and deepen our mechanistic understanding of dengue infection in order to develop better strategies for its management. Upon viral infection, multiple-signaling cascades are activated. This leads to secretion of various molecules to combat the infection. RNases are one of those molecules that are activated upon infection. Several studies have shown modulation of RNases upon DENV infection. RNases are mainly involved in maintaining RNA homeostasis inside a cell under stressed conditions. These also acts upon different RNAs like mRNA, tRNA or rRNA to generate various non-coding RNAs (ncRNA). We aim to characterize ncRNA generation during DENV pathogenesis.

2. Modulation of gene regulatory networks in DENV pathophysiology:
   Although a great deal has been learned about the DENV biology in last decade, there are many regulatory networks of viral-host interactions which are yet to be known. In our lab, we are focusing to map novel regulatory posttranscriptional gene regulation circuits perturbed during pathogenesis of DENV. This will help us to understand how virus manipulates host gene regulation during course of infection and can we target this interaction for therapeutic purpose or as biomarker for severity of disease.

Collaborations

1- Juvenile Angiofibroma: Pathophysiology & Molecular Mechanisms (Department of Otorhinolaryngology, AIIMS, New Delhi)

Juvenile Angiofibroma (JA) is a benign yet rapidly expanding neoplasm within the posterior nasal cavity and nasopharynx, posing a potential life-threatening risk due to severe hemorrhage. JA primarily occurs sporadically and commonly manifests with symptoms such as nasal obstruction, epistaxis (nosebleeds), and related complications due to its location. The molecular and genetic understanding of JA is still evolving, but research has shed light on certain molecular and genetic factors that may contribute to the development of this rare tumor. We aim to functionally characterize the mutational spectrum involved in JA pathogenesis.

2- Characterizing mutations in Indian AT-patients (Division of Genetics, Department of Paediatrics, AIIMS, New Delhi)
Ataxia telangiectasia is an autosomal recessive and rare inherited childhood neurological disorder characterized by progressive neurologic impairment and cerebellar ataxia. It is caused by mutations in the ATM gene. Here, we are characterizing Indian AT-patients and aiming to target them with ASO therapy.