Dr. Jayanth Kumar

Dr. Jayanth Kumar, Additional Professor

Address: Room No. 4008, Convergence Block, AIIMS, New Delhi.

Email id: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.    

 

EDUCATION

MBBS, Medicine and Surgery (2000-2006)

Government Stanley Medical College,

Chennai, Tamilnadu

MD, Biochemistry, (2007-2010)

All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.

 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Senior Demonstrator (2010-2012)

Department of Biochemistry, AIIMS, New Delhi

Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (2012-2014)

Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine

David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California

 

Assistant Professor (2014-2017)

Department of Biochemistry, AIIMS, New Delhi

 

Associate Professor (2017-2020)

Department of Biochemistry, AIIMS, New Delhi

Additional Professor (2020-Present)

Department of Biochemistry, AIIMS, New Delhi

 

Research Focus of the Lab

Our lab focusses on multiple research questions whose answers hopefully will lead to a translational utility.

• RNA binding proteins and Epitranscriptomics: The focus of our lab is in understanding the role of RNA binding proteins and RNA methylation in the pathogenesis of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (ALL). This is a disease of the pediatric age group and is a major health problem worldwide. RNA binding proteins (RBPs) regulate gene expression post- transcriptionally. Our studies have identified the IGF2BP family of RBPs to be highly expressed in B- ALL. Our work has also identified that the percentage of methylated RNAs (m6A) is very high in B-ALL. We are attempting to decipher how these RBPs are overexpressed in B-ALL and what is their role in the pathogenesis of the disease in conjunction with RNA methylation. This is done using various clinical samples, various in-vivo and in-vitro techniques.

• Gene Therapy: Our lab also works on devising gene therapies for inborn errors of metabolism using CRISPR based viral vectors. At present, we are working on Gaucher’s disease as a model for the same.

• Rare disease characterization: Our lab is also part of a team at AIIMS which helps in molecular characterization of rare diseases in pediatrics. Novel mutations are analyzed and their functional role established using various molecular biology techniques.

Our Team

1. Scientists and Postdoctoral Fellows

 

• Dr Kriti Kaushik: Postdoctoral Research Fellow (DHR Young Scientist-III). Kriti joined the lab as a DBT-Research Associate (fellowship) in 2018 with an interest to decipher the role of long non-coding RNAs in regulating IGF2BP3 in aggressive cancers. She has expanded her research investigation as a DHR Young Scientist to study another class of non-coding RNAs i.e. circular RNAs bound with IGF2BP3 and their mechanism of action in promoting metastasis during hypoxia in leukemia patients. With a strong background in genomics (during her PhD from CSIR-IGIB), Kriti also works on bioinformatic analysis of RNA-seq and related data.
• Dr Sumedha Saluja: Sumedha is an ICMR project scientist-I. She joined the lab in March 2018 and did her PhD in the lab. She is currently investigating the role of epitranscriptome and IGF2BP family of RNA-Binding Proteins in B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. She has a Masters in Biochemistry from AIIMS with a thesis focussed on stem cells and cancer. During her MSc, she was awarded with UGC Postgraduate Merit Scholarship for University Rank Holder and she was a University Gold Medalist in Biomedical Sciences.
• Dr Sivapar Mathan: Mathan is an ICMR project scientist-II. He is working on using CRISPR screens to rapidly identify therapeutic vulnerabilities in B-ALL.
• Tejaswini Choudhury: Tejaswini is an ICMR project scientist-I. She is working on the role of various immune cell subsets in liver transplant rejection and on creating synthetic circuits to identify intracellular signals.

 

2. Graduate Students

• Ishu Bansal: Ishu is a fourth year PhD student and ICMR-SRF. She joined the lab in May 2021. She is investigating the role of IGF2BP family of RNA-Binding Proteins in modulating the PI3K pathway in B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

• Mohammad Sabique Beg: Sabique is a fourth year PhD student and DBT-SRF. He joined the lab in May 2021. He is working on using CRISPR directed therapies to silence IGF2BP3 in cancer cell lines.

• Ruchi Bhardwaj: Is a second year PhD student and a DBT-JRF. She joined the lab as a graduate student in March 2023. She works on identifying gene networks perturbed by m6A modifications in B-ALL.

• Tanu Bansal: Is a second year PhD student and a DBT-JRF. She joined the lab as a graduate student in March 2023. She works on designing synthetic circuits to target relapse specific genes in B-ALL.

 

3. Senior Resident: Dr Sharath is a senior resident who joined the lab in Feb 2021. He works on deciphering the synergism between epitranscriptomic modifications and IGF2BPs in the stability of mRNAs. He also works on developing CRISPR directed AAV based therapies for Gaucher’s disease

4. Project Associate-I: Anjli Gaur is a DHR project associate and is working on the identifying the role of relapse specific genes in B-ALL.

5. Nitesh: Lab technician who helps in patient sample collection, processing and data collation

 

Alumni:

1. Dr. Elza Boby: Elza was a Junior resident in the Biochemistry Department (2015-2018). Elza worked on the ‘Role of IGF2BP1 in ETV6-RUNX1 translocation positive B-ALL’ as part of her dissertation in our lab. She is presently working at Calicut Medical College in the Department of Biochemistry as Assistant Professor.

2. Sanjeev Goswami: Sanjeev worked on the ‘Role of IGF2BP3 in the invasion and migration of cancer cells’ during his Masters in Biochemistry (2016-2018) in our lab. He is presently enrolled as a PhD student in Prof Kunzang Chosdol’s lab in Biochemistry at AIIMS, New Delhi.

3. Dr Thakur Nidhi: Nidhi was a Junior Resident in the Biochemistry Department (2016-2019) Nidhi worked on the ‘Role of EGFL7 in ETV6-RUNX1 translocation positive B-ALL’ as part of her dissertation. She is presently working as a Senior Resident at ESIC, Faridabad.

4. Harsh Bhakhri: Harsh worked on ‘The role of METTL3 and IGF2BP synergism in leukemogenesis’ during his Masters in Biochemistry (2019-2021) in our lab. He is presently enrolled as a PhD student in Prof Kalpana Luthra’s lab in Biochemistry at AIIMS, New Delhi.

5. Arjun Saraswat and Lajja Patel: Arjun and Lajja were MBBS students who had been selected by the institute’s UG Mentorship Research Scheme. They worked on the role of IGF2BP3 associated circular RNAs in hypoxia and epithelial to mesenchymal transition.

6. Dr Gunjan Sharma: Gunjan was the first PhD student from the lab. She worked on elucidating the role of IGF2BP1 in ETV6-RUNX1 translocation positive pediatric patients. She was a DBT-JRF/SRF and a winner of the SERB overseas visiting doctoral fellowship. She is presently a postdoctoral fellow at UCLA.

7. Hemant Kumar: Hemant was a Masters student in the lab. He did his dissertation on the role of circRNAs in hypoxia. He is currently a PhD student in PGIMER, Chandigarh

8. Diya Chawla: Diya was a Masters student in the lab. Her dissertation involved the development of a monocyte derived macrophage model for Gaucher’s disease.

9. Mahek Farhan: Mahek was a Masters student in the lab. She worked on designing an RNA targeted CRISPR based strategy to reverse the phenotype in Gaucher’s disease

10. Nisha Kushwaha: Nisha was a Masters student in the lab. She worked on validating the expression of relapse specific genes in a large cohort of archival patient samples.

 

Positions Available

We are always on the lookout for excellent postdoctoral/graduate students. If you are interested in the type of work which we do and have an idea which you wish to work on, please drop an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

MBBS students for summer fellowships and short-term training are always welcome if you are willing to put in the hard work