Richa Khanna

Advisor: Joseph D. Mancias, MD, PhD

• Developed novel macrophage model elucidating autophagy-mediated iron metabolism in innate immunity (manuscript in preparation)
• Led industry-academic collaboration evaluating novel autophagy inhibitors for pancreatic cancer therapeutics in vitro and in vivo
• Validated NCOA4-FTH1 interactions to develop basis for designing inhibitors for ferritinophagy.

Advisor: Malavika Raman, PhD

• Established iPSC-based skeletal myocyte platform modeling ALS-associated VCP mutations, published in Cell Stem Cell (2022)
• Reduced myocyte differentiation time from 45 to 30 days through innovative troubleshooting
• Mapped proteome alterations in ALS using quantitative proteomics, identifying dysregulated pathways
• Discovered mechanistic roles of VCP adapters in stress granule biology (manuscript in preparation)
• Generated key preliminary data contributing to successful Muscular Dystrophy Association grant (2023) Grant ID: 1070479 https://doi.org/10.55762/MDA.1070479.pc.gr.174098
• Managed lab operations including training, workflow standardization, and inventory

Advisor: Manjula Reddy, PhD

• Identified immune regulatory role of human homolog of bacterial carbohydrate deacetylase
• Purified SARS-CoV-2 antigens supporting rapid antigen detection test development to assist state-wide efforts to improve diagnosis

Advisor: Veena K. Parnaik, PhD

• Revealed unprecedented role of ubiquitin-mediated protestasis in nuclear envelopathies, resulting in 4 peer-reviewed publications
• Standardized biochemical assays and IP-MS pipeline for ubiquitination studies
• Presented at 10+ international/national conferences

Advisor: Nibedita Lenka, PhD

• Differentiated murine ES cells into cardiac and neuronal lineages studying folic acid in embryonic development
• Identified a positive role supporting folate metabolism in neuronal and cardiac differentiation