Medical Project

GAJALAKSHMI DAKSHINAMOORTHY, Ph.D

****, ********** ***, ******** ****, Santa Clara, CA – 95051, 815-***-****

*******@*****.***

QUALIFICATION OVERVIEW

More than 9 years of experience working in academic set up.

Substantial experience in research techniques and technologies: Molecular cloning, protein purification,

microbiology, RT PCR, Flow cytometry and immunology

Strong background on immunology and molecular biology

Extensive experience working with animals and in developing recombinant vaccines.

More than 20 publications in the peer reviewed journals and attended four international conferences and

presented orally in one and excellent academic qualifications

Organized, take-charge professional with exceptional follow through abilities and detail orientation; able

to plan and oversee projects from concept to successful conclusion.

Expertise in lab research, team work, data collection/analysis and project management.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Over 7 years of research experience in molecular biology and immunology and in the vaccine

development against Lymphatic filariasis.

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, CHICAGO 2010-current year

Post doctoral research associate

Involved in the large scale production of multivalent fusion vaccine for the non-human primates.

Purified >25mg of two different multivalent fusion proteins for the primate study. Visited industry to use

their set up to express proteins in 50 liters of culture media.

Investigated the role of human effectors cells in antibody mediated protective mechanism against filarial

parasites. Isolated immune cells from the human and macaque blood and investigated their role in the

killing of larvae.

Identified the excellent multivalent fusion vaccine against filarial infections which will be evaluated in

human clinical trials. Cloned three different antigens in a single vector. Expressed and purified the

multivalent fusion proteins in E.coli. Immunized animals and performed challenge studies in mice and

gerbils.

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, CHICAGO 2008-2010

Research fellow

Identified the several promising vaccine antigens from the filarial cDNA libraries using novel phage

display expression technology. Performed biopanning against the human sera and identified the clones.

Cloned and expressed the identified antigens. Evaluated the vaccine efficiency in mice and gerbils.

Identified the effective drug candidates against prostate cancer cell lines by in vitro screening. Screened

different drugs against three different prostate cancer cell lines- DU145, 22RVI and LNCaP.

Determined the efficiency of drug candidates and siRNA knock down in prostate cancer cell lines.

Performed xenograft approach studies in nude mice for the identified drugs and tumor associated genes.

MAHATMA GANDHI INSTITUTE OF INDIA, INDIA 2006-2008

Research fellow

Identified the diagnostically important filarial genes using immunoscreening of filarial cDNA libraries

against patient sera.

Maintained the filarial life cycle in mosquitoes and rodent models.

Developed a novel immunosensor setup to detect antigen–antibody interaction using two electrode

systems

EDUCATION

Ph.D ., Biotechnology, University of Illinois, Chicago and University of Nagpur, India 2012

Master of Science, Biotechnology, University of Madras, India 2003

Bachelor of Science, Biochemistry, University of Madras, India 2001

GRANTS AND AWARDS

Co-principle Investigator, Proof of Concept Gap funding Initiative, UIC Current year

Travel award fellowship, Government of India 2010

Junior Research Fellowship, Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India 2008

Defense Research Development Establishment, Govt. of India 2005

Dean Scholarship list 2003

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Instructor, Immunotechnology and Bioinformatics -University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago

Project Advisor, Medical Biotechnology-University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago

Guest Lectures, Trends in Molecular Biology-Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, India

Teaching Assistant, Molecular developmental biology and cloning vectors -University of Madras, India

TECHNICAL SKILLS

Genetic engineering techniques: Cloning, Expression and Purification of recombinant proteins, PCR

Techniques (Real-time and RT PCR), Electrophoretic techniques (SDS- PAGE, Agarose gel Electrophoresis

etc.)

Immunology: ELISA, Isolation of Macrophages, neutrophils, Immunoprecipitation, Immunofluorescence

senescence assay, apoptosis assayand Flow cytometry.

Cell culture: Cell line maintenance –Mouse cell lineage (MC/9), Human cell lineage (COS -1, COS-7),

Prostate cancer cell lineage (RWPE, LNcap and 22RV1). Culture of macrophages, splenocytes and

lymphocytes from rodent animal models and PBMC from humans, in vitro transfection of mammalian

cells.

Experimental Animal handling: Immunization of rabbits, gerbils, mastomys and mice. Maintaining

mosquito colony and life cycle of filarial parasites in the rodent models. Challenge experiments with the

basic surgical experience in mice and gerbils.

Chromatographic techniques: FPLC, Affinity and Molecular sieve chromotography.

RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS

Gajalakshmi D, Gnanasekar M, Kristen Stocieu and Ramaswamy K. PLos ONE 2013.

Gajalakshmi D and Ramaswamy K. Vaccine 2013.

Alice Z, Rajnish J, S.P. Kalantri, Gajalakshmi Dakshinamoorthy, M.V.R. Reddy, Benedetti A,

Schwartzman K, Menzies D and Madhukar Pai. Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health (2013)

Samykutty A Shetty AV, Gajalakshmi D, Bartik M, Johnson G, Webb B, Zheng G, Chen A, Ramaswamy

K and Gnanasekar M. PLos ONE 2013

Samykutty A Shetty AV, Gajalakshmi D, Ramaswamy K, Zheng G, Chen A, Bosland M, Balla A and

Gnanasekar M. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2013.

Gajalakshmi D, Samykutty A, Gnanasekar M, and Ramaswamy K. Vaccine (2012).

Gajalakshmi D, Samykutty A, Gnanasekar M, G B Shinde, Reddy MVR Reddy and Ramaswamy K

(2012). PLoS ONE 7(4): e34077. doi:10.1371

S. K. Joseph, S. Sambanthamoorthy, G. Dakshinamoorthy, G. Munirathinam, K. Ramaswamy. (2012).

Vaccine.

Thirugnanam S, Gnanasekar M, Anandharaman V, Gajalakshmi D and Ramaswamy K. Parasitology

Research, 2012.

Shetty AV, Thirugnanam S, Dakshinamoorthy G, Samykutty A, Zheng G, Chen A, Bosland MC,

Kajdacsy-Balla A, Gnanasekar M. Int J Oncol. 2011

Abhilash.S, Gajalakshmi. D, Ramaswamy. K. Multivalent Vaccine for Lymphatic Filariasis 2010.

Procedia in Vaccinology 3: 12–18.

Veerapathran A, Dakshinamoorthy G, Gnanasekar M, Reddy MVR, Kalyanasundaram R. PLoS Negl

Trop Dis June 2009; 3(6): e457. Doi :10.1371 /journal. pntd. 0000457.

Mahajan RS, Veerpathran A, Dakshinamoorthy G, Sharma RD, Goswami K, Reddy MV. Indian J Clin

Biochem. 2010 Oct;25(4):362-6. Epub 2010 Aug 25.

Sharma RD, Veerpathran AR, Dakshinamoorthy G, Sahare KN, Goswami K, Reddy MV.

Pharmacognosy Res. 2010 Nov;2(6):350-4.

Gnanasekar M, Dakshinamoorthy G, Ramaswamy K. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2009 Aug

21;386:333-7

Vanam U, Prabhu PR, Pandey V, Dakshinamurthy G, Reddy MVR and Kaliraj P. Parasitology, July

2009; 136 (8) pp 887-894

Vanam U, Pandey V, Prabhu PR, Dakshinamurthy G, Reddy MVR, Kaliraj P. Am J Trop Med Hyg 80:

319-324.

Pai M, Joshi R, Dogra S, Zwerling AA, Gajalakshmi D, Goswami K, Reddy MVR et al. Int J Tuberc

Lung Dis. 2009 Jan;13(1):84-92.

Sharma RD, Janardhana PB, Gajalakshmi D, Reddy MVR, Goswami K. Asian Pac J Trop. Med.

2009;2(1):30-34.

SharmaRD, Janardhanan, Abhilash S, Gajalakshmi D, Reddy MVR, Goswami.K. The Internet Journal

of Parasitic Diseases, 2008; 3(1).

K. N. Sahare, V. Anandhraman, V. G. Meshram, S .U. Meshram, D. Gajalakshmi, K. Goswami and M.

V. R. Reddy. Indian Journal of Medical Research Vol 127, May 2008, pp 478 -482.

YP Bhandari, V. Anandharaman, D Gajalaxshmi, K Goswami, MVR Reddy. The Journal of Mahatma

Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, 2006, Vol 11, 22-27.

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