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Dr. R Selvi Bharathavikru

Assistant Professor

Biological Sciences

brselvi@iiserbpr.ac.in

6546464654

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Additional Responsibility

  • Associate Dean, Outreach

Publications All

Academic Background

  • BSc (Biochemistry and Microbiology), University of Mumbai (2003)

  • MSc (Biotechnology), Madurai Kamaraj University (2005)

  • PhD (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology), Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bengaluru (2010)

Professional Experience 

  • Postdoctoral Research Fellow, MBGU, JNCASR (2010-2011)

  • Medical Research Council, Career Development Fellow, MRC-HGU, Edinburgh, UK (2011-2012)

  • Research Fellow, University of Edinburgh, UK (2012-2019)

Awards and Memberships

  • Life member of Society of Biological Chemists, India.

  • Early career member of the Biochemical Society, UK.

  • Life Member, The RNA society, Maryland, US.

  • DBT Ramalingaswami Fellowship (2020)

  • Doctoral thesis project awarded the first prize in Merck-Millipore India Innovation Award (2012).

  • Ranbaxy Young scientist award (2009).

  • M.Sc., gold medal for highest aggregate marks (Prof. E.R.B. Shanmugasundaram Endowment medal, Thiru. Ayyamperumal Pillai endowment medal, Dr. Subramanian Endowment medal) (2005)

Research Interests

  • Posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression

  • Molecular Medicine

  • Systems Biology

Research Group

  • Sourav Dey, PhD Scholar (UGC SRF)

  • Nishad Gosavi, iPhD

  • Harsha Sankar SH, iPhD, (PMRF)

  • Sangita Lala, PhD Scholar (UGC-JRF)

  • Y Pavani, PhD Scholar (UGC-JRF)

  • Prasun Chakraborty, BS_MS (MS Project 2024-25)

About me

I am a molecular and cell biologist with research expertise in the area of RNA regulated gene expression in stem cell biology. Our  research group, RNA NucleoProtein Biology Lab (RBL) is working on RNA Binding Proteins (RBPs) and their role in Stem Cell Biology in the context of development and disease. We are interested in understanding how RBP complexes act as information hubs and fine tune gene expression and thus direct embryonic stem cell differentiation to distinct lineages, or modulate adult stem cells to maintain tissue homeostasis as well as their role in regulating dedifferentiation especially in the context of Cancer Stem Cells. One of the major RNA processing pathways that we are interested in are the RNA methylation complexes and their interplay in gene regulation. 

Biography

I did my postdoctoral research at the MRC-Human Genetics Unit, Edinburgh, working with Professor Nick Hastie on post transcriptional regulatory cascades in nephrogenesis. I have done my PhD with Professor Tapas Kundu, Transcription and Disease Laboratory, Molecular Biology and Genetics Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bengaluru, on understanding the role of chromatin modifications in differentiation and disease. During my PhD, I was also associated with collaborative projects involving developing tools at the interface of chemistry and biology for drug targeting in disease conditions.

I have completed my Master’s in Biotechnology from the School of Biotechnology, Madurai Kamaraj University and my undergraduate degree is in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Mumbai. I was born in Chennai, and most of my education was in Mumbai.

Research Projects

Ongoing:

1. CSIR-ASPIRE: Delineating transcriptional and post transcriptional regulatory mechanisms in nephropathies using genome edited cellular disease models (2024-2027)

2. Ramalingaswami Re Entry Fellowship: Kidney tissue homeostasis: role of epitranscriptome in podocyte biology (2020-2025)


Completed:

1. SERB-Start up Research Grant: Elucidating the role of epitranscriptome associated RNA processing in kidney tissue homeostasis

Key Publications


1. Roy A, Padhi SS, Khyriem I, Nikose S, Sankar S H H, Bharathavikru RS. 2022. Resetting

the epigenome: Methylation dynamics in cancer stem cells. Front Cell Dev Biol. 10:909424.

doi: 10.3389/fcell.2022.909424. PMID: 36225315; PMCID: PMC9549938.

2. Dey S, Misra A, Bharathavikru RS. (2022). Long Non-coding RNAs, Lnc(ing) RNA

Metabolism to Cancer Biology. Metabolism and Epigenetic Regulation: Implications in

Cancer. Subcell Biochem (in press). Vol. 100, Metabolism and Epigenetic Regulation:

Implications in Cancer, Tapas Kumar Kundu and Chandrima Das (Eds): 978-3-031-

07633-6, 500776.

3. Bharathavikru R*, Dudnakova T*, Aitken S, Slight J, Artibani M, Hohenstein P, Tollervey D,

Hastie ND. (2017) Transcription factor, Wilms Tumour 1 regulates developmental RNAs

through 3’ UTR interaction. Genes Dev 31:347-352

4. Bharathavikru R and Hastie ND (2018). Overgrowth Syndromes and Paediatric Cancers:

how many roads lead to IGF2? Genes Dev 32:993-995.

Contact Details

Full Name

R Selvi Bharathavikru


Email

brselvi@iiserbpr.ac.in


Contact

6546464654


Address

IISER Berhampur