Dr. Prashant Kumar Modi
Assistant Professor
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PhD, Biochemistry
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prashantmodi@yenepoya.edu.in, prashantmodi21@gmail.com
I did M.Sc. in Biochemistry from Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya Indore in the year 2002. I started my research journey from Department of Zoology, Banaras Hindu University as a Junior Research Fellow. I got awarded Ph.D. degree from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi in 2009. Further, I moved to the National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi in 2010 for postdoctoral research. My PDF work mostly focused on “Cell Cycle-Related Neuronal apoptosis in Alzheimer’s disease,” where I joined Dr. Pushkar Sharma’s research group. My PDF work mainly consisted of delineating the molecular mechanisms involved in cell cycle-related neuronal apoptosis in Alzheimer’s disease. Currently, my research interest in the identification of biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets in Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease and identification of molecular targets of traditional Ayurvedic medicines having neuroprotective functions using cutting-edge technologies in genomics, proteomics and metabolomics.
PostDoc/Experience
Assistant Professor ( May 2016-till date)- Center for Systems Biology and Molecular Medicine, Yenepoya Research Centre, Yenepoya ( Deemed to be University), Mangaluru, Karnataka, India.
Postdoctoral Fellow ( Research Associate) ( 2010- April 2016)-Eukaryotic Gene Expression Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India.
Awards/Honors
- Awarded SNCI-AIIMS 2013 award for the best oral presentation in 27th Annual Meeting of Society for Neurochemistry, India (SNCI) &International Conference on recent advances in molecular mechanisms in neurological disorders, AIIMS New Delhi
- DBT Research Associateship( 2011-2012), Dept. of Biotechnology, India, 2011-2012
- Senior Research Fellowship(2007-2009), Indian Council of Medical Research, India, 2007-2009
- Qualified CSIR-UGC NET(LS) December 2002
Research Interest/Area
Genomics, Proteomics and Metabolomics, Post-translational modifications in neurodegenerative disorders, Molecular targets of traditional Ayurvedic medicine.
Research
We are interested in dissection of signaling pathways in two different aspects of neurodegenerative disorders
Characterization of novel signaling pathways in neurodegenerative disorders
Neurons undergo various molecular and biochemical changes such as apoptosis during nervous system development and neurodegeneration. We are interested in delineating the signaling mechanism by studying various post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation, ubiquitinylation, acetylation, glycosylation, acylation, and sumoylation, involved in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). We employed cutting edge technologies such as Genomics, Proteomics, and Metabolomics to identify altered signaling molecules, which have diagnostic and prognostic values.
Dissecting the molecular mechanism involved in neuroprotective functions of Ayurvedic medicines
In Ayurveda, Several plants are used to improve memory and classified as Medhya Rasayanas. Our group also interested in the evaluation of neuroprotective properties of these plants (Medhya Rasayanas) in AD and PD. We are even interested in the identification of molecular mechanisms of action to bring neuroprotection by these plants in AD and PD. We employed functional proteomics and metabolomics platforms to identify molecular targets associated with the neuroprotective functions of these plants.
Publication All List : 
- Sahu, A., Gopalakrishnan, L., Gaur, N., Chatterjee, O., Mol, P., Modi, P. K., Dagamajalu, S., Advani, J., Jain, S. and Prasad, T. S. K. (2018). The 5-Hydroxytryptamine signaling map: an overview of the serotonin-serotonin receptor-mediated signaling network. Journal of Cell Communication and Signaling. 12, 731-735.
- Modi, P. K., Jaiswal, S. and Sharma P. (2016). Regulation of Neuronal Cell Cycle and Apoptosis by MicroRNA 34a. Molecular and Cellular Biology. 36:84-94.
- Modi, P. K.*, Komaravelli, N.*, Singh, N. and Sharma P. (2012). Interplay between MEK-ERK signaling, cyclin D1 and cyclin dependent kinase 5 regulates cell cycle reentry and apoptosis of neurons. Molecular Biology of the Cell. 18:3722-30. (Recommended by the faculty of 1000), (*Equal contribution).
- Modi, P. K. and Kanungo, M. S. (2010). Age-dependent expression of S100beta in the brain of mice. Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology. 5:709-16.
- Yashodhar P. Bhandary, Sadiya Bi Shaikh, Mr. Mohd. Altaf Najar, Dr. Ashwini Prabhu, Dr. Prashant Kumar Modi and Dr. T. S. Keshava Prasad,“Molecular Biomarkers for Detection of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis”, Indian Patent, Provisional specification, 2019, 201941048222.