Rajkumar Verma, PhDAssistant Professor
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- Overview
- Education & Training
- Teaching
- Committees & Organizations
- Research
- Research Opportunities
- Lab Rotations
- Publications
- Presentations
Dr. Verma is an Assistant Professor in the Neuroscience Department and the Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center at the UConn Health in Farmington, CT since 2016. Rajkumar completed his Ph.D. work at Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, India and earned his doctoral degree in Pharmacy/Pharmacology from Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, India.
Degree | Institution | Major |
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BPharm | HNB Garhwal University | Pharmaceutical Sciences |
MPharm | Birla Institute of Technology | Pharmacology |
PhD | Birla Institute of Technology/Central Drug Research Institute India | Pharmacology |
Awards
Name of Award/Honor | Awarding Organization |
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Patent Methods for Pharmacologic Treatment of Stroke, B Liang, R Verma, KA Jacobson, U.S. Patent 10,695,355 | U.S. Patent |
Path Trailblazer Award | Office of the Vice President for Research, UConn |
Travel Grant to Pranay Srivasatava | Atomwise Inc., San Francisco, CA |
First Prize Winner of the 2018 Stroke Progress and Innovation Award by American Heart Association (AHA) | American Heart Association |
START PPOC Award | Office of Vice President for Research, University of Connecticut |
Career Development Award | American Heart Association |
Atomwise Artificial Intelligence Molecular Screen (AIMS) Award | Atomwise Inc., San Francisco, CA |
Travel Award, ISN Advanced School 2015, Fitzroy Island, Australia | International Society for Neurochemistry |
Junior Investigators Travel Award, International Stroke Conference, 2015 | American Heart Association |
Outstanding Presentation Award, Neuroscience Retreat | Neuroscience Department, UConn Health |
Postdoctoral Training Grant | American Heart Association |
Tokuji Ikenaka Prize ‘Gold Award’ for Best Poster Presentation in 10th Biennial Meeting of Asia Pacific Society for Neurochemistry (APSN) Phuket, Thailand | International Society for Neurochemistry/APSN chapter |
CNS and CVS Pharmacology to Pharm.D. students. Neurobiology of Disease, Neurobiology of Glia
Name & Description | Category | Role | Type | Scope | Start Year | End Year |
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BINP CSR NIH Study section | Study Section | Reviewer | External | National | 2023 | 2023 |
American Heart Association | Professional/Scientific Organization | Presenter, Abstract Reviewer | External | International | 2022 | |
Veteran Affairs (VA) Neurobiology-C [NURC] | Study Section | Grant Reviewer | External | National | 2022 | |
The Graduate School, UConn Health | Education Committee | Interviewer, Application Screening | UConn Health | Local | 2022 | |
The Graduate School, UConn Health | Research Committee | Ph.D. Thesis Committee Member | UConn Health | Local | 2022 | |
Graduate School Biomedical Science admission committee UConn Health | Education Committee | Neuroscience faculty representatives | UConn Health | University | 2022 | |
Adhoc Reviewer for Veni-Grants, NWO Talent Programme for Dutch Research Council, Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science Nederland | Study Section | Grant Reviewer | External | International | 2021 | 2021 |
Acute Neural Injury and Epilepsy Study Section [ANIE] 10/2020 | Study Section | Grant Reviewer | External | International | 2020 |
My lab investigates the cause-effect-relationships of stroke outcome. we focus on following three specific areas of stroke research.
Project 1: Stroke remains a leading cause of disability in the United States. Despite recent advances, interventions to reduce damage and enhance recovery after stroke are absent. In this project we will investigate a novel drug target “Purinergic receptor P2X4” for therapeutic exploitation in stroke. We will determine how the inhibition of P2X4R signaling influences these excessive immune during stroke using mice genetically engineered for global or selective deletion of P2X4R in total myeloid or infiltrating myeloid population and also by using pharmacological modulation. The overall goal of this project is to determine if modulation of P2X4R signaling in myeloid cells is a viable therapy for stroke, working towards our long-term goal of developing and identifying target-based therapies for stroke.
Project 2: Encephalomyosynangiosis (EMS) is a neurosurgical procedure with low morbidity that is applied to promote collateral vascular formation in patients with moyamoya disease, a condition with progressive narrowing of cranial arteries and consequent low blood flow that increases risk for ischemic stroke. The procedure involves placement of a temporalis muscle flap on ischemic brain tissue. Human data suggest that extensive collateral formation occurs within a few months after EMS in patients with moyamoya disease. Therefore, it was hypothesized that EMS, which provides a local and robust tissue as a source of vascular endothelium and angiogenic growth factors, will supply growth factors for angiogenesis that could promote neuronal survival following ischemic stroke. As a proof of concept, We have established EMS surgery for the first time in mice after ischemic stroke. Preliminary data from this model show that EMS surgery temporalis muscle graft was bonded to the cortical surface after 21 days. Additionally, mice receiving EMS after stroke show increased lectin-positive blood vessel formation at 21 days and showed behavioral recovery compared to stroke mice that did not receive EMS. These data indicate that EMS may be a safe and feasible treatment to restore blood supply to ischemic tissue; however, more in-depth, longer-term studies are needed. Therefore, this model will be used to further investigate EMS for treating ischemic stroke fot the following overall goal to determine if EMS promotes angiogenesis after non-moyamoya ischemic stroke, and to determine if EMS promotes long-term functional recovery after non-moyamoya ischemic stroke
Project 3: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs and have emerged as a powerful intervention tool for many diseases including stroke. They regulate a broad spectrum of biological pathways through fine-tuning of protein expression levels and altering gene expression levels. miRNA can concurrently target multiple effectors of pathways involved in stroke pathology. In this project we focus on the differential expression of miRNA expressed in mice after stroke and determine if blocking (with genetic deletion or antagomirs) or enhancing (mimics) these target miRNA modulates their effects. The overall goal our lab is to determine if manipulation of target miRNAs can improve functional recovery after stroke.
Postdoctoral Fellowship
A postdoctoral research fellow position is available in the group of Rajkumar Verma in the Neuroscience Department, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington CT. Verma lab studies mechanisms of recovery in a rodent model of ischemic stroke injury. The current focus of Verma lab is to explore the role of purinergic receptors in neuro-inflammation after stroke (NIH R01 funded) and validate innovative surgery technique “Encephalomyosynangiosis (EMS) for post stroke recovery in mice (AHA funded).
Responsibilities:
As a member of our interdisciplinary cerebrovascular research team, postdoc candidate will be focusing on the exploration of a novel mechanism of immune regulation in stroke. He will be involved in exploring the novel P2X receptor -specific inflammatory response in stroked mice. Our aim is to characterize these targets with a state-of-the-art methodology to validate their utility for pharmacological profiling of new candidate drugs. In our second project we want to validate the angiogenic, neurogenenic and post stroke recovery potential of EMS surgery in mouse model of ischemic stroke. As a member of our team, you will also have the prospect to develop or expand your own research ideas in a strong collaborative environment, which includes a diverse group of neuroscientists, immunologists and cardiologists. You will also be given the opportunity to mentor trainees, undergrad and provide input on other existing projects.
The candidate must have experience in basic molecular biology technique, rodent micro vascular surgery as well as behavioral analysis. Additional expertise in advanced microscopy techniques and flow cytometry will get preference. The candidate must be highly motivated and able to work independently and capable of designing experimental protocols, analyzing data, write manuscripts, and lead in the defining the direction of given investigations. The individual must also have a Ph.D. degree (or equivalent) and work experience in a laboratory setting.
Interested candidates should send their application in one electronic file (Research interest, cover letter, curriculum vitae, and the names of at three references) to raverma@uchc.edu.
Accepting Lab Rotation Students: Fall Block 2024, Spring 1 and 2 Block 2025
Journal Articles
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The Implant-Induced Foreign Body Response Is Limited by CD13-Dependent Regulation of Ubiquitination of Fusogenic Proteins.
Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950) 2023 Dec;
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Fluorescent liposomal nanocarriers for targeted drug delivery in ischemic stroke therapy.
Biomaterials science 2023 Dec;11(24):7856-7866
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Transcriptomic analysis reveals novel age-independent immunomodulatory proteins as a mode of cerebroprotection in P2X4 receptor knockout mice after ischemic stroke.
Purinergic signalling 2023 Jul;
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Structure-Activity Relationship and Neuroprotective Activity of 1,5-Dihydro-2H-naphtho[1,2-b][1,4]diazepine-2,4(3H)-diones as P2X4 Receptor Antagonists.
Journal of medicinal chemistry 2022 Oct;65(20):13967-13987
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A Model for Encephalomyosynangiosis Treatment after Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion-Induced Stroke in Mice.
Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE 2022 Jun;(184):
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A Model for Encephalomyosynangiosis Treatment after Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion-Induced Stroke in Mice.
Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE 2022 Jun;(184):
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Nanoparticle Delivered Anti-miR-141-3p for Stroke Therapy.
Cells 2021 Apr;10(5):
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Neuroprotective and neuro-rehabilitative effects of acute purinergic receptor P2X4 (P2X4R) blockade after ischemic stroke.
Experimental neurology 2020 Apr;329113308
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EMMPRIN/CD147 plays a detrimental role in clinical and experimental ischemic stroke.
Aging 2020 Mar;12(6):5121-5139
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Micro RNA 181c-5p: a promising target for post-stroke recovery in socially isolated mice.
Neuroscience letters 2019 Nov;134610
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Role of bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) in neurovascular interactions during stroke.
Neurochemistry international 2019 May;129104480
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CD200-CD200R1 inhibitory signaling prevents spontaneous bacterial infection and promotes resolution of neuroinflammation and recovery after stroke.
Journal of neuroinflammation 2019 Feb;16(1):40
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Inhibition of miR-141-3p Ameliorates the Negative Effects of Poststroke Social Isolation in Aged Mice.
Stroke 2018 Jul;49(7):1701-1707
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Aging alters the immunological response to ischemic stroke.
Acta neuropathologica 2018 May;13689-110
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Evaluation of the Neuroprotective Effect of Sirt3 in Experimental Stroke.
Translational stroke research 2018 Jan;1057-66
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Deletion of the P2X4 receptor is neuroprotective acutely, but induces a depressive phenotype during recovery from ischemic stroke.
Brain, behavior, and immunity 2017 Jul;66302-312
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Multiparity improves outcomes after cerebral ischemia in female mice despite features of increased metabovascular risk.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2017 Jun;114E5673-E5682
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Nano-particle delivery of brain derived neurotrophic factor after focal cerebral ischemia reduces tissue injury and enhances behavioral recovery.
Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior 2016 Sep;150-15148-56
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Ischemic stroke induces gut permeability and enhances bacterial translocation leading to sepsis in aged mice.
Aging 2016 Apr;81049-63
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Age-Associated Resident Memory CD8 T Cells in the Central Nervous System Are Primed To Potentiate Inflammation after Ischemic Brain Injury.
Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950) 2016 Mar;1963318-30
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Early retinal inflammatory biomarkers in the middle cerebral artery occlusion model of ischemic stroke.
Molecular vision 2016 Jan;22575-88
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Reversal of the Detrimental Effects of Post-Stroke Social Isolation by Pair-Housing is Mediated by Activation of BDNF-MAPK/ERK in Aged Mice.
Scientific reports 2016 Jan;625176
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Functional differences between microglia and monocytes after ischemic stroke.
Journal of neuroinflammation 2015 May;12(1):106
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Inhibition of mitochondrial p53 abolishes the detrimental effects of social isolation on ischemic brain injury.
Stroke; a journal of cerebral circulation 2014 Sep;45(10):3101-4
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Pair housing reverses post-stroke depressive behavior in mice.
Behavioural brain research 2014 Aug;269155-63
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Perfusion of ischemic brain in young and aged animals: a laser speckle flowmetry study.
Stroke; a journal of cerebral circulation 2013 Dec;45(2):571-8
Notes
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Pubmed article link:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1pMGjK8l8VkA5/bibliography/47933112/public/?sort=date&direction=ascending
Other
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Methods for pharmacologic treatment of stroke
US patents 10,695,355
Reviews
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Terra incognita of glial cell dynamics in the etiology of leukodystrophies: Broadening disease and therapeutic perspectives.
Life sciences 2024 Oct;354122953
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Molecular mediators of angiogenesis and neurogenesis after ischemic stroke.
Reviews in the neurosciences 2022 Sep;
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Synaptopathies: synaptic dysfunction in neurological disorders.
Journal of neurochemistry 2016 Jun;138785-805
Title or Abstract | Type | Sponsor/Event | Date/Year | Location |
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Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Common Age Independent Immunomodulatory Proteins As A Mode Of Neuroprotection In P2X4R KO Mice After Ischemic Stroke | Poster | AHA international stroke conference 2023 | 2023 | Dallas, Texas. |
Encephalomyosynangiosis Improves Angiogenesis And Recovery In Mice After Transient Ischemic Stroke | Poster | American heart association AHA stroke conference 2022 | 2022 | Vertual |
Role of purinergic receptor P2X4 in neuroinflammation after ischemic stroke | Talk | Birla Institute of technology | 2022 | Vertual |
Preclinical and molecular neuropharmacology workshop " Preclinical research for ischemic stroke: choose your animal model wisely | Talk | (DST) SERB workshop Hyderabad India | 2022 | Vertual |
Role of purinergic receptor P2X4 in ischemic stroke. | Talk | University of South Florida | 2021 | Tampa, FL |
Role of Purinergic Receptor P2X4R in neuroinflammation after ischemic stroke "Emerging trends in Neurotherapeutics" | Talk | St Thomas college Palai | 2021 | Palai Tamilnadu India |
UConn Medical Student neurosurgery interest group research symposium "preclinical model of ischemic stroke" | Talk | UConn Medical Student neurosurgery interest group | 2020 | Farmington CT |
Exploring long term consequences of ischemic stroke in preclinical models. | Panel Discussion | American heart association AHA stroke conference 2020 | 2020 | San Diago |
Preclinical and molecular methods in neuroscience "Role of purinergic receptor P2X4 in myeloid cell activation after ischemic stroke" | Other | NIPER Hydrabad webinar | 2020 | Hyderabad Idia |
Acute Treatment With Purinergic Receptor P2X4 Inhibitors Show Neuroprotective and Neuro-Rehabilitation Potential in Ischemic Stroke | Poster | American heart association AHA | 2019 | Hawaii, USA |
Search of novel purinergic P2x4 receptor antagonists for the treatment of ischemic stroke | Poster | Society for Neurosciences | 2019 | Chicago |