Good day, Rajesh Parsanathan, Ph.D., HDCA, MRSC, FACN. I'm Arjun. I've had a look through your background and your professional record. I'm interested in hearing more about your work and how you see yourself fitting in here with our faculty. Ready to start?

Please start by introducing your professional journey in academia.

So myself, Rajesh, so so I completed my PhD in biomedical science literally. I moved to USA. I continued as a postdoctoral fellow for six years in US Illusion Estate University where I done my work related to cardiovascular dysfunction in African Americans as well as I worked a lot on animal work.

Sort of that and.

My individual project involving G6, big deficiency and end of the dysfunction. So with that I got in a fellowship called Malcolm Fest Fellowship.

So after that I received a gambling list for me. For you it was an apparent project which is extremely deficiency and underlying role by else's team is essential. That's what my academic journey.

Yeah.

Professor, let us now formally test specific skills to verify your expertise for the role of Bioinformatics Professor. I will ask targeted questions related to key competencies. Let us start with your expertise in bioinformatics, particularly your specialization in medical microbiology. Can you discuss how bioinformatics tools can be applied to analyze microbial communities in the human gut, and why this is significant for medical microbiology?

OK. So when it comes microbiology, my level of expertise is like theoretical. So in that like if we can use metagenomics to analyze the different microbial community in environment sample or else we can go with the sequencing from the.

Like microbial community in any other space, like either colon or like you know, from fecal sample or something. Like we can do sequencing or else we can go with the individual PCR to find the genus void, genus percent in the community. So that's the one way.

We can do with the metro field and that analyst, but mostly that that big data we are collecting from the network here, we can do analysis. So that's what like, you know, my understanding about like applying that bioinformatics towards this thing. And then the second part is like a drug discovery. So apart from the big data analysis, we can do drug discovery for like a script Apple joints.

Either it may be a small molecules drug discovery or else like it may be a peptide based.

That is a antimicrobial peptide. So which I am working like recently with the one small project. So I'm working on the antimicrobial peptide as a theoretical target for the micro especially escape pathogens. So that's what like I'm working in the enzymatic field related to microbiology as of now.

Thank you, Professor. Your mention of sequencing, metagenomics, and antimicrobial peptide development provides insight into your understanding of applying bioinformatics to medical microbiology. Could you elaborate on a specific challenge you've faced in one of these bioinformatics analyses and how you approached resolving it?

Alright, so when it comes to drug discovery, that is the that is the part which I have currently working on a project. So in that if you see.

When it comes like a peptide.

We have to go to different sites technically speaking, different database to check that prepared availability. Either you know, the charge of the peptides and the penetration ability of the peptides and the binding efficacy, you know like you have to use the different tools. In those cases we may lose something like, you know integrity of this. So if it is we develop some small pipeline or a big pipeline in a later part.

And there are different types of update would be there.

Like go with the one single stretch starting from the synthesis of the peptide like in silico bioinformatically. Like we can do synthesis peptides and you know, like test all the components.

In computational biology work like we can do a lot of stuffs say for example, the chemical property of the peptide penetrability and antigenicity so on. So, so that needs to be taken care in a single pipeline. That would be very nice. But as of now we are depending upon the several databases and tools.

Online as well as offline tools competition by digit tools. So we each make very difficult but.

That's my ultimate goal in future to develop a pipeline to make it in advanced. Stage after stage we can do much better job to incorporating all type of algorithms.

That would be very nice when it comes to drug discovery part interrelated to microbiology or else pathogenic microbes to escape pathogens, especially when it comes here.

It seems you are addressing a significant challenge in peptide-based drug discovery by aiming to streamline the process through an integrated pipeline. This could indeed mitigate data fragmentation and enhance the workflow. Thank you for your response. Let us move to the next aspect—the ability to teach theory and laboratory courses. Could you share an example of how you have effectively designed a bioinformatics course for either undergraduate or graduate students? Specifically, how did you balance theory and practical applications in the curriculum?

So basically, MMM.

I handled by informatics course, so in that way like you know.

The theoretical part The theoretical part is more important because we need to understand different aspects of bioinformatics in curriculum.

We we evaluate like you know, for theory part, yeah, we set up the course outcomes. So that needs to be mapped with our practical also. So we already having a set of practical experiments which is straightly aligned with the analytical part of the, you know like theoretical part which we developed as a syllable. So each and every unit will go with a couple of experiments, say for example, if you take like a sequence like you know.

If you are talking about the sequence in the theoretical class like we need to explain the algorithms everything and the students will make it over in the practical sessions. The same way we the course curriculum for bioinformatics which I did last semester for my students in my university so that they can have both the theoretical and practical path balance. So in that way the students get an hands on over that particular.

So that's where the task being balanced in both the article and practical experiments, they will do all kind of database analysis if it is a common big data analysis, if it is a programming, because I also handle a Python in a previous semester, the same set of students in the way they understand their programming language, so they can be much better and the basics of Unix will be there. So they use the batch file analysis, everything with the use of Unix, say for example.

Theoretical part they understand much better.

That discovery you take for that? Like now.

Uh, and handling that, uh, uh, ligands as a batch while talking, et cetera, that as a part of the practicals. So this way, that theory and practice would be very benefited. And that goes as being highly, you know, commendable from the students feedback, which I got from the university. That's all about the.

Practical patch.

Thank you, Professor. It’s great to hear that you design your courses to align theoretical knowledge with practical applications, as well as incorporating programming skills such as Python and Unix. The ability to connect course content with hands-on learning is indeed crucial for effective teaching. Now, let us discuss your experience in student evaluation and exam duties. Can you describe your approach to designing assessments that can accurately evaluate a student's understanding of bioinformatics concepts? For example, how do you ensure these assessments measure both theoretical knowledge and practical skills?

Alright, So for theoretical knowledge and practical, so this has been designed like we have here 2 internally transport theoretical as well As for practical concern like it's a continuous assessment.

So we have a practical or a couple of practical together what I used to do, like I will give a some kind of small project, mini project to coupling a few of the, you know, like what I mean, few of the practicals together making SA small unique project as a group or as a individual. It's depending upon the practical timing. So what I will do like after that, like I will assist the students in that way. If if they are found in, find some difficulties.

Using doing this thing, I will that all plays in the lab to help them after to solve the problems and each and everything is like every particle and assessment will be taken made for for the student depending upon their interest. Say for example, one student is more inclined towards cancer biology, though I'm teaching a bioinformatics bioinformatics. We can have a cancer biology, microbiology. You can take integral energy or any other field for sale. I will design a problem.

Process continuously for practical for theoretical part concern we have the internal exams like internal grant to. In that way I will assist. So if someone is lagging or slow learner, we do have a special coaching classes like some special numbers we can dedicate for the students. We can make your appointment so they will come in a group or individual. If they are not understand the particular concepts they will learn from me.

Within the distributed time they pay, they perform better. So this way the assessment and the no feedback and the continuation, the skills will be enhanced for each and individual students. Yeah.

Your detailed approach to student evaluation, including integrating mini-projects, offering specialized coaching, and tailoring problems to student interests, demonstrates a thoughtful and student-centered teaching philosophy. Balancing rigorous assessment with support for diverse learning needs is indeed commendable. Next, let’s turn to your ability to guide student projects and research endeavors. Can you provide an example of a student research project you've supervised? Specifically, how did you help the student define the research question and methodology?

So initially when the project student has been assigned by the department, what I used to do, like I have a meeting. So it's a physical meeting. We sit together like with the other project students, at least each and every semester I can get three or five students. So most of the students they know like I am into more bioinformatics field. So they really want like a big lab work as well as the bioinformatics, computation, biology work. So any other project.

We convert like each having a a definitely one objective SMS computation work because that is essential. I feel like if we can rule out many of the thing instead of phishing into different area and I will get to interest say for example, out of three, I'm teaching by biotechnology now. So one main interest in like immunology, other may want like compute completely by informatics related work and one may need something we want to work on.

Discovery or else like you know, cancer biology. So we decide at the moment I request students to.

Then we can proceed. I will guide them if there are certain students, they are not having an idea of what to do for their project work in these courses. I will help them giving you choices like it is the one 2-3 different choices you can run in this lab as a project students, they will get a benefit from that. Like they will come up with an idea along with me. So then we will design objective. What are the objective needs to be taken. And I do have a periodical assessment which and every week we have in lab meeting and lab presentation either in the seminar or.

To give a couple of days or three days or it's an until next meeting like now each and every week we have meeting regularly. So the first week I will give their choice of field of interest, which also needs to be aligned with my laboratory stuff, right. So in that way we decide that interest and if they come with an idea.

General club and the way they will develop the skill of presentation and they will started to write a review of literature, find the latter in the particular field and then we start to, you know, try the experiments. Say for example, like if they are doing some new laboratory technique or protocol, they will develop and they discuss with me with the original protocol modification. So this way the Friday we will spend the half a day.

Almost three to four of us individually, if you ask me, one student per hour like that. We'll discuss and we do the experimental, experimental design, everything for the project.

That's a way it is work, yeah.

Thank you, Professor. Your method of guiding student research—from defining their interests to periodic evaluations and aiding in experimental design—shows your dedication to their comprehensive academic growth. It's clear you foster a collaborative and thoughtful environment for student projects. Let us assess your communication and structured teaching approach next. How do you ensure your lectures or workshops are engaging and clear to a mixed audience of students with varying levels of prior knowledge?

Last year, so I usually get a feedback feedback on daily basis if there is a lecture session and followed by hands on training in your workshop. So I'll get the direct feedback. You know like there are sometimes like the students may not give the hard feedback on figures. So I will send you a blind Google form. So Google form or any other forum like they will fill the feedback form. In that way, like one way, I will get to know that level of capturing what area I need to improve.

Alright, so if the mixed audience will be there, say for example we had one workshop in our university.

As well as what area they have not understand clearly. So the next decision I will take care of everything to follow the workshop on the same day or else maybe next workshop if it is a last session. So this way I usually get a feedback, regular feedback from the students to get know like how it is effectively communicated in each and every time. So that is one way I used to do. And as a teacher being into the field like A5 plus years, I understand like.

That is Latin lecture giving. I put a lot of effort for preferring my PPT and presentation, you know, to reach valid range of audience even it may be like from undergraduate to postgraduate or research scholars. So it make it more comprehensive to, you know, accommodate avoidance. That's what it's working for me, yeah.

Understood, Professor. Your use of feedback mechanisms like anonymous forms and interactive adjustments demonstrates an adaptive and student-centered approach to teaching. Tailoring presentations to accommodate various audience levels further reflects your commitment to effective knowledge transfer. Now, regarding your doctoral credentials, could you briefly discuss the key focus of your PhD research and its significance within the field of Biomedical Sciences?

So my doctoral work, it's a continuation of my master's project work. So I got an interest in this field since I was in a department of endocrine energy. So the department is more focusing on endocrine clients and this stuff. So my master work is regarding on an endocrine disturbing clinical call value. So literally I joined PhD, the same laboratory. I feel like I want to elaborate this work because I master project is very many project like I need to.

OK.

Of it on the project so the work is related to epigenetics. So how this endocrine disturbing chemical after the transgenerational. So that's what my work has been started initially I done some in vitro work circles or work on that aspect as well as little bit bioinformatics work like whether these independent disturbing chemicals bind within a hormonal receptor like that. So that is the basic foundation before I putting aim and objective for my PST work so.

That case I found like Italian talent is one of the plasticizer uh, which incorporated in the plastics so that having more potent effort, uh, when I look into the bioinformatics docking as well as ingredo cell culture work when compared to other endocrine test stripping chemicals such as BPA dispinology, uh, polyfluent biphenyl PCB. So phthalate having more potent effect over endocrine gland, especially when it comes to pancreas as well as like a insulin signaling.

Insulin sensitive tissues or cell lines so that way I started to work on treating that pregnant.

Right, uh, with the tally and I found an effect on phone generation at post Natal day 90. So this shows these chemicals having some endocrine transadational effort. So that was my research about and in that like the conclusion or that, uh, the inference of the studies like, uh, uh, when that mother rat exposed to that tallied or that endocrine disturbing chemical, it would affect the F1 generation by.

Changes in the DNA methylation and installed modification specifically ecosransporter 4 which are insulin sensitive transporter that is get hyper methylated and the histone modification occur at the level of IoD that is a transcription factor involved in the transcription of loop 4. Because transporter 4 which is get methylated and the type chromatin has been formed and there's balanced ready. I conducted form like insulin receptor also get methylated so.

Put this all together the my journey about the PhD in the endocrinology department as a biomedical scientist, I developed and I published a couple of papers in a good channel Journal of Endocrine Energy, Experimental Toxicology and other journals. So which give good publication and then that pave way for my post-ductor study and literally.

Your PhD research on the transgenerational effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals like phthalates is significant, especially in revealing their epigenetic impact on insulin signaling and metabolic pathways. Your integration of bioinformatics, cell culture, and molecular techniques highlights a multidisciplinary approach that aligns well with advanced biomedical sciences. Moving forward, let’s examine your contributions to research publications. Could you share details about any notable research papers you’ve authored, specifically their impact or recognition within the scientific community?

So as I mentioned here here at EST paper has been published in a prestigious journal like a journal of endocrine. So that is one of the prestigious in the field of endocrinology and that is about my PhD. So PhD I also published some other papers so which is related to independent stepping chemical. So that is that is one of the milestone.

Which I got across couple of study so then post doctoral. If you ask me there are plenty of papers.

Which names you like a.

That there are papers I complete in scientific report. So how that vitamin D and glue to their axis, how that vitamin D, glutathione, gluten efficiency efficiently alter that vitamin D regulatory genes. So that is one milestone.

And then I published a paper panel study on kidney with a free radical biology and medicine. So that is one of the reputatory journals. So that also show how the vitamin D metabolic enzyme affect the kidney and due to the effects. So that is the second part. And then if you see my conference proceeding and publications. My first paper which I presented.

I got a investigator award in the Free Radical strategy of Medicine conference annual conference at San Francisco. So that shows the impact of the study. So that study is related to hydrogen sulfide or it affect the glucose metabolism because I'm working long time diabetes, diabetes, cardiovascular disorders so that the hydrogen sulfur is one of the gas or transmitter. So how we amid the diabetic or diabetic condition so.

That paper got admission as a young investigator out of all and literally I presented so many valves. I got a travel track and then from there you know came an agency or free radical biology agency so many stops. The papers has been published in conferences along with the full length article published in the journals. So one another paper which is important is called like a cell and molecular immunology. So that having high impact on nature publishes newspaper.

So in the paper I show that how G6 PD affect the polarization so that that number of aging to M1 or M2. So that paper that correspondence paper is a very important paper in my research journey regarding G6PD. That is also my current interest. I'm working on G6PD deficiency. So these are the very important paper naming few like general of Endocrinology, scientific report, free radical paragraph and what is.

And the cell and molecular immunology. So these are the very prestigious journals which I published in past as well as in future. I publish that there are certain review articles in life sciences, other journals, yeah.

Your extensive publication record, particularly in prestigious journals like the *Journal of Endocrinology*, *Scientific Reports*, *Free Radical Biology and Medicine*, and *Cell and Molecular Immunology*, demonstrates your significant contributions to the fields of endocrinology, diabetes research, and molecular biology. It's evident that your work has gained notable recognition, including awards and high-impact publications. Finally, let’s discuss your experience with industry projects or consultancy. Can you share a specific example where you collaborated with industry professionals or contributed to a consultancy project? What was your role, and what was the outcome?

Our scheduled time for the interview is now up. Before we conclude, do you have any questions related to the role or the company?

The industrial you need to ask industrial projects.

Certainly, let’s revisit the topic. Could you describe a specific industrial project or consultancy work you’ve been involved in? What was your role, and what results or impact did your contribution achieve?

OK. So in past I don't have any experience with the industrial project or something. So I have been invaded for a couple of industrial project. So but I'm not involved because that is not my field of interest to go with that. But in future I am thinking like if it is an industrial project, I'm ready to go with that if it is aligned with my area interest or expertise. So in that way my contrib.

Going to be as a result scientist or research biologist. So more part into the experimental terms, you know, make it aligned with the university norms wherever I'm working. So that is the principal goal to make it everything officially, you know, like make it more documented officially as a result scientist. What I can contribute as a consultancy process from the industry, I'm ready to go with that. So that's my idea as of now about industrial projects.

Related to stuff like that.

Thank you, Professor, for clarifying. It seems though you haven't directly engaged with industry projects in the past, you are open to future collaboration provided it aligns with your expertise and institutional norms. This demonstrates your willingness to adapt and explore new paths in academia-industry partnerships. That concludes the verification of required skills. One moment.

Professor Parsanathan, your research background is impressive. I see that you served as the Principal Investigator on a project titled "Epigenetic Mechanisms in the Bidirectional Relationship Between Glutathione and Vitamin D." Can you elaborate on the main goals of this research and its broader impact on the understanding and management of diabetes?

OK. So that project is like my post structural work. So that is an NH funded project. So that project deals with how that you know like vitamin D deficiency is widely that globally and when it comes like people like African Americans, they do have much more vitamin D deficiency. So that's the root of the project or a base of the project or aim of a project.

So, but that doesn't mean like we are worked on the human subjects. So that project is entirely on the animal model. So we used a black nice model and that vitamin D deficiency diet has been given and we treated other set of groups with the L cysteine gluten like that because that existing glutathione will replace the vitamin D deficiency. That's our main aim and one of the objective of the study because. GSH having a role to modify the epigenetic enzymes.

So that epigenetic enzymes will having a role over there vitamin D related genes. That's the aim of the study or the objectives which we framed. So what what conclusion we got like you know when there is a GSH deficiency or vitamin D deficiency, those animal having a defective in vitamin D metabolism. So they're having a less vitamin D when we replaced with the glutathione or glutathione Precosaurus cysteine that will brought back.

Vitamin D level to the normal level with the mechanism of epigenetics. So this project.

Once we conclude it, we published that project has been computed. Uh, the next level of project has been developed for the human clinical trial with the health system supplementation. So that's the significant of this project, preclinical project with worked on the animal model, how that looked at the and vitamin D axis involved in the vitamin D level amleration in the vitamin D deficiency population of the vitamin D deficiency animal model. So that's what about the project.

Thank you for that comprehensive explanation, Professor. It's interesting to see how the interplay between glutathione and vitamin D was modeled preclinically. As a follow-up, could you explain how you would translate these findings into a classroom setting for students studying epigenetics or endocrinology? How would you ensure they grasp both the practical and theoretical implications of your research?

Time is up! Ending the interview now.