CUSAT IQAC Profile
https://iqac.cusat.ac.in/Web/profile_view/137/Dr.BABYCHAKRAPANIPSBaby

Dr. Baby Chakrapani P S was working as a post-doctoral researcher at van andel research institute, michigan, usa (2013-2015). He also worked as a research fellow at Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore during the period (2011-2013). He received Ph.D. degree in the area of neural stem cell research from Centre for Neuroscience, University of Freiburg, Germany in 2011 and the M.Sc. degree in Biotechnology from CUSAT in 2004. He also worked as a research associate at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, india during (2004-2005). His academic interest and research focus includes neuroscience, stem cell research, neurodegeneration and neuroregenerative therapies.

*Research Areas
• Neural stem cell research
• Neurodegenerative Diseases
• Scaffolds for regenerative medicine
• Microbiota-Gut-Brain axis

*Publications/Presentations/Research Training
Enhanced absorption of curcuminoids and 3-Acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid from fenugreek galactomannan hydrogel beadlets: A natural approach to the co-delivery of lipophilic phytonutrients. M.B. Abhilash , Dinesh Kumar, Ayswarya Deepti, Aswathi Nair, Vanheule Greet,
Vynckier An-Katrien, Van Den DriesscheMieke, Syam Das Sivadasan, BaluMaliakel, Baby Chakrapani, Krishnakumar IM, Journal of functional foods, Accepted 7 February 2021 Volume 79, April 2021, 104405

Madecassoside encapsulated in alginate chitosan nanoparticles exerts anti-excitotoxicity effects in pilocarpine-induced seizure. Renju Kunjumon Gayathri Viswanathanan, Devi Velayudhan Jayasree, Prabath Gopalakrishnan Biju, Prabha Prakash,
Baby Chakrapani Pulikkaparambil Sasidharan, Sabulal Baby. Phytomedicine Plus, Volume 1, Issue 1, February 2021, 100004

Healthy Gut, Healthy Brain: The Gut Microbiome in Neurodegenerative Disorders. Sreyashi Chandra, Md Tanjim Alam, Jhilik Dey, Baby Chakrapani P S, Upasana Ray, Amit Kumar Srivastava, Sonu Gandhi Prem Prakash Tripathi. Accepted for publication in Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry. Curr Top Med Chem. 2020 Apr 12.

A tale of two patients: Levodopa and creative awakening in Parkinson's disease - A qualitative report. Chacko J, George S, Cyriac S, Chakrapani B. Asian J Psychiatr. 2019, Jun 13; 43:179-181.

A Novel Conducting Hydrogel Tissue Engineering Scaffold for Neuroregeneration. K.C. Bins, V.Dhanya, S.Sreeja, K.B Ananjana, V.Ajith , C.Baby , G.S. Sailaja. 7th Asian Biomaterials Congress (TERMIS-AP + ABMC7 2019), October 2019. Brisbane, Australia

Differentiation and Characterization of Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell (PBMNC) derived Nestin positive cells cultured on fibrin matrix. Prabha Prakash, Anagha S menon, Sailaja G S, Ajith Vengellur, Lissy K Krishnan, Baby Chakrapani P.S. 7th Asian Biomaterials Congress (TERMIS-AP + ABMC7 2019), October 2019. Brisbane, Australia

Role of gp-130 Associated Cytokine (CNTF) in the Proliferation and Differentiation of Neural Stem Precursor Cells from SVZ Adult Mice; K. C Bins, S. M Anagha, Vengellur Ajith, S.Muller, H.D Hofmann, P.S Chakrapani. XXXVI Annual Conference of Indian Academy of Neurosciences, October 2018, Varanasi, India

Isolation and Characterisation of blood derived stem cells expressing neuronal markers. Prabha Prakash, Anagha, Sreelakshmi, Ajith Vengellur, Lissy K Krishnan, Baby Chakrapani P.S. XXXVI Annual Conference of Indian Academy of Neurosciences, October 2018, Varanasi, India

A Novel Conducting Hydrogel Tissue Engineering Scaffold with Enhanced Mechanical Stability for Neuroregeneration. Bins K.C., Dhanya V., Najilae S., Ananjana K., AjithVengellur, Baby Chakrapani ,Sailaja G. S.Cell and Stem cell Biology conference" August 2018, Singapore

Progressive nigrostriatal terminal dysfunction and degeneration in the engrailed1 heterozygous mouse model of Parkinson’s disease. Nordstrom U, Beauvais G, Ghosh A, Pulikkaparambil Sasidharan BC, Lundblad M, Fuchs J, Joshi RL, Lipton JW, Roholt A, Medicetty S, Feinstein TN , Steiner JA , Escobar Galvis ML, Prochiantz A, & Brundin P. Neurobiol Dis, 73: , 70–82. (2015)

CNTF promotes the maintenance of neural stem cells in cultures from the adult mouse subventricular zone Judith M. Flurer, B.P.S. Chakrapani, H.-D. Hofmann, M. Kirsch 10th Göttingen Meeting of the German Neuroscience Society, 2013

CNTF inhibits proliferation and promotes early differentiation of progenitor cells in neural stem cell cultures from the adult subventricularzone SarahFrerix, B.P.S. Chakrapani, H.-D. Hofmann, M. Kirsch 10th Göttingen Meeting of the German Neuroscience Society, 2013

Potential of novel mTOT modulator to treat dyskinesia in a 6-OHDA rat model of Parkinson’s disease (PD) Chakrapani BP, JA Steiner, ML Escobar Galvis, JR Colca and P Brundin World Parkinson Congress 2013, Montreal

Optogenetic investigations of the functional integration of neural stem cells in an animal model of Parkinson's disease. WANG Shang Shang, Chakrapani BP, LIM EePeng, Alice, TANG Ning, Gavin DAWE Neuroscience Congress – 8th FENS Forum 2012, Barcelona

Neurogenesis in the Dentate Gyrus Depends on CNTF and STAT3 Signaling. Müller S, Chakrapani BP, Schwegler H, Hofmann HD, Kirsch M. Stem Cells 2008; 27:431– 441

Development and evaluation of an in vivo assay in Caenorhabditis elegans for screening of compounds for their effect on cytochrome P450 expression. Chakrapani BP, Kumar S, Subramaniam JR. J Biosci. 2008 Jun; 33(2):269-77

*Book Chapters

A Gene Map of Brain Injury Disorders. Mohind C. Mohan, Lakshmi Kesavan, Baby Chakrapani P.S, The Molecular Immunology of Neurological Diseases, Molecular Immunology of Neurological Diseases - 1st Edition. Academic Press, Elsevier, 1st March 2021 ISBN: 9780128219744

Neurological Diseases and Mitochondrial Genes. .Ayswaria Deepti, Baby Chakrapani P.S., The Molecular Immunology of Neurological Diseases, 1st Edition. Academic Press, Elsevier, 1st March 2021 ISBN: 9780128219744



*Research Training

• Light Sheet Microscopy training and imaging: June 29- July 10, 2014 at Harvard center for biological imaging (Harvard University, USA)

• Confocal Microscopy Workshop: July 23-25, 2013 by Professor Daniel A Peterson, Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science.

FORMER LAB MEMBERS

MSc Project Students

• Anu R. Nair (MSc Biotechnology-2016). Project Title: The effects of antibiotic on gut microbiota and its implications on adult neurogenesis in mammals

• Aswathi Nair (MSc Biotechnology-2020). Project Title: Comparative analysis of neural stem/progenitor cells derived from the two major neurogenic niches in the adult mice brain.

• Swetha Nair (MSc Biotechnology-2020). Project Title: Effects of bioactive compounds from jyotishmaty plant in short-term associative memory (stam) in caenorhabditis elegans.

• Rahul Rajan (MSc Biotechnology-2020). Project Title: Growth factor release properties of fibrin matrix as a scaffold for stem cell transplantation

Summer Interns

• Parvathy Gopinath, IISER, Tirupathi
• Rifa Iqbal, NISER, Bhuvaneshwar
• Riswina, Union Christian College, Aluva, Kerala
• Anju Krishna, Mannam Memorial N.S.S College, Konni, Kerala
• Anokha N.B, Amrita School of Biotechnology, Kollam, Kerala

*Research Collaborators

• Dr Shyam K Nair, (Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum)
• Dr. Prem Tripati, IICB Kolkata
• Dr. K V Radhakrishnan, NIIST Trivandrum
• Dr. Sanghamitra Acharya, JNU, New Delhi
• Dr. Krishnakumar I M, AKAY Pharma
• Dr Subhadra Pai, Kerala Health University
• Dr. Sanju George, Rajagiri School of behavioural sciences and research
• Dr. Nelson Joseph, Mental Health Center, Trivandrum
• Dr. Saji Kumar Sreedharan, NUS, Singapore
• Dr. Anil Annamneedi, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
• Prof. Martin Korte, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Germany
• Dr. Matthias Kirsch, Center for Neuroscience, Freiburg, Germany
• Dr. Sagar, University Medical Center , Department of Internal Medicine II, Freiburg, Germany

*Career (institute,year, designation)

Feb 2013 – Jan 2015 Post-doctoral researcher
Van Andel Research Institute, Michigan, USA

July 2011 – Dec 2012 Research Fellow
Department of Pharmacology, NUS, Singapore


Oct 2005 – June 2011 PhD in Neural Stem Cell Biology
Center for Neuroscience, University of Freiburg, Germany
Advisor: Prof. Dr. Hans-Dieter Hofmann

June 2004 – Aug 2005 Research Associate
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, India

*Education (bachelor's/master's degree/PhD/post doc, University/college,year)

Oct 2005 – June 2011 PhD in Neural Stem Cell Biology
Center for Neuroscience, University of Freiburg, Germany
Advisor: Prof. Dr. Hans-Dieter Hofmann

July 2002 – May 2004 Master of Science in Biotechnology
Cochin University of Science and Technology,
Kerala, India

July 1999 – April 2002 Bachelor of Science in Zoology
Christ College, Calicut University,
Kerala, India

List of Projects:

1. ICMR Extra Mural grant- Title"Exploring the Human Gut Microbiome And Metabolome In Health and Parkinson Disease-A Window To the Gut- Microbiota-Brain Axis Alterations in Parkinson's Disease". Budget: 102 lakhs.

2. RUSA-CUSAT Start-up fund-Title"Development of bioavailable formulations of phytonutrients with cognitive and memory enhancing properties for the management of neuro vegetative conditions and traumatic brain injury". Budget: 33 lakhs

3.KSCSTE YIPB project -Title: "The role of gp130-associated cytokines in the regulation of adult Neural stem Cell (NSC) proliferation and differentiation". Budget: 25.3 lakhs

4. "University-Start-up Grant - Title: "Generation and characterization of dopaminergic neurons from peripheral blood derived mononuclear cells". Budget: 2.5 lakhs

5 Community Health Intervention through "Udbodh" : A Step towards dementia friendly Cochin"

List of Projects co-investigated by Dr.Baby Chakrapani P.S (Co-PI)

1. "UGC-Start-up Grant - Title: "Investigating the Role of Hypoxia Inducible Factor alpha in Neuronal Homeostasis under Normoxia using Primary Cortical Neuronal Culture" Budget: 10 lakhs

2. Chancellors Award grant – Title: "Biocompatible 3D Scaffolding through Femtosecond Laser Photo- olymerization for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine". Budget: 4 crores