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Vision Research Foundation

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+91-44-42271500


Dr A R Anand, PhD

Senior Associate Professor
& In-charge of Microbiology Department



Professional Experience

I joined the Microbiology research centre as a Senior Associate Professor in 2018, with academic training and research experience in multiple biological disciplines including microbiology, molecular biology, cell biology and immunology.  I have a long-standing interest in studying the pathogenesis and diagnosis of infectious diseases.  As a Ph.D. student at Sankara Nethralaya, I worked on the molecular diagnosis of infectious endophthalmitis (a devastating eye infection) developing PCR-based techniques targeting the 16SrRNA of bacteria. As a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School, and later as a junior faculty at Ohio State University, I focused on studying the pathogenesis of viral infections such as HIV and Hepatitis C as well as Gram-negative sepsis. I obtained the DBT-Ramalingaswami fellowship and carried out his initial research at the National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (ICMR), Chennai, before joining the present position. 

Education

Ph.D: Sankara Nethralaya; degree awarded by the Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University Chennai. (Thesis Title: Evaluation of molecular techniques in the diagnosis of infectious endophthalmitis)

M.Sc.(Medical Microbiology): Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore University, Mangalore

B.Sc. (Microbiology): St. Joseph’s College of Arts & Science, Bangalore University, Bangalore


Previous Positions held

Postdoctoral Research Fellow: Jules Stein Eye Institute, University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), CA, USA

Postdoctoral Research Fellow: Harvard Medical School (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center), Boston, MA, USA

Assistant Professor (Research): Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA

Senior Assistant Professor: School of Chemical and Biotechnology, SASTRA University, Tamil Nadu

Scientist D and : HIV/AIDS Lab, National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis, DBT-Ramalingaswami fellow Chennai


Overview

Infectious diseases of the eye continue to be a major public health concern. My overall research focus is to study the pathogenesis and diagnosis of infectious diseases. We are specifically evaluating Next-generation sequencing to detect and identify microbes in ocular samples. We are also trying to understand ocular pathogen interactions with host cells at the molecular level using cellular, molecular and immunological approaches that could further open avenues in developing anti-microbial strategies.


 Research Support ( as Investigator)

 Completed

  • Title : Role of microenvironment in the pathogenesis of HCV and HCV/HIV-associated hepatocellular carcinoma.
    Role : Principal Investigator
    Agency : Dept. of Biotechnology
    Type : Pilot Grant
    Period : 2015-2019

  • Title : Molecular pathogenesis of HIV in T cells and endothelial cells
    Role : Principal Investigator
    Agency : Dept. of Biotechnology
    Type : DBT-Ramalingaswami re-entry fellowship
    Period : 2015-2020

Ongoing

  • Title: Retinal vascular permeability in Dengue virus infection: pathogenesis and evaluation of protective effects of vascular stabilizing agents
    Role: Principal Investigator
    Agency: Indian Council of Medical Research
    Period: 2019-2022

  • Title: Evaluation of novel molecular platforms in the early diagnosis of infectious endophthalmitis
    Role: Principal Investigator
    Agency: Indian Council of Medical Research
    Type: Extramural
    Period: 2020-2022

Google Scholar : Check out this link

Selected Research Publications

  1. Das T, Agarwal M, Anand AR, Behera UC, Bhende M, Das AV, Dasgupta D, Dave VP, Gandhi J, Gunasekaran R, Joseph J. Fungal endophthalmitis: Analysis of 730 consecutive eyes from seven tertiary eye care centers in India. Ophthalmology Retina. 2022 Mar;6(3):243-251

  2. Jeyalatha MV, Therese KL, Anand AR. An Update on the Laboratory Diagnosis of Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorders. J Clin Neurol. 2022 Mar;18(2):152-162.

  3. Anand AR, Biswas J. TB or NTM: Can a new multiplex PCR assay be the answer? EBioMedicine. 2021 Aug 26;71:103552. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2021.103552.

  4. Anand AR, Rachel G, Parthasarathy D. HIV proteins and endothelial dysfunction: implications in cardiovascular disease. Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine. (2018) 5:185.

  5. Zhao H, Anand AR, Ganju RK. Slit2-Robo4 Pathway Modulates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Endothelial Inflammation and Its Expression Is Dysregulated during Endotoxemia. Journal of Immunology. (2014) Jan 1;192(1):385-93.

  6. Anand AR, Helong Zhao, Nagaraja T, Robinson LA and Ganju RK. N-terminal Slit2 regulates HIV-1 replication in T-cells by modulating the actin cytoskeleton. Retrovirology (2013) 10:2 (7 January 2013).

  7. Nagaraja T, Chen L, Balasubramanian A, Groopman JE, Brigstock D, Anand AR (co-corresponding author), Ganju RK. Connective Tissue Growth Factor Mediates Transforming Growth Factor β-Induced Fibrosis in Hepatitis C Virus-Infected Hepatocytes. PLoS ONE (2012) 7(10):e46526. Epub 2012 Oct 4.

  8. Nagaraja T, Anand AR (co-first author), Zhao H, and Ganju RK. The adaptor protein SLP-76 regulates HIV-1 release and cell to cell transmission in T-cells. Journal of Immunology (2012) 188(6):2769-77.

  9. Anand AR, Nagaraja T, and Ganju RK. A novel role for Slit2/Robo1 axis in modulating HIV-1 replication in T-cells. AIDS (2011) 13;25(17):2105-11.

  10. Anand AR, Prasad A, Bradley RR, Deol YS, Nagaraja T, Ren X, Terwilliger EF, Ganju RK. HIV-1 gp120-induced migration of dendritic cells is regulated by a novel kinase cascade involving Pyk2, p38 MAP kinase and LSP1. Blood (2009) 114(17):3588-600.

  11. Anand AR, Cucchiarini M, Terwilliger EF, Ganju RK. The Tyrosine kinase, Pyk2 mediates LPS-induced IL-8 Expression in Human Endothelial Cells. Journal of Immunology (2008) 180(8):5636-44.

  12. Anand AR, Bradley R, Ganju RK. LPS-induced MCP-1 expression in human microvascular endothelial cells is mediated by the tyrosine kinase, Pyk2 via the p38 MAPK/NF-kappaB-dependent pathway. Molecular Immunology (2009) 46(5):962-8.

  13. Anand AR, Ganju RK. HIV-1 gp120-mediated Apoptosis of T Cells Is Regulated by the Membrane Tyrosine Phosphatase CD45. (2006) Journal of Biological Chemistry 281(18): 12289-99.

  14. Anand AR, Madhavan HN, Sudha NV, Therese KL. Polymerase chain reaction in the diagnosis of Aspergillus endophthalmitis. Indian Journal of Medical Research (2001) 114:133-40.

  15. Anand AR, Madhavan HN, Neelam V, Therese KL. Use of polymerase chain reaction in the diagnosis of fungal endophthalmitis. Ophthalmology (2001) 108: 326-330.

  16. Anand AR, Madhavan HN, Therese KL. Use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA probe hybridization to determine the Gram reaction of the infecting bacterium in intraocular fluids of patients with endophthalmitis. Journal of Infection (2000) 41: 221-226.

  17. Anand AR, Therese KL, Madhavan HN. Spectrum of etiological agents of postoperative endophthalmitis and antibiotic susceptibility of the bacterial isolates. Indian Journal of Ophthalmology (2000) 48: 123-128.

  18. Gopal L, Anand AR (Ramaswamy AA), Madhavan HN, Saswade M, Battu RR. Postoperative endophthalmitis caused by sequestered Acinetobacter calcoaceticus. American Journal of Ophthalmology (2000) 129: 388-390.

  19. Anand AR (Ramaswamy AA), Biswas J, Bhaskar V, Gopal L, Rajagopal R, Madhavan HN. Postoperative Mycobacterium chelonae endophthalmitis after extracapsular cataract extraction and posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation. Ophthalmology (2000) 107: 1283-1286.

  20. Therese KL, Anand AR, Madhavan HN. Polymerase chain reaction in the diagnosis of bacterial endophthalmitis. British Journal of Ophthalmology (1998) 82:1078-1082.

2015-2020
DBT-Ramalingaswami re-entry fellowship from the Dept. of Biotechnology, Government of India


2001
Swarnalata Punshi Award (awarded to the best Research Fellow of the year), Medical Research Foundation, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, India


1999
Best Poster Award XXV National Congress of Indian Association of Medical Microbiologists (IAMM), Chandigarh, India


1997
CCLRU Travel Fellowships, Indian Eye Research Group Meeting- Years-1997, 1999 and 2000


1995 - 2000
Junior/Senior Research Fellowship, University Grants Commission, India (1995-2000) by qualifying the National Eligibility Test (NET) for JRF/ Lectureship




Ms Harinee Rajagopalan
Project Assistant - ICMR



Ms Thasni Fazil
Junior Research Fellow -ICMR

Dr A R Anand, PhD
Senior Associate Professor,
Microbiology Department,
Sankara Nethralaya, 41/18 College Road,
Chennai – 600 006, India,
Ph: +91-(044) 28271616 Extn: 1305/1301,
Email: dranand@snmail.org, aranand@gmail.com
Fax: 91-044-28254180