Dr. Arpita Sharma, PhD
Scientist, Stem cell biology and drug discovery
Dr. Arpita Sharma completed her PhD in Neuroscience from the School of Studies in Neuroscience, Jiwaji University, Gwalior. During her PhD, she worked on minocycline’s therapeutic role on the glial cells’ neuroinflammatory response following bacterial infection Sheworked as a postdoctoral fellow in Circadian biology lab, Banaras Hindu University for a year and then moved to Centre for Brain Development and Research (CBDR) at NCBS, Bengaluru. During her first postdoctoral assignment,she identified the major factors contributing to circadian rhythm disruption, including sleep disorders, jet lag, and shift work. Her research interest is to study the functional role of glial cells (astrocytes and microglia) in the pathogenesis of neurological dysfunctions. Duringher tenure in CBDR, NCBS her research focused on role of astrocytes’ in the pathophysiology of autism, a neurodevelopmental disorder.
At present, she is working on a project exploring the neuropathological consequences of spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA12) in human patients using stem cells.