Wayne State University postdoctoral fellow receives $1.08 million grant to study viral eye infections – School of Medicine News

Sneha Singh, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow at Wayne State University School of Medicine, was awarded the K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award from the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health to support her transition from mentee to independent researcher . with the ultimate goal of securing a permanent faculty position.

“National Institutes of Health Pathway to Independence Awards support postdoctoral researchers transitioning from fellowship status to tenure-track faculty positions in the biomedical sciences,” said Ezemenari M. Obasi, Ph.D., vice president for research and innovation at Wayne State University . “Receiving these awards shows that the candidate already has a track record of successfully accessing non-university funding, which can be an important indicator of future success.” This award for Dr. Singh is most deserving.”

Dr. Singh works in the laboratory of Ashok Kumar, Ph.D., professor of ophthalmology, visual and anatomical sciences. The award, valued at $1,085,775, will support her research on viral eye infections with a focus on the Zika virus.

The grant, “Mechanisms Regulating Blood-Retinal Barrier Breakdown During Zika Virus Infection,” will investigate how the Zika virus enters the eye and causes eye disease. The long-term goal of Dr. Singh's mission is to study the pathogenesis of flaviviruses such as Zika and dengue and identify potential therapeutic targets.

During the K99 phase of the fellowship, she will work to establish an innate Zika virus infection model in an immunocompetent animal model and develop retinal organoids using induced pluripotent stem cells.

Her co-mentor is Vaithilingaraja Arumugaswami, DVM, Ph.D., of the University of California, Los Angeles, with additional guidance from an advisory committee that includes Gil Mor, MD, Ph.D., of the CS Mott Center for Human Growth and development; Shailendra Giri, Ph.D., of Henry Ford Health; and Deepak Shukla, Ph.D., from the University of Illinois, Chicago.

Dr. Singh joined the laboratory of Dr. Kumar to study the pathogenesis of Zika virus infection in the eye. She earned her PhD in Virology from the Rajiv Gandhi Center for Biotechnology, University of Kerala, where she studied vascular leakage caused by dengue virus under the supervision of Easwaran Sreekumar, MVSc, Ph.D.

“I have long been interested in RNA viruses such as Zika, dengue, chikungunya, West Nile virus and SARS-CoV-2,” said Dr. Singh. “Since the 2015-2016 epidemic in Brazil, Zika virus infection has been associated with microcephaly in newborns, with a third of these infants having ocular abnormalities. However, the ocular pathology of Zika virus remains poorly understood and no treatment options are currently available. Dr. Kumar’s lab is one of the few in the world studying the effects of these RNA viruses on vision, which led me to join his team.”

The K99/R00 is one of the few available to non-US citizens. It is intended to support outstanding postdoctoral researchers who are transitioning to independent faculty positions.

“This significant achievement represents an important milestone in Sneha's research career and highlights her exceptional contributions to the field of vision science,” said Dr. Kumar. “She has all the key elements to be successful in her academic research career. Sneha is the second postdoctoral fellow from my lab to work as an independent researcher.” (The first, Pawan Singh, Ph.D., received an R01 while working in Dr. Kumar's lab in 2021 and is now on the faculty at the University of Missouri in Columbia.)

The fellowship represents the culmination of an idea she has been developing for five years.

“It has been an emotional journey with many challenges along the way, so it is remarkable that it was funded on the first try,” said Dr. Singh. “Throughout the entire process, I was deeply grateful to my mentors and advisors who not only spent a lot of time guiding me, but also gave me unwavering support throughout the scholarship journey.”

Dr. Singh called her experience at Wayne State University School of Medicine “truly unique and rewarding.”

“When I went to Dr. Coming to Kumar's lab, it was clear how much he invests in his team and members. I owe Dr. My deepest gratitude to Kumar whose encouragement, mentorship and consistent support enabled me to pursue independent research. He epitomizes the ideal mentor, and I hope to one day be able to pass this on by mentoring future graduate students and postdoctoral fellows,” she said.

Mark Juzych, MD, chair of the Department of Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences, praised Dr. Singh and Dr. Kumar for securing the competitive scholarship.

“Sneha’s success underscores the importance of our Kresge Eye Institute Translational and Innovative Research Grant program, which has supported her previous work. Dr. Kumar’s mentorship has been instrumental in shaping the next generation of vision researchers and we are proud of both of their achievements,” he said.

The National Institutes of Health grant number for the study is K99EY036452.