Natasha Jaiswal

My goal is to initiate an independent research program combining my longstanding interest in cellular metabolism and metabolic diseases. I earned my Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular biology (supported by Council of Scientific & Industrial Research fellowship) under the mentorship of Dr. Akhilesh Tamrakar at the Central Drug Research Institute, India before transitioning to a postdoctoral position at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). During my Ph.D. I established how modulation in the nutritional environment affects cellular metabolism, in particular skeletal muscle metabolism, leading to the development of insulin resistance. I was later awarded Dr. D.S. Kothari fellowship which allowed me to extend my work to immune cell metabolism at the University of California. I published 9 firstauthor papers and earned several patents. With a strong foundation in biochemistry and cell signaling, I then transferred my graduate expertise in molecular biology, cell biology, and RNA methodologies during my postdoctoral training with Dr. Paul Titchenell to elucidate the role of the AKT signaling in skeletal muscles physiology and metabolism (a highly metabolic tissue that is a major regulator of glucose homeostasis and body performance). I made the surprising discovery that AKT, the central regulator of the insulin signaling pathway, is not an obligate intermediate in insulin’s actions to control glucose uptake in vivo (selected as cover page article in Molecular Metabolism). I also became adept at techniques to measure muscle physiology and glucose uptake both in tissues and in vivo, leading to several publications including one in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and muscle and JCI insight. Following this unique discovery, in the mentorship of senior professors and muscle experts at UPenn, I identified the unique role of insulin signaling in skeletal muscle as the primary cause for Neuromuscular Junction (NMJ) disintegration. I was awarded the pilot research development grant from Nathan Shock Centre, San Antonio to explore the profound role of muscle metabolism in NMJ remodeling. I have currently shifted my focus to the interplay between insulin and calcium signaling with an emphasis on the regulation of RyR1 channels. Thus, with this project, I have successfully transitioned to the new role of Senior investigator and differentiated my research program from my mentor’s lab. I have also fostered several ongoing collaborations with scientists both within and outside of UPenn. In summary, I have the expertise, leadership, and motivation to 1) elucidate novel mechanisms related to the development of obesity-related type 2 diabetes and 2) identify optimal treatment strategies that prevent/delay the onset of metabolic disease.