Umesh Chaudhari Email and Phone Number

I had the privilege of working in Virpi Talman's research lab. I was primarily responsible for managing two research projects that focused on heart regeneration. Throughout my time in this remarkable lab, my duties included culturing and expanding human iPSCs, generating cardiomyocytes from human iPSCs, improving the metabolic maturation of cardiomyocytes, developing methodologies to study cardiomyocyte proliferation using a high-content imaging system, identifying and validating therapeutic targets for cardiac regeneration, analyzing transcriptome data related to small non-coding microRNAs, as well as drafting manuscripts, preparing grant applications, and developing SOPs/protocols. I also collaborated closely with colleagues and presented research findings in group meetings.During my tenure, I constructed miRNA-gene regulatory networks within neonatal mouse heart development, refined existing protocols, formulated strategies to enhance metabolic maturation in human iPSC-cardiomyocytes, and provided supervision for a master's student's thesis. In addition, I exhibited communication and troubleshooting skills.

It was a fantastic experience working in a human iPSC hotel led by Prof. Christine Mummery at Leiden University Medical Centre, Netherlands. During my time here, I had the privilege of being involved in diverse tasks, such as culturing human iPSC lines, establishing protocols for differentiating human iPSCs into specific cell lineages (such as cardiomyocytes, epicardial cells, RPE cells, etc.), generating batches of iPSC-derived cell lineages, conducting CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing on human iPSCs, contributing to manuscripts, developing SOPs, and collaboration with colleagues.Notably, I achieved the generation of genome-edited human iPSC lines, established iPSC differentiation protocols, and effectively collaborated with fellow researchers. Moreover, I exhibited communication, project management, and problem-solving skills.

Working in Prof. Agapios Sachinidis' lab has been an incredible experience. Primarily, my research during my Ph.D. tenure revolved around advancing preclinical drug screening platforms. My role involved a wide array of tasks, including culturing human iPSCs, differentiating them into cardiac cells, designing and executing experiments, assessing in vitro cardiac drug safety, analyzing and integrating transcriptome data (both mRNA and non-coding miRNAs), identifying cardiotoxicity biomarkers, processing microarray samples, and undertaking activities such as drafting manuscripts, reporting project progress, refining protocols, and troubleshooting.Notable achievements include the successful development of an in vitro methodology for evaluating repeat dose toxicity, along with the discovery of genomic and metabolic toxicity biomarkers in human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes. Effective collaborations were also established with international partners involved in the project.

I got promoted to a Junior Research Scientist position due to my exceptional performance and capabilities. In this new role, I was responsible for conducting efficacy studies for lead cancer drug candidates and screening new chemical entities (NCE) for their potential. My responsibilities encompassed collaborating with colleagues, presenting data in meetings, and providing training to colleagues and interns.Furthermore, I took an active part in investigations dedicated to improving the performance of lead cancer candidates by implementing combination drug approaches. Additionally, I was actively involved in in vivo experiments, primarily involving mouse handling, data analysis, and tissue collection. One of my significant achievements was the development of novel cancer combination therapies.

I had the privilege of working in the cutting-edge realm of new drug discovery and development. As a member of the cancer-pharmacology department, I played an active role in various responsibilities, including conducting cancer cell cultures, screening new chemical entities through in vitro platforms, and drug combination studies. Additionally, I assisted support in in vivo experiments. Additionally, I also took charge of procuring laboratory reagents and maintaining laboratory instruments to ensure seamless laboratory operations.

In that role, a primary part of my responsibilities involved processing brain tumor tissue samples from patients to establish new cancer stem cell lines. I also managed cell lines and prepared cell culture media and buffer solutions for our research team. During my tenure, I provided support to research scholars by aiding them in their everyday research assignments. Additionally, my tasks included the maintenance of cell culture consumables.