Vrajesh Parekh Email & Phone Number

San Diego

Greater San Diego Area

Cancer Drug Discovery

Greater San Diego Area

Cancer Drug Discovery

1161 21St Avenue South, Mcn Aa5206, Nashville Tn 37232.

Play a leading role in identification of important scientific problems and important questions in the field of research, frame hypotheses and design experiments to answer them, overlook the execution of experiments with the help of colleagues, mentor fellow scientists, peer-review manuscripts, write scientific review articles and original manuscripts of the research work conducted within the laboratory.Research Projects undertaken: Activation of iNKT cells control central nervous system autoimmunity in a mechanism that involves myeloid-derived suppressor cells; a mechanism-of-action study of α-GalCer-mediated prevention of autoimmunity in mice (Parekh et al. J. Immunol. 2013). Impaired autophagy, defective T cell homeostasis, and a wasting syndrome resembling the Crohn’s disease, with a T cell-specific deletion of class III phosphoinositide 3-kinase Vps34 (Parekh et al. J. Immunol. 2013).Regulation of induced T-regulatory cells (iTregs) production by transcription factor KLF-2.

Research Projects undertaken:Analysis of quantitative and qualitative differences in the in vivo response of invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells to distinct alpha- and beta-anomeric glycolipids and their ability to prevent experimental autoimmune encephalomyelities (EAE) in mice (Parekh et al. J. Immunol. 2004).Induction of anergy in iNKT cells by their activation with canonical glycolipid ligand α-GalCer (Parekh et al, J. Clin. Invest. 2005).The role of ER-associated peptidase activity in tailoring peptides for presentation by MHC class 1a and class 1b molecules (Yan and Parekh et al, J. Exp. Med. 2006). Demonstration that blockade of Program Death-1 (PD-1) receptor during the activation of iNKT cells with αGalCer prevents the induction of anergy in them and enhances the anti-tumor immunity against B16 melanoma in mice (Parekh et al. J. Immunol. 2009). Immunologic analysis of mice deficient in G6pc2 gene encoding the islet-specific glucose-6-phosphatase catalytic subunit-related protein and incidence of type-1 diabetes in NOD mice.Impact of bacteria on the phenotype, functions, and therapeutic activities of invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells in mice.A pathogenic role for activated iNKT cells by lipid excess that promotes tissue inflammation, insulin resistance, and hepatic steatosis in obese mice.

Topic of Ph. D. thesis:Induction of tolerance in CD8+ T cells by generation of immunoregulatory activities in B cells activated with Lipopolysaccaride, but not with anti-Ig plus anti-CD40.

Education record

Doctor Of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Immunology

Activities and Societies: National Center for Cell Science, Pune, India. Topic of Ph. D. dissertation: Induction of tolerance in CD8+ T.

Master Of Science (Msc), Biochemistry

Activities and Societies: .

Bachelor Of Science (B.Sc.), Zoology, Chemistry And Botany

Activities and Societies: .

Education record