Meenakshi Sharma

Assistant Professor

Molecular Genetics of Aging
Email: meenakshisharma@acbr.du.ac.in

Dr. Meenakshi Sharma is Microbiologist by training and has handled several microbial systems of importance. During her education, Dr. Meenakshi scored first rank in M.Sc. Microbiology from Jiwaji University and did her PhD research at Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), Delhi jointly with University of Delhi. She completed her doctoral research on the topic "Genetics of Radio-adaptive response in Saccharomyces cerevisiae". During her overseas postdoctoral research assignments she chose to work on Caenorhabditis elegans as the model organism of her interest. Using C. elegans Dr. Meenakshi suggested new pathways of genetic mapping apart from her work on various physiological assays, aging, autophagy etc. In her recent research interests she has added the screening of natural products for inhibiting Candida albicans and thus combating anti-microbial resistance.

Her research interest on aging will not only help to understand a fundamental and fascinating biological process, but it may also be the least expensive and fastest path to simultaneously target multiple age-associated pathologies. Aging is a universal phenomenon that is associated with many functional disabilities as well as susceptibility to diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative ailments and diabetes. Aging is not just the result of stochastic cellular damage, instead, it is strongly influenced by genes that appear to be conserved in their longevity functions, from worms to humans. There are natural or chronological ageing processes that occur with the passage of time and are the product of the cellular oxidative stress of the organism. Recently, many compounds or extracts from natural products have shown slow aging and lifespan extension. Thus, Dr. Meenakshi postulate to identify natural compounds or phyto-chemicals extending lifespan by intervening pathways of aging which may be useful in treating age-related diseases in human and/or developing anti-aging medicine from natural products. Having identified such targets, she then aim to test their conservation in mammalian systems and ultimately design novel therapeutics for age-related pathologies.

Honours & Awards: Selected Recent Publications:

1. 07. MehakMunjal, Bhumika Tiwari, Shubra Lalwani, Meenakshi Sharma, Gurmeet Singh, Raj Kishor Sharma (2020) An insight of bioelectricity production in mediator less microbial fuel cell using mesoporous Cobalt Ferrite anode. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 45(22):12525-12534
   
   
2. 06. Meenakshi Dwivedi, SumathiMuralidhar, Daman Saluja (2020) Hibiscus sabdariffa Extract Inhibits Adhesion, Biofilm Initiation and Formation in Candida albicans. Indian J Microbiol. 60: 96-106
   
   
3. 05. Meenakshi Dwivedi, Sumathi Muralidhar and Daman Saluja. Hibiscus sabdariffa Extract Inhibits Adhesion, Biofilm Initiation and Formation in Candida albicans. Indian J Microbiol. 2019, 60 (1): 96-106.
   
   
4. 04. Renu Pandey, Meenakshi Sharma and Daman Saluja. SIN-3 as a key determinant of lifespan and its sex dependent differential role on healthspan in Caenorhabditis elegans. Aging. 2018, 10 (12):3910-37
   
   
5. 03. Meenakshi Sharma, Renu Pandey and Daman Saluja. ROS is the major player in regulating altered autophagy and lifespan in sin-3 mutants of C. elegans. Autophagy. 2018, 14 (7):1239-55.
   
   
6. 02. Meenakshi Dwivedi, Hyun Sung, Haihong Shen, Byung-Jae Park, and Sangho Lee. Disruption of Endocytic Pathway Regulatory Genes Activates Autophagy in C. elegans. Mol. Cells. 2011, 31 (5):477-81.
   
   
7. 01. Meenakshi Dwivedi, Hyun-Ok Song and Joohong Ahnn. Autophagy genes mediate the effect of calcineurin on life span in C. elegans. Autophagy. 2009, 5 (5):604-7