Vascular Diversity Laboratory
Lymphatics | Blood Vessels | Cellular Identity
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Rudra Nayan Das, PhD
Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence (SNIoE)
Delhi - NCR, India
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Research Themes
Vascular networks, the lymphatic vessels (LV) and the blood vessels (BV), in the vertebrate body display an extraordinary range of morphological and functional diversity. These complex LV/BV systems, composed of endothelial cells (ECs), engage in close interactions with diverse organ microenvironments. Our focus lies in unraveling how ECs develop distinct vessel and organ-specific identities and understanding their vital roles in organ development, function and regeneration.
Organ-associated
Vascular Diversity
Our body houses a complex network of vessels that are specialized for different organs. These vessels, both blood and lymphatic, are crucial for the functioning of each specific organ.
We delve into this diversity, identify these specializations, and study how these vascular systems adapt according to the unique needs of different organs. This involves examining their structural and functional variations across organ systems. Our approach includes the usage of Zebrafish model system, advanced imaging techniques, lineage tracing tools and molecular profiling, to map and understand these variations.
This research is pivotal in comprehending how vascular differences influence organ health and disease.
Regulation of
Lymphatic Specialization
Lymphatic vessels play a key role in maintaining the body's fluid balance. However, apart from this classically defined function, a plethora of new organ-specific lymphatic roles has been described in recent years. Lymphatic vessels produce various specializations to fulfill these organ-specific requirements.
Our research aims to unravel the gene regulatory networks that dictate lymphatic specialization and drive lymphatic diversity. We employ techniques like single-cell genomics, genetic manipulation, and both in vivo and in vitro experimental systems to probe these regulatory mechanisms.
We are also interested in uncovering the contribution of the developing tissue microenvironment in the regulation of lymphatic specializations.
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Vasculature in Tissue Regeneration & Repair
Healing and regeneration of tissues after injury or disease is a complex process, in which blood and lymphatic vessels play different, but complementary, roles. Zebrafish has a amazing capability of regeneration/repair, thus providing a suitable model system to study the importance of vasculature in these processes.
Our work documents the dynamic re-vascularization events during regeneration/repair. We investigate how the vascular system contributes to and influences tissue regeneration and repair.
We utilize advanced microscopy, lineage tracing tools, and functional assays in the Zebrafish system to study vascular behavior during tissue regeneration/repair.
Our work aims to provide critical insights into improving healing processes and developing regenerative therapies.
Lymphatics in
Organ Development & Homeostasis
Lymphatic vessels are integral to the stable functioning of our organs. During organ development, lymphatic endothelial cells become integral to various organ micro-environments. However, the contribution of these cell in development of associated organs is poorly understood. Further, the nature and mechanism of this contribution is also not well established.
We focus on identifying novel roles of lymphatic endothelial cells in organ development. Through the using a combination of in vivo model - Zebrafish, and in vitro cell culture systems, we tease out the mechanisms through which lymphatic endothelial cells fulfill their developmental roles. Furthermore, we also investigate whether these lymphatic functions are retained after the organ has matured for their long-term sustenance and function.
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