• Nickname: Manjari
• Hometown: Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh
• Graduate School: Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttarakhand
• E-mail: manjari.rain25@gmail.com

How would you explain your research in 3 sentences to someone who is not in Science?

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by degeneration of motor neurons causing loss of muscle control. Etiology of ALS is complex, multifactorial and poorly understood. My research interest is to identify reliable biomarkers of ALS that will improve our understanding of ALS for advancement of treatment.

More about you?

I am humble, caring and a kind person with an optimistic approach towards life. I am careful thinker with an eye for minute details and logic. I have the confidence to speak about my opinions on variety of issues. Apart from science, I am interested in music, movies and travelling to enjoy nature.

About your work

In an attempt to reveal molecular players of multifactorial ALS, I have studied the interdependent role of biomarkers like VEGF, VEGFR2, ANG, OPTN, MCP-1 and TDP43 at genetic and cellular level. Currently, I am working on role of autophagy in age-related macular degeneration at genetic and physiological level, involving proteins like Beclin-1, ULK-1, mTOR and more.