1. SARANYA SANTHOSH KUMAR
New York, New York, USA
E: saranya.santhosh@gmail.com T: (860) 617-8973 L: http://www.linkedin.com/in/saranyaskumar
Summary
• A Master of Science graduate specialized in the field of Neuroscience, with 5+ years of experience working in an
academic setup.
• Studied neurodegenerative diseases using animal models and ES cell culture.
• Have 3 years of experience managing animal colonies, differentiating neurons from ES/iPS cell lines, performing
molecular biology.
• 8 years of teaching experience and have trained summer students for project related-work.
Skills
• Animal Handling & Histology – Breeding & Genotyping, Tissue processing for Immunohistochemistry, In-situ
Hybridization
• Cell culture – Differentiation of hESCs/hIPSCs to neurons, Derivation of Primary neuron culture, Isolation of glial cells,
Aseptic Sterile Technique
• Microscopy – Confocal & Fluorescent Microscopy, Image acquisition, Hands-on training on Transmission Electron
Microscopy (TEM)
• Biochemistry Techniques – Western Blot, Protein Isolation & quantification assays, Chromatin isolation, Chromatin
Immunoprecipitation (ChIP)
• Molecular Biology Techniques – Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), DNA cloning, Transfection, Transformation, DNA
plasmid purification, Gel Electrophoresis, RNA Isolation
• Computer & Software – Microsoft Office, Image preparation, Graphpad Prism, MacOS, Stereo Investigator.
• Professional
o Enthusiastic Team player and Quick learner.
o Good presentation and communication skills
o 6+ years of experience in teaching Anatomy & Physiology.
Professional Experience
The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 2014 - Present
Research Assistant
• Supported a project demonstrating differential expression of CDS and 3’UTR in mouse brain tissues across different
ages mainly using fluorescent in-situ hybridization.
• Studied the molecular properties of dopaminergic neurons using in vitro cell culture assays and histological
techniques.
• Other responsibilities include maintaining transgenic mouse lines, cell culture, fluorescent microscopy and image
acquisition.
• Directly communicated with Principal Investigators regarding project goals and worked under moderate
supervision.
University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 2010 – 2014
Graduate Research Assistant
Project Focus: Neuroscience
• Mastered the conventional differentiation protocol involved in the generation of functional neuronal subtypes
from human ES & iPS cells.
• Developed and optimized a plasmid – based transfection method for rapid and efficient generation of functional
neurons from hESCs and hIPSCs.
• Constructed several plasmids for overexpression studies by cloning genes into piggybac vectors.
• Discovered that G9a, a histone methyltransferase, is essential for the proper development of cerebral cortex by
generating and characterizing G9a conditional knockout mice.

2. Project Focus: Pharmacology & Neurotoxicology
• Collaborated with my lab members to investigate the neuroprotective role of Z-Phe-Ala-Diazylmethylketone
(PADK), a lysosomal modulator, in enhancing the lysosomal degradation of Aβ1-42 peptides in Alzheimer’s disease
transgenic mouse models.
University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 2008 – 2010
Teaching Assistant
• Taught Human Physiology and Anatomy (PNB 2265, 2275) for undergraduates in health science major.
• Conducted multiple 3-hour laboratories containing 21 students per class.
• Incorporated scientific teaching approach in my lab sessions to actively engage students in learning process and
inspired them to pursue careers in science.
Sri Ramachandra Medical College & Research University, Chennai, India
Spring Intern 2007 – 2008
• Investigated the protective effect of a herbal drug, Cassia occidentalis, in PTZ-induced epileptic rats for my
undergraduate thesis project.
Publications
• Widespread Differential Expression of Coding Region and 3’ UTR Sequences in Neurons and Other Tissues.
Kocabas A, Duarte T, Santhosh Kumar S, Hynes MA; Neuron 2015 Dec; 88(6): 1149-56
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26687222
• Increasing Doublecortin Expression Promotes Migration of Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Neurons.
Filipovic R, Santhosh Kumar S, Fiondella C, Loturco J; Stem cells 2012 Sep; 30(9): 1852-62
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22753232
• Protective Effects of Positive Lysosomal Modulation in Alzheimer's Disease Transgenic Mouse Models.
Butler D, Hwang J, Estick C, Nishiyama A, Kumar SS, Baveghems C, Young-Oxendine HB, Wisniewski ML,
Charalambides A, Bahr BA; PLoS One 2011; 6(6)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3112200/
• Slice Culture Method for Studying Migration of Neuronal Progenitor Cells Derived from Human Embryonic Stem
Cells. Filipovic R, Santhosh Kumar S, Bahr B, LoTurco J. Current Protocols in Stem Cell Biology 2014; May 16; 29
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24838914
Education
• Master of Science in Physiology & Neurobiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT (3.8/4.0)
• Master of Science in Genetics & Genomics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT (3.7/4.0)
• Bachelor of Technology in Industrial Biotechnology, Anna University, Coimbatore, India (8.6/10.0)
Groups
Society for Neuroscience
International Society for Stem Cell Research