Hi, I am Piyush...

A highly-driven, aspiring neuroscientist, exploring the scientific mysteries of the microbiota-gut-brain axis and elucidating its role in central and peripheral nervous systems disorders.


Microbes have harmoniously co-evolved with their host and developed a symbiotic bond that is essential in normal neurodevelopment, immune maturation and confers protection against foreign pathogens. They have been identified to modulate activity in the brain via various modalities of communication, and are found to be distinctly altered in individuals with neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.


As there is no cure, developing innovative strategies to curtail the disease progression is necessary. As a doctoral student in Dr. Anumantha Kanthasamy's Lab at the Center of Brain Sciences and Neurodegenerative diseases (CBSND), University of Georgia (UGA), my research entails conducting R&D for novel microbiome-based therapeutics to deliver L-DOPA in a continuous, non-pulsatile manner in pre-clinical animal models of PD and AD. As a new mode of delivery, our goal is to curtail the progression of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease and deliver clinical outcomes that will one day, benefit patients and society.

News & Events

Publications & Pre-prints

Patents

MICROENCAPSULATED AND CHROMOSOME INTEGRATED COMPOSITIONS FOR L-DOPA MICROBIOME THERAPY. https://uspto.report/patent/app/2022003177

Invited Talks & Oral Presentations

Division for Translational and Clinical Pharmacology - Young Investigator Awards Platform and Early Career Faculty Showcase : "Emerging Microbiome Genetic Engineering Technology for Stable Levodopa Delivery in Parkinson’s Disease” - ASPET at Experimental Biology, 2022.

Trainee Award Winner Presentation - SfRBM – Neurodegeneration and Aging Thematic Symposium: “Emerging Microbiome Genetic Engineering Technology for Stable Levodopa Delivery in Parkinson’s Disease”. SfRBM Annual Conference, 2021


Biomedical Science Seminar Series: “Engineered Live-Biotherapeutic Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 for Parkinson’s Disease” – Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University, 2021 (Invited)

Skills & Trainings

  • Analytical Techniques

    • High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

    • Electrochemical Detection

    • Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry - Targeted and Quantitative Metabolite Detection

  • Microbiology

    • Bacterial Cell Culture

    • Transformation and Restriction Digest

    • Gel Electrophoresis

    • Bioreactor Fermentation

  • Molecular Biology

    • Western Blotting

    • PCR (RT, qPCR, RT-qPCR)

    • Immunohistochemistry

    • Cell Culture

  • Animal Handling and Monitoring

  • Animal Behavior

    • Locomotor and Neuromuscular function Tests (Open Field, Gait, Pole, Rotarod, Grip Strength)

    • Dyskinesia Tests (Cylinder with AIMS scoring)

    • Depressive-like Tests (Forced Swim, Tail Suspension, Sucrose Preference)

    • Cognitive Tests (Morris Water Maze, Cued and Contextual Fear Conditioning, Y-maze)

    • Anxiety Tests (Elevated Plus, Open-Field)

    • Startle Test (pre-pulse inhibition)

    • Gut Functional Assays

  • Animal Surgery

    • Stereotaxic Surgery

  • Animal Necropsy and Tissue processing

    • Organ, Gut, Lymph Node Dissections

    • Brain microdissections

    • Perfusion and Fixation

Interests & Passions

HipHop/Bollywood Dancing:

Sports:

  • Martial Arts and Kickboxing: Brazilian Jiujitsu, Muay Thai, Jiujitsu, Krav Maga

    • Black Belt and Kickboxing Instructor for 10 years

  • Soccer and Basketball

"You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him discover it in himself "

Galileo Galilei


Feel free to connect with me through email or social media links!

Email: piyushpadhi@uga.edu