Assistant Professor
Phone: 903.877.7224
Email: nagarjun.konduruvenkata@uttyler.edu
Department: Cellular and Molecular Biology
Nagarjun Venkata
Dr. Venkata’s research experience spans multiple fields, e.g. cell and molecular biology, biophysics, physiology, and molecular toxicology. The fundamental aspects of the pathophysiology of diseases have motivated my research. Dr. Venkata completed his training in veterinary medicine but subsequently discovered an interest in public health. He later received a doctoral degree in environmental and occupational health.
Dr. Venkata’s research over the past 14 years has focused on nanotoxicology, a new field of molecular toxicology that includes projects addressing the safety and toxicological assessments of nanomaterials, the emerging environmental contaminants. He has been one of the leading contributors to several pioneering discoveries in this field. As his doctoral training progressed, Venkata became more convinced of the need for new methods and tools for nanomaterial safety assessment.
His interest to develop novel models and technologies to study the health effects of the next generation engineered materials that require screening methodologies typically unavailable, along with endpoints not previously evaluated using current guidelines, led him to the Harvard School of Public Health, where he pursued my postdoctoral training.
At the Health Science Center, Dr. Venkata’s interest was in developing high-throughput screening assays for evaluating the carcinogenic and fibrogenic potential of nanomaterials. We are in the process of developing a more extensive database of corona composition of a diverse nanoparticle library to help predict the effects and biokinetics of inhaled nanoparticulates
Education and Training
Sri Venkateshwara Veterinary University
Tirupati, India
V.Sc & A.H (1996-2001)
University of Pittsburgh
PhD (2006-2010)
Harvard
T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Post-Doctoral Research (2012-2018)
Courses Taught
BIOT 5211: Advanced Biotechniques
BIOT 5132: Critical Reading II
Research Interests
Despite overwhelming scientific evidence on the health effects of environmental pollutants,
there are significant gaps in our knowledge of how to monitor exposures to complex
toxic mixtures and their integrated effects. Further, currently, there is only a limited
understanding of the underlying biology that governs toxic mixture-induced lung diseases.
Catching the pathological events early occurring under a stealth mode after exposures to hazardous agents is the biggest untapped opportunity to have a major impact on early detection and treatment of lung diseases. Our research focuses on exosomes, 30-140 nm extracellular vesicles (EVs) actively secreted by cells, to gain insight into these knowledge gaps.
Our group is interested in examining the composition of the EVs and their predictive power to identify toxic mixtures of public health concern and to provide a snapshot of the health status of lungs.
Publication Highlights