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Dr. Guruprasad Rao

Professor of Biochemistry
Melaka Manipal Medical College, Manipal University
 

Brief Biography:


 

Graduated with an M.Sc (medical) in Biochemistry from Kasturba Medical College, Manipal Univsersity, Manipal, India in 1995. Working as a faculty member teaching biochemistry to medical, dental, premedical  and allied health sciences students in Melaka Manipal Medical College, Manipal, India for over 17 years. Awarded the PhD by Manipal University, India for my thesis 'Status of oxidative damage and antioxidant profile in diabetes mellitus: effect of antidiabetic treatment' in 2005.  Worked as a post-doctoral research associate for two years in University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA studying the molecular basis of cataractogenesis

 

Academic positions:


In Melaka Manipal Medical College (Manipal campus), International Centre for Health Sciences affiliated to Manipal University, Manipal, India

Associate Professor of Biochemistry since November 2008

Selection Grade lecturer in Biochemistry from May 2008 to November 2008

Reaserach associate in the department of Ophthalmology in University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA from May 2006 to May 2008

Assistant Professor of Biochemistry from May 2005 to May 2006

Senior grade lecturer in Biochemistry from July, 2002 to May 2005

Lecturer in Biochemistry from August 1995 to July, 2002.

 

Research interests:


1. Oxidative stress markers in diabetes mellitus and use of plant products in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. I have also studied a protease in erythrocytes which serves as a secondary antioxidant defence mechanism whose activity is increased in diabetes.

2. In my post-doctoral studies in the University of Missouri, my work dealt with identification of proteases in lens that may be implicated in age-related changes in lens crystallins, interaction of crystallin-derived peptides with lens alpha crystallins and their effect on chapreone-like activity of these proteins. I also studied inhibition of caspase activity by gamma crystallins and the inhibitory activities of various plant derived molecules on amyloid-like fibril formation by crystallin derived peptides found in catareactous lenses using thioflavin T and Congo red binding assays.

3. I am very much interested in experimenting with novel approaches to teaching biochemistry to medical students and the study of self-directed learnign tools for students.

 

What I think of the idea behind WebmedCentral:


I think Webmedcentral is a unique idea which provides a platform for scientists to circumvent the tedious pre-publication reveiew process which acts as a speed bump in the path of research and at the same time maintaining quality of papers through free and transparent post-publication review.