is pleased to announce
Dr. Nitesh Shashikanth is a Faculty Instructor in the Department of Physiology working with Prof. RK Rao at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. With a multidisciplinary background in molecular and cell biology, microbiology, biochemistry, and biophysics, his work also integrates an engineer’s perspective into fundamental biological research. His doctoral studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign under Prof. Deborah Leckband uncovered a novel, allosteric regulation of Cadherin interactions, redefining the understanding of cell-cell adhesion. For postdoctoral training at BWH, Harvard Medical School, under Dr. Jerrold Turner, he pioneered the concept of “inter-claudin interference,” demonstrating that certain claudins can competitively disrupt others’ function, a finding with significant implications for tight junction function. He also co-discovered the role of claudin-2 in inflammatory bowel disease, showing its modulation directly impacts disease severity. Dr. Shashikanth has published his research in several prestigious journals as first and co-first author, including Nature Communications, Journal of Clinical Investigation and Journal of Biological Chemistry among others, apart from several co-authorships. He has actively peer reviewed for at least 20 different journals. Dr Shashikanth’s work was supported by a Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation fellowship and a Pilot grant from the Harvard Digestive Diseases Center.
As an Instructor, Dr. Shashikanth focuses on the interplay between gut epithelial tight junctions, the microbiota, and immune responses in both health and disease. His current work under Dr Rao’s guidance aims to uncover novel therapeutic targets for conditions such as radiation enterocolitis and GI-ARS on one end and the role of chronic alcoholism in the gut-liver axis, on the other.