Profile
Dr Jayakrupakar Nallala
Research Fellow
Ovierview:
Jayakrupakar’s research interests are to develop novel approaches for clinical diagnosis and prognosis of cancers (breast, colon, oesophagus, head and neck, skin) and other molecular diseases (Alzheimer's disease). For this, he is working at the forefront of cross disciplines by combining novel spectroscopic, molecular imaging technologies and machine learning approaches (conventional and High Power Computing) with clinical practices of histopathology, immunohistochemistry, etc, to investigate molecular changes in cells, tissue and biofluids.
Present research:
Currently working as a Research Fellow in the Cancer Research UK (CRUK) Cancer Grand Challenge 'Precision' project (https://www.dcisprecision.org/) to investigate why ductal carcinoma insitu (DCIS) propagates to breast cancer in few women and does not in others with the objective to avoid over treatment of DCIS (using surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy) which might not progress to cancer. Jayakrupakar is specifically investigating the physico-chemical features of breast tissues through the examination of micro-calcification microstructure and the surrounding soft tissue. For this, a combination of novel spectroscopic techniques that include high-resolution coherent X-ray scatter for nano-structural information, infrared and Raman spectroscopy for direct measurement of micro-calcification and soft tissue molecular composition and novel data mining tools are being used. This data is being corroborated with genetic and immunological information to identify biomarkers of DCIS that will progress to invasive cancer.
Past research:
1. Worked as a Post-doctoral Research Fellow in the European Union (FP7) funded MINERVA project (http://minerva-project.eu/), in which a novel high-volume pathology screening approach for improved colon cancer diagnostics was demonstrated using new generation infrared spectroscopic imaging based on spectral histopathology/cytology. This was carried out with multi-national collaborations that brought together concepts from optics, photonics, data mining tools, virtual pathology and conventional clinical histopathology.
2. Jayakrupakar obtained his PhD from the Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, France during which the potentials of vibrational spectroscopy as a cancer diagnostic tool were demonstrated via the concepts of spectral histopathology and infrared spectral barcoding in clinical colon tissue and tissue arrays.
3. His initial research activities at CCMB and ACTREC, India involved DNA sequencing and genotyping of single nucleotide and repeat length polymorphisms in specific genes and their association with breast, and head and neck cancers.
Education and Research Activities
2018-Ongoing Post-doctoral Research Fellow, University of Exeter, United Kingdom (CRUK Cancer Grand Challenge-PRECISION)
2013-2017 Post-doc, University of Exeter, United Kingdom (MINERVA, EU FP7)
2009-2012 PhD, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, France
2006-2008 Research Associate, Advanced Centre for Treatment Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, India
2005-2006 MSc Dissertation, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, India
2004-2006 MSc Biotechnology, Bharathidasan University, Trichy, India
1999-2004 BSc Biotechnology (Distinction), Osmania University, Hyderabad, India
Funded Research Projects/Grants
1. Co-Investigator: EPSRC CLIRPath-AI Pump-Prime Award, September 2022, £50,000
2. Principal Investigator: Wellcome Trust ISSF Translational Research Exchange Pump-Prime Award (WT105618MA), August 2022, £40,000
3. Principal Investigator: Wellcome Trust ISSF Seed-Corn Fund Round 5, April 2018, £10,000
4. International travel grant from EPSRC CLIRPath-AI, April 2023, £2500
5. International travel grant from the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), September 2015, £800
6. Co-applicant of the Researcher-Led Initiative grant '‘Negative results: not junk, but an opportunity to learn'’ funded by the University of Exeter Researcher Development and Research Culture team, 2018, £1000
Invited talks
1. Invited speaker at SciX 2019, the annual meeting of the Federation of Analytical Chemistry and Spectroscopy Societies (FACSS), October 13-18, Palm Springs, California, USA
2. Invited speaker at the Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies-RGUKT Basar (IIIT), January 3rd 2017, Telangana, India
3. Invited speaker at SciX 2016, the annual meeting of the Federation of Analytical Chemistry and Spectroscopy Societies (FACSS), September 18-23, Minneapolis, USA
4. Invited speaker at the GW4 Imaging Network Sandpit Event, 22nd January 2015, Exeter, UK
5. Invited speaker at the International Conference on Optical, Optoelectronic and Photonic Materials (ICOOPMA), 27th July-1st August 2014, Leeds, UK
National/Regional Facility User:
1. Diamond Synchrotron Infrared Beamline, United Kingdom (B22: Multimode Infrared Imaging and Microspectroscopy Beamline (MIRIAM)
2. Diamond Synchrotron X-ray micro-diffraction beamline, United Kingdom (I18: Microfocus Spectroscopy)
3. ISCA: Advanced High Power Computing (HPC), University of Exeter (https://www.exeter.ac.uk/researchcomputing/e-infrastructure/)
Awards and Recognitions
1. Invited principal author to contribute an article to the special issue “Prominent Young Spectroscopists” of the journal Vibrational Spectroscopy, 2015
2. ‘Rambhau Kulkarni Young Scientist Award’ from the Indian Association for Cancer Research (IACR), February, 2008, Ahmedabad, India
3. Associate member of the American Assication for Cancer Research (AACR)
Other Professional Contributions:
Journal Board of Reviewers for 'Cancers'
Reviewer for international scientific journals: PLoS ONE, Journal of Raman Spectroscopy, Sensors, Biosensors, Molecules