Associate Professor Anandwardhan Hardikar
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Associate Professor
K25 - Medical Foundation Building |
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Biographical details
Anandwardhan A. Hardikar, PhD, received MSc in Zoology (Genetics) and a PhD in Zoology from the University of Pune. After successful completion of his PhD work, carried out mainly at the National Center for Cell Science and partly at the WHO center, Catholic University of Louvain, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium, he continued training in the field of pancreas biology and diabetes at the University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine, where he worked with Doris Stoffers. He worked with Prof. Bernie Tuch at the University of New South Wales / POWH during the year 2000, where he pursued his research interests in transplantation of insulin-producing surrogate beta-cells. After his research tenure (2001-2005) in the laboratory of Marvin Gershengorn, Scientific Director, NIDDK, NIH, Bethesda, MD, he went on to join the National Center for Cell Science, Pune, India. A/Prof. Hardikar lead Diabetes and Pancreas Biology Section at OBrien Institute, St. Vincents Hospital and the University of Melbourne, in Melbourne, Australia.
Research interests
Our research is focused on understanding islet cell biology, specifically related to development, differentiation and death of human pancreatic beta cells.
We work with cadaveric human pancreatic islets as well as biliary duct and gallbladder-derived cells to gather information that would help us understand development of insulin-producing cells. Our previous studies using next generation sequencing of developing human pancreas using the SOLiD platform have provided insight to understanding the role of ncRNAs (specifically microRNAs) in development and differentiation of insulin-producing cells. Present research projects involve applying this information to differentiation of human pancreatic progenitor cells. In addition to these studies, other projects in the lab are focused on understanding the epigenetic modifications in insulin-producing cells in a unique model of multigeneration undernutrition. These studies involve understanding the influence of diet, micronutrients, intrautetine programming and gut microbiota in development of central adiposity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
CURRENT FUNDED PROJECTS:
1) Australian Future Fellowship:
The RAPID Study: RNA-based Analysis for Prediction of Islet Death
Study group: http://www.RAPIDstudy.info/
Funding Agency: Australian Research Council (ARC)- Future Fellowship (Level 2)
Period of Funding: 2011 2015
Total Funding: A$ 816,756
2) NHMRC Project grant:
Development and Characterization of Gallbladder Epithelial Cells (Sole Chief Investigator)
Funding Agency: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
Period of Funding: January 2012 December 2014
Total Funding: A$ 650,875