Name: Dr. Manoj Dandekar Assistant Professor manoj.dandekar@niperhyd.ac.in 040-23074750 Extn-2026 Google Scholar Citations

ADDRESS, ROOM NO

Department of Pharmaccology and Toxicology
Room No: 54
NIPER Hyderabad
Department of Pharmaceuticals (Govt. of India)
Balanagar, Hyderabad - 500037, TS, INDIA

Experience

Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences (January 2020-Present) NIPER Hyderabad
7 years of drug discovery industry experience and 4 years of postdoctoral research experience

QUALIFICATION: (REVERSE CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER)

Postdoctoral Research Fellow at University of Texas Health Science Center and Houston Methodist Research Institute at Houston, USA (May 2016 - January 2020)

Ph.D. (Medicine, Pharmaceutical Sciences), R. T. M. Nagpur University, Nagpur

Master of Pharmacy (Pharmacology), Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagpur University

COURSES HANDLING(PHD/M.S(PHARM))

M.S. (Pharm.) - Pharmacology & Toxicology: PC-630, PC-640, GE-611, LS-610, RT- 660
PhD - Pharmacology & Toxicology: PC-820

PHD STUDENTS/MASTERS STUDENTS

PhD : Ongoing: 11 Completed 04
Masters: Ongoing: 10 Completed:40

AWARDS / HONOURS

1. B. Unvas Prize at IPSCON 2024 conference AIIMS New Delhi.
2. Japan Neuroscience Society international travel award and DBT-CTEP travel award for presenting at the NEURO2024 Fukuoka Japan meeting held on July, 2024.
3. American Association of Indian Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAiPS) Young Educator Award for 2023.
4. Postdoctoral Travel Awards, 2018 received from the Postdoctoral Association at UTHealth McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Sci. Ctr at Houston, TX, USA.
5. SOBP International Travel Grant 2016, for attending the Society of Biological Psychiatry 71st Annual Scientific Convention held at Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
6. IBRO International Travel Grant 2016, for attending the ICCN 2016: 18th International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience, in Paris, France.
7. ISCBFM Travel Grant 2015, for attending the XIIth International Conference on Quantification of Brain Function with PET, in Vancouver, Canada.
8. IBRO International Travel Grant 2013, for attending the SFN conference, San Diago, CA, USA.
9. P. P. Suryakumari Prize, in the Indian Pharmacological Society (IPS) conference Nagpur (2013) for the best paper published in Pharmacology from India in peer-reviewed international journals.
10. Participated in the IBRO-sponsored Third SERC School in Neurosciences workshop "Imaging the Nervous System 2009" organized by the IISER, Pune.
11. Served as teaching assistant in the IBRO-sponsored First SERC School in Neurosciences 2008, organized by the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, R. T. M. Nagpur University, Nagpur.
12. Jaipur Prize as a gold medal, for two times, in the Indian Pharmacological Society (IPS) conference, held at New Delhi, India (2008) and Kolkata, India (2009) for the best paper published in Pharmacology from India in peer-reviewed international journals.
13. Received Prof. P. C. Dandiya gold medal in the Indian Pharmacological Society (IPS) conference, held at Jaipur, India (2006) for the best poster presentation.
14. Received University Grant Commission (UGC), New Delhi fellowship during the Master of Pharmacy course (2002-2004) of the Nagpur University.

RESEARCH AREAS/INTEREST

Neuroscience, brain injury, oncology, in-vivo and in-vitro drug screening, gut microbiome

SPONSORED PROJECTS

1. Role PI: Unique Biotech Limited (Rs. 14.8 L) Jan 2024 - Jan 2025.
2. Role PI: TLS, Gurugaon (Rs. 12.5 L) July 2023 - May 2024.
3. Role PI: Unique Biotech Limited (Rs. 5 L) 2022-2023.
4. Role PI: Unique Biotech Limited (Rs. 7.5 L) 2021-2022.
5. Role PI: Unique Biotech Limited (Rs. 1.5 L) 2020-2021.

FELLOWSHIPS / GRANTS

1. Role PI: DST Cognitive Science Research Initiative Grant (Ongoing: Rs. 75 L Nov. 2023 - 2026).
2. Role PI: IBRO Collaborative Research Grant 2022 (Ongoing: 6000 EUR; March 2022 - 2024)
3. Role Co-PI: DBT (Ongoing: 90 L; March 2022 - 2026).
4. Role PI: Karyashala: A Workshop on Preclinical and Molecular Neuropharmacology Training (Completed: Rs. 4,00,000; June 2022-Dec 2022).
5. Role PI: SERB Start-up Research Grant (Completed: Rs. 32,69,512; Dec 2020-Dec 2022).
6. Research Associate sponsored by NIH, USA (March 2019 - Jan. 2020): The role of the gut microbiome in the neuropathology of traumatic brain injury.
7. Postdoctoral Research Fellowship sponsored by NIH, USA and Zymo Research (Sept. 2017 - March 2019): Screening of therapeutic value of xenon in stroke generated neurological deficits and long-term neuropsychiatric Sequelae.
8. Postdoctoral Research Fellowship sponsored by University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, USA (April 2016 - Aug. 2017): To elucidate the neurochemical and behavioral alterations induced by deep brain stimulation of medial forebrain bundle in rats.
9. Research Associate sponsored by CSIR, New Delhi (April 2009 - Aug. 2009): Studied role of CART peptide in the estradiol-induced anorexia: behavioral and neuroanatomical correlates.
10. JRF sponsored by DST, New Delhi (Sept. 2005 - May 2006): Beta-endorphin in the brain of major carp, Cirrhnius mrigala: role in the regulation of reproduction.

PUBLICATIONS / BOOK CHAPTERS

Click here

PATENTS

03

INVITED TALKS

1. Invited talk at EMBO Workshop on Neuropeptides and Behavioural Flexibility at NISER Bhubaneswar on Dec 5-8, 2024.
2. Invited talk at IPC-IPSCON 2024 Meeting, AIIMS New Delhi on November, 2024.
3. Invited talk at Five-Day Faculty Development Program (FDP) on Pedagogy, Research and Evaluation Strategies for Pharmaceutical Education and Workforce at Saveetha College of Pharmacy (SIMATS), Chennai on August 22, 2024.
4. Conference talk at NEURO2024 meeting held at Fukuoka, Japan, July, 2024.
5. Delivered talk at Faculty Development Programme on Animal Cell Culture Techniques at Faculty Development Programme on Animal Cell Culture Techniques, NIPER-Hyderabad, March, 2024.
6. Delivered online talk on "Revamping of Gut-Brain Axis for the Management of CNS Disorders" at AAiPS 2023 Award Presentation session.
7. Invited talk at IABSCON-2023, 11th Annual International Conference of the Indian Academy of Biomedical Sciences, NIMHANS, Bengaluru on March 5, 2023.
8. Delivered talk at the University of Cork, Ireland, as a part of IBRO Collaborative grant 2022 (July, 2023).
9. Invited virtual talk at Department of Pharmacology, SRM College of Pharmacy, SRM Institute of Science and Technology (Kattankulathur) as a Continuing Pharmacy Education Program on July 2023.
10. Delivered talk on "Preclinical TBI Model and Exploration of Microbiome-based Targets" at DST-SERB Sponsored Scientific Social Responsibility (SSR) Event One-day Institutional Visit Programme at NIPER Hyderabad held on February 17, 2023.
11. Delivered talk on "How to Choose Preclinical Models for Brain Injury Research" at High-End Workshop (Karyashala) on Preclinical and Molecular Neuropharmacology Training held on September, 2022.
12. Delivered talk at Faculty Development Programme on "Animal Cell Culture Techniques" Organized by Department of Biological Sciences, NIPER-Hyderabad, May-June, 2022.
13. Delivered invited talk on "Revisiting and Redesigning of Clinical Candidates" at 1st International Online Chemistry Conference in "Advances in Chemical Science" (A.C.S. 2021) H. V. M. (P.G.) College, Raisi, Haridwar, U.K., India. December, 2021.
14. Delivered invited talk at Short-Term Training Programme (STTP) sponsored by AICTE, New Delhi on "Molecular Neuroscience - From Cells to Circuits in Health Disease" at Seven Hills College of Pharmacy, Venkatramapuram, Tirupati on June-July, 2021.
15. Delivered invited talk on "Mapping of 'Depression Switch' using Deep Brain Stimulation" at Webinar on Current Scenario in Psychoneuropharmacology, P. Wadhawani COP, Yavatmal, June, 2020.

LABORATORY FACILITIES DEVELOPED

1. A battery of preclinical neurobehavioral assays
2. Brain injury models (TBI and stroke)
3. Gut microbiome
4. In-vitro biochemical and cell-based assays
5. Immunoblotting and PCR
6. Immunohistology
7. Immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy
8. Flow cytometry
9. Seahorse assay

ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Institutional Animal Ethics Committee; International Relations, Consulting, Alumni Affairs; and Industry interaction & International Collaboration Cell