Abishek Arora

Abishek Arora

Postdoctoral Researcher
Visiting address: Nobels väg 13, 17177 Stockholm
Postal address: C6 Institutet för miljömedicin, C6 Biokemisk toxikologi Karlsson, 171 77 Stockholm
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About me

  • I am a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Karlsson Lab at the Unit of Biochemical Toxicology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet. I defended my PhD in Medical Science (Neuroscience) from the Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders at Karolinska Institutet (KIND), Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet.

    Before moving to KI, I received my Master of Science in Neuroscience (2016 – 2017) from the Department of Experimental Psychology and St Catherine's College, University of Oxford. I was awarded the Felix Scholarship to pursue my graduate studies at Oxford, specialising in neurodevelopment, motor systems, molecular neuroscience and clinical mental health.

    In India, I completed my Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Medical Biotechnology (2012 – 2016) from the Centre for Medical Biotechnology – Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Uttar Pradesh. At Amity, I was awarded with a Gold Medal and Chancellor's Award in recognition of my academic and social welfare activities.

    Positions of responsibility:

    - Board of Governors Member, NeurotechEU (2022 – 2023)

    - Co-Chair, NeurotechEU Student Council (2021 – 2022)

    - Board Member, Doctoral Students' Association (2020 – 2021)

    - Student Safety Ombudsperson, Department of Women's and Children's Health (2020 –2021)

    - Union Council Member, Medicinska Föreningen (2020 – 2021)

    Education:

    - PhD in Medical Science (Neuroscience), Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden (2019 – 2023)

    - MSc in Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology and St Catherine's College, University of Oxford, United Kingdom (2016 – 2017)

    - BSc (Hons) in Medical Biotechnology, Centre of Medical Biotechnology, Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, India (2012 – 2016)

Research

  • As a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Karlsson Lab (https://ki.se/en/people/hanna-l-karlsson), I am investigating the cellular effects of nanoparticles from different sources of relevance to human exposure in daily life. For this, specialised in-vitro models are being developed and utilised. This research is taking place under the wider network of the EU Horizon 2020 funded project, nPETS (Nanoparticle Emissions from the Transport Sector). The outcomes of this research will prove to be increasingly important as the effects of such nanoparticles on human physiology are not very well-defined and there is increasing epidemiological evidence that such factors can drive the onset and progression of different neurological conditions.

    Preprints:

    Arora, A., Mastropasqua, F., Bölte, S., and Tammimies, K. (2023). Urine metabolomic profiles of autism and autistic traits – a twin study. medRxiv 2023.04.24.23289030. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.04.24.23289030.

    PhD research:

    An understanding of how the brain develops in health and disease, is crucial for improving patient outcomes and well-being. Such knowledge can be applied for developing robust and cost-effective diagnostic and treatment strategies.

    As a PhD student in the Tammimies Lab (https://ki.se/en/kind/tammimies-lab), I was interested in the molecular and clinical processes that underlie neurodevelopmental disorders, specifically autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Deciphering complex gene-environment interactions using excretory metabolomics for ASD and ADHD, and a human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) derived model of ASD were the key products of my research. For the latter, I am the first to develop an experimental approach to perform environmental factor exposures in human iPSC derived neuronal progenitors using a fractional factorial experimental design coupled with transcriptomics (Arora et al., 2023). Findings in this direction will be an essential starting point for precision clinical interventions.

    My PhD thesis, "Genetic vulnerability, environmental exposures and neurodevelopmental disorders: clinical insights and in-vitro consequences", is accessible through the KI Open Archive (https://openarchive.ki.se/xmlui/handle/10616/48700).

    Previous research:

    As a Research Assistant (2017 – 2018) for the Oxford Project to Investigate Memory and Ageing (OPTIMA) and DeLuca Lab at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, I investigated the clinical processes underpinning dementia.

    During my graduate studies at Oxford, I developed a 3D printed, high-throughput system for the culture of cerebral organoids from hiPSCs at the Szele Lab. I also characterised novel, post-mortem molecular markers in progressive multiple sclerosis at the DeLuca Lab.

Teaching

  • Courses:

    - 4TX030 Application of Methods in Toxicological Research, MMedSc Toxicology (IMM. KI), Spring 2024

    - 4BI109 Bioinformatics, MSc Biomedicine (CMB, KI), Autumn 2022

    - 1BI037 Cell-, Stem Cell and Developmental Biology, BSc Biomedicine (CMB, KI), Autumn 2022

    - 4BI109 Bioinformatics, MSc Biomedicine (CMB, KI), Autumn 2021

    Lectures:

    - Basic Structure and Development – From Egg to Embryo, Medical Programme (CMB, KI), Spring 2021

    Tutorial/small group teaching:

    - Genetics in Health and Disease, Medical Programme (CMB, KI), Spring 2020

    Research/laboratory training:

    - Davið Örn Auðunsson (MMedSc Toxicology, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden), Autumn 2023

    - Mihai-Ovidiu Degeratu (MMedSc Toxicology, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden), Autumn 2021 – Now PhD Student at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology

    - Jenny Humphrey (Medical Programme, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden), Autumn 2020 – Now Junior Resident at Region Stockholm

    - İlayda Erakın (BSc Molecular Biology and Genetics, İzmir Institute of Technology, Turkey), Spring 2019 – Now R&D Specialist at Turklab Medical Devices

    - Hala Habash (BSc Biomedicine, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden), Spring 2019 – Now PhD Student at Karolinska Institutet

Articles

All other publications

Grants

  • Effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in early neuronal development - implications to neurodevelopmental disorders
    Kronprinsessan Lovisas Förening För Barnasjukvård/ Stiftelsen Axel Tielmans Minnesfond
    1 August 2023 - 31 January 2024
  • Effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in early neuronal development – implications to neurodevelopmental disorders
    Kronprinsessan Lovisas Förening För Barnasjukvård/ Stiftelsen Axel Tielmans Minnesfond
    1 August 2022 - 31 July 2023

Employments

  • Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 2023-2024
  • Phd Student, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, 2019-2023
  • Clinical Position, ME Högspecialiserad barnortopedi och barnmedicin, Karolinska Universitetssjukhuset

Degrees and Education

  • Degree Of Doctor Of Philosophy, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, 2023

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