@article {164786, title = {Differences in Cellular mechanics and ECM dynamics shape differential development of wing and haltere in Drosophila.}, journal = {Dev Biol}, year = {2026}, month = {2026 Mar 18}, abstract = {

Diverse organ shapes and sizes arise from the complex interplay between cellular properties, mechanical forces, and gene regulation. Drosophila wing- a flat structure and the globular haltere are two homologous flight appendages emerging from a similar group of progenitor cells. The activity of a single Hox transcription factor, Ultrabithorax (Ubx), governs the development of these two distinct organs- wing and haltere with different cell and organ morphologies. Our work reported here on differential development of wing and haltere suggest that the localisation and abundance of actomyosin complexes, apical cell contractility, properties of extracellular matrix, and cell size and shape, which is a result of various cell intrinsic and extrinsic forces, plausibly influence the flat vs. globular geometry of these two organs. Loss of Ubx function led to wing cell-like cellular features in haltere discs, and corresponding changes at the level of adult organs. We also observed that RNAi-mediated downregulation of Atrophin or Pten, in the background of downregulated Expanded (or elevated Yki), gave rise to varying degrees of wing-like homeotic transformations at the cellular as well as adult organ levels. Finally, we employ a minimal vertex model to demonstrate that the observed differences in tissue architecture are physically sufficient to maintain and elaborate early shape differences and mimic flat wing-like or globular haltere-like morphologies. Together, these findings show how genetic and mechanical factors are integrated to generate organ-specific morphologies and provide a framework for understanding the evolution of organ shape.

}, keywords = {3-D tissue shape, cellular mechanical properties, ECM, epithelial tissue mechanics, Haltere, Morphogenesis, organ shape, Ubx, wing.}, issn = {1095-564X}, doi = {10.1016/j.ydbio.2026.03.012}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012160626000680?via\%3Dihub}, author = {Dilsha, C and Shiju, Salima and Shah, Neel Ajay and Inamdar, Mandar M and Shashidhara, L S} } @article {163997, title = {EGFR and AR expression and co-expression in Indian triple-negative breast cancer with patient outcome association.}, journal = {Sci Rep}, year = {2026}, month = {2026 Feb 21}, keywords = {AR, Basal TNBC, co-expression of EGFR and AR., EGFR, Molecular profile}, issn = {2045-2322}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-40913-9}, url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41723216/}, author = {Vaid, Pooja and Puntambekar, Anirudha and Kanse, Pranali and Kadu, Shweta and Agrawal, Piyush and Khatpe, Aditi and Banale, Rituja and Reddy, Ruhi and Kelkar, Devaki A and Hannenhalli, Sridhar and Shashidhara, L S and Koppiker, Chaitanyanand and Kulkarni, Madhura} } @article {156536, title = {Mapping genetic diversity with the GenomeIndia project.}, journal = {Nat Genet}, volume = {57}, year = {2025}, month = {2025 Apr}, pages = {767-773}, chapter = {767}, abstract = {

The rich ethnolinguistic and sociocultural differences that exist in India offers a unique opportunity to study human diversity. With the whole genomes of 10,000 healthy and unrelated Indians from 83 populations, the GenomeIndia project captures the genetic diversity of one of the highly underrepresented populations in the global genomics landscape.

India, the most populous nation in the world with 1.44 billion people from over 4,600 distinct endogamous groups, represents an invaluable source of ethnolinguistic, sociocultural and genetic diversity. Deciphering the genetic makeup of human populations helps in understanding their ancestry, evolutionary history, admixture patterns, disease susceptibility and drug response. To this end, world over, genomics consortia have been established. Nevertheless, the global genomic landscape is predominantly Euro-centric1; although some projects have documented worldwide genetic diversity by discovering DNA sequence variation in several human populations, for example the 1000 Genomes project2, followed by others across the world, recent inclusions being at biobank scale3,4,5,6,7. Unfortunately, India has been severely underrepresented in these global studies. To address this lacuna, a few studies have been initiated to understand the human genetic diversity of Asia (GenomeAsia)8\ and India (IndiGen and LASI-DAD)9,10.

India experienced several waves of migration11,12\ with evidence of population expansion during the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods. The demographic history of India is also unique, with exposure to different environments and widespread admixture, followed by formation of numerous endogamous groups13. Many of the contemporary Indian populations have originated from a few founding groups and have maintained distinct identities through centuries of endogamy. These endogamous groups13,14, apart from sharing genetic similarities, possess unique variations, including distinct disease-causing mutations with amplified frequencies within specific groups.

}, issn = {1546-1718}, doi = {10.1038/s41588-025-02153-x}, url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-025-02153-x}, author = {Bhattacharyya, Chandrika and Subramanian, Krithika and Uppili, Bharathram and Biswas, Nidhan K and Ramdas, Shweta and Tallapaka, Karthik Bharadwaj and Arvind, Prathima and Rupanagudi, Khader Valli and Maitra, Arindam and Nagabandi, Tulasi and De, Tiyasha and Singh, Kuldeep and Sharma, Praveen and Sharma, Nanaocha and Raghav, Sunil K and Prasad, Punit and Soniya, E V and Jaleel, Abdul and Nelson Sathi, Shijulal and Joshi, Madhvi and Joshi, Chaitanya and Lahiri, Mayurika and Dixit, Santosh and Shashidhara, L S and Senthil Kumar, Nachimuthu and Lalhruaitluanga, H and Nundanga, Lal and Shivakumar, Venkataram and Venkatasubramanian, Ganesan and Rao, Naren P and Ganie, Mohd Ashraf and Wani, Imtiyaz Ahmad and Jha, Ganganath and Dalal, Ashwin and Bashyam, Murali Dharan and Varadwaj, Pritish Kumar and Bs, Sanjeev and Simmhan, Yogesh and Jain, Chirag and Sundar, Durai and Gupta, Ishaan and Yadav, Pankaj and Sinha, Himanshu and Narayanan, Manikandan and Raman, Karthik and Padinjat, Raghu and Sabarinathan, Radhakrishnan and Narahari, Yadati and Ravindranath, Vijayalakshmi and Kumarasamy, Thangaraj and Sowpati, Divya Tej and Faruq, Mohammed and Basu, Analabha and Kahali, Bratati} } @article {147291, title = {Early Detection of KP.2 SARS-CoV-2 Variant using Wastewater-based Genomic Surveillance in Pune, Maharashtra, India.}, journal = {J Travel Med}, year = {2024}, month = {2024 Jul 17}, issn = {1708-8305}, doi = {10.1093/jtm/taae097}, author = {Rajput, Vinay and Das, Rashmita and Pramanik, Rinka and Nannaware, Kiran and Sushma, Y and Taji, Nyabom and Rajput, Vishal and Rajkhowa, Riyakshi and Pacharne, Poonam and Shah, Priyanki and Gogate, Niharika and Sangwar, Poornima and Bhalerao, Asim and Jain, Nidhi and Kamble, Sanjay and Dastager, Syed and Shashidhara, L S and Karyakarte, Rajesh and Dharne, Mahesh} } @article {140659, title = {Immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines BBV152 (COVAXIN{\textregistered}) and ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (COVISHIELD{\texttrademark}) in seronegative and seropositive individuals in India: a multicentre, nonrandomised observational study.}, journal = {Lancet Reg Health Southeast Asia}, volume = {22}, year = {2024}, month = {2024 Mar}, pages = {100361}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: There are limited global data on head-to-head comparisons of vaccine platforms assessing both humoral and cellular immune responses, stratified by pre-vaccination serostatus. The COVID-19 vaccination drive for the Indian population in the age group 18-45 years began in April 2021 when seropositivity rates in the general population were rising due to the delta wave of COVID-19 pandemic during April-May\ 2021.

METHODS: Between June 30, 2021, and Jan 28, 2022, we enrolled 691 participants in the age group 18-45 years across four clinical sites in India. In this non-randomised and laboratory blinded study, participants received either two doses of Covaxin{\textregistered} (4 weeks apart) or two doses of Covishield{\texttrademark} (12 weeks apart) as per the national vaccination policy. The primary outcome was the seroconversion rate and the geometric mean titre (GMT) of antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike and nucleocapsid proteins post two doses. The secondary outcome was the frequency of cellular immune responses pre- and post-vaccination.

FINDINGS: When compared to pre-vaccination baseline, both vaccines elicited statistically significant seroconversion and binding antibody levels in both seronegative and seropositive individuals. In the per-protocol cohort, Covishield{\texttrademark} elicited higher antibody responses than Covaxin{\textregistered} as measured by seroconversion rate (98.3\% vs 74.4\%, p\ \<\ 0.0001 in seronegative individuals; 91.7\% vs 66.9\%, p\ \<\ 0.0001 in seropositive individuals) as well as by anti-spike antibody levels against the ancestral strain (GMT 1272.1 vs 75.4 binding antibody units/ml [BAU/ml], p\ \<\ 0.0001 in seronegative individuals; 2089.07 vs 585.7 BAU/ml, p\ \<\ 0.0001 in seropositive individuals). As participants at all clinical sites were not recruited at the same time, site-specific immunogenicity was impacted by the timing of vaccination relative to the delta and omicron waves. Surrogate neutralising antibody responses against variants-of-concern including delta and omicron was higher in Covishield{\texttrademark} recipients than in Covaxin{\textregistered} recipients; and in seropositive than in seronegative individuals after both vaccination and asymptomatic infection (omicron variant). T cell responses are reported from only one of the four site cohorts where the vaccination schedule preceded the omicron wave. In seronegative individuals, Covishield{\texttrademark} elicited both CD4+ and CD8+ spike-specific cytokine-producing T cells whereas Covaxin{\textregistered} elicited mainly CD4+ spike-specific T cells. Neither vaccine showed significant post-vaccination expansion of spike-specific T cells in seropositive individuals.

INTERPRETATION: Covishield{\texttrademark} elicited immune responses of higher magnitude and breadth than Covaxin{\textregistered} in both seronegative individuals and seropositive individuals, across cohorts representing the pre-vaccination immune history of most of the vaccinated Indian population.

FUNDING: Corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding from Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) and Unilever India Pvt. Ltd. (UIPL).

}, issn = {2772-3682}, doi = {10.1016/j.lansea.2024.100361}, author = {Asokan, Mangaiarkarasi S and Joan, Roshni Florina and Babji, Sudhir and Dayma, Girish and Nadukkandy, Prajitha and Subrahmanyam, Vinutha and Pandey, Archana and Malagi, Girish and Arya, Pooja and Mahajan, Vibhuti and Bhavikatti, Jayateerth and Pawar, Ketakee and Thorat, Aishwarya and Shah, Priyanki and Goud, Ramakrishna B and Roy, Bishnudeo and Rajukutty, Shon and Immanuel, Sushil and Agarwal, Dhiraj and Saha, Sankhanil and Shivaraj, Akshatha and Panikulam, Patricia and Shome, Rajeshwari and Gulzar, Shah-E-Jahan and Sharma, Anusmrithi U and Naik, Ajinkya and Talashi, Shruti and Belekar, Madhuri and Yadav, Ritu and Khude, Poornima and V, Mamatha and Shivalingaiah, Sudarshan and Deshmukh, Urmila and Bhise, Chinmayee and Joshi, Manjiri and Inbaraj, Leeberk Raja and Chandrasingh, Sindhulina and Ghose, Aurnab and Jamora, Colin and Karumbati, Anandi S and Sundaramurthy, Varadharajan and Johnson, Avita and Ramesh, Naveen and Chetan, Nirutha and Parthiban, Chaitra and Ahmed, Asma and Rakshit, Srabanti and Adiga, Vasista and D{\textquoteright}Souza, George and Rale, Vinay and George, Carolin Elizabeth and John, Jacob and Kawade, Anand and Chaturvedi, Akanksha and Raghunathan, Anu and Dias, Mary and Bhosale, Anand and Raghu, Padinjat and Shashidhara, L S and Vyakarnam, Annapurna and Bal, Vineeta and Kang, Gagandeep and Mayor, Satyajit} } @article {150948, title = {Monitoring Influenza A (H1N1, H3N2), RSV, and SARS-CoV-2 Using Wastewater-Based Epidemiology: A 2-Year Longitudinal Study in an Indian Megacity Covering Omicron and Post-Omicron Phases.}, journal = {Food Environ Virol}, volume = {17}, year = {2024}, month = {2024 Nov 19}, pages = {3}, abstract = {

The bourgeoning field of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) for the surveillance of several respiratory viruses which includes Influenza A, H1N1pdm09, H3N2, respiratory syncytial viruses (RSV), and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is of interest for public health concerns. However, there are few long-term monitoring studies globally. In this study, respiratory viruses were detected and quantified from 11 sewer sheds by utilizing reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis in Pune city, India, from Jan 2022 to Dec 2023. The RNA fragments of respiratory viruses were detected in sewage samples before clinical cases were reported, underscoring the potential of WBE for early detection and monitoring within the population. The Spearman correlation of wastewater viral copies was positively and significantly correlated with the clinically positive case of H1N1pdm09 (ρ = 0.55, p = 1.4 {\texttimes} 10), H3N2 (ρ = 0.25, p = 9.9 {\texttimes} 10), and SARS-CoV-2 (ρ = 0.43, p = 4.1 {\texttimes} 10). The impact of public health interventions on the circulation of infectious respiratory diseases showed a significant difference in the viral load during the period when many preventing measures were carried out against the COVID-19 pandemic (restriction phase), compared to the period when no such preventive measures are followed (no-restriction phase) for Influenza A, H1N1pdm09, H3N2, and RSV with p-value \< 0.05, which indicates the influence of health policy implementation in controlling disease spread. The present study provides an effective approach to detecting multiple respiratory viruses from wastewater and provides insights into the epidemiology of respiratory illnesses. The WBE aids in providing information on the spread of pathogens (viruses) in the community, offering a proactive strategy for public health management, allowing for timely interventions and implementing targeted measures to mitigate the spread of these viruses under one health approach.

}, keywords = {Cities, COVID-19, Humans, India, Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype, Influenza A Virus, H3N2 Subtype, Influenza, Human, Longitudinal Studies, Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections, Respiratory Syncytial Viruses, SARS-CoV-2, Sewage, Wastewater, Wastewater-Based Epidemiological Monitoring}, issn = {1867-0342}, doi = {10.1007/s12560-024-09618-y}, author = {Pramanik, Rinka and Nannaware, Kiran and Malik, Vinita and Shah, Priyanki and Sangewar, Poornima and Gogate, Niharika and Shashidhara, L S and Boargaonkar, Radhika and Patil, Dhawal and Kale, Saurabh and Bhalerao, Asim and Jain, Nidhi and Kamble, Sanjay and Dastager, Syed and Dharne, Mahesh} } @article {149410, title = {Wastewater surveillance in post-omicron silent phase uncovers silent waves and cryptic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 variants; a yearlong study in Western India.}, journal = {Sci Total Environ}, volume = {955}, year = {2024}, month = {2024 Oct 11}, pages = {176833}, abstract = {

Due to reduced clinical testing and evolving monitoring challenges, tracking the emergence and evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants has become increasingly complex. To address this gap, we investigated the utility of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) as a complementary tool for SARS-CoV-2 variant surveillance in sewage treatment plants (STPs) across Pune, India. We analyzed 1128 wastewater samples collected between May 2022 and May 2023, using Illumina and nanopore sequencing techniques for robust detection and variant characterization. The study revealed critical findings, including "silent waves" with elevated viral load despite minimal clinical cases, suggesting potential cryptic transmission. These silent waves aligned with the dominance of Omicron BA.2 in June-July 2022 and emergence of the recombinant XBB clade in December 2022. Importantly, sequencing detected XBB lineages 130-253\ days before their initial clinical identification, demonstrating its significant advantage in early variant detection. Furthermore, wastewater analysis revealed a higher degree of lineage diversity compared to clinical data, indicating its ability to capture a broader spectrum of circulating variants. The BA.2.86.X was identified 103\ days prior to its clinical detection in Pune, highlighting WBE{\textquoteright}s remarkable lead time. Surprisingly, BF.7.X and BQ.X fragments were also detected in wastewater but not yet reported clinically. These findings demonstrate the remarkable value of WBE as an early warning tool for SARS-CoV-2 variants ahead of time. By revealing silent waves, enabling early variant detection, and capturing a broader viral spectrum, WBE effort could empower public health officials to make informed decisions and implement effective strategies to mitigate future waves, especially in contexts with declining clinical testing.

}, issn = {1879-1026}, doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176833}, author = {Rajput, Vinay and Pramanik, Rinka and Nannaware, Kiran and Malik, Vinita and Matra, Sejal and Kumar, Shubham and Joshi, Sai and Kadam, Pradnya and Bhalerao, Unnati and Tupekar, Manisha and Deshpande, Dipti and Shah, Priyanki and Sangewar, Poornima and Gogate, Niharika and Boargaonkar, Radhika and Patil, Dhawal and Kale, Saurabh and Bhalerao, Asim and Jain, Nidhi and Shashidhara, L S and Kamble, Sanjay and Dastager, Syed and Karmodiya, Krishanpal and Dharne, Mahesh} } @article {130547, title = {Not teaching evolution is an injustice.}, journal = {Science}, volume = {380}, year = {2023}, month = {2023 Jun 30}, pages = {1303}, abstract = {

Since April, India has been roiled by controversy around the excision of several topics, including evolution and the periodic table, from school textbooks (up to grade 10) by the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT). This was projected as an exercise in "rationalization" of content aimed at reducing the study load on students. The move was opposed by large numbers of academics and worried citizens. As the exclusion of specific topics in history and contemporary politics appeared to be in line with the ideology of the ruling party, many critics assumed that the removal of science topics was also ideologically motivated. In turn, this spurred supporters of NCERT and the government to dismiss all criticism as being entirely political, rather than academic. Both sides in this debate have traded exaggerated accusations of mala fide intent, leading to crucial broader issues being obscured.

}, keywords = {Educational Status, Exercise, Government, Humans, Schools, Students}, issn = {1095-9203}, doi = {10.1126/science.adj3557}, author = {Shashidhara, L S and Joshi, Amitabh} }