Ajay Bhargava
Aspiring biomedical scientist
- e: ajay.bhargava@me.com
- w: http://about.me/ajay.bhargava
- p: (416) 500-2502
Ambitions
My career goals are to pursue the role of autophagy in bone tissue. Recent studies have demonstrated the potential roles that autophagy may play in the bone system, and in particular, in bone disease. Autophagy's role has only recently been investigated in diseases such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. The study of autophagy in the immune system will allow me to understand how autophagy may contribute to diseases in bone cells. Ultimately, training in this area will allow me to contribute an unprecedented level of expertise in the nascent field of autophagy research focused in the bone system, ideally as an independent investigator.
Education
September 2009 - February 2012
(MSc.) Dentistry
University of Toronto
Thesis: Addressing structural and functional alterations in V-ATPase due to disease causing mutations
The focus of my graduate thesis was to elucidate the effects of disease causing mutations in V-ATPase, a proton pumping enzyme responsible for bone resorption. Knowledge of the effects of these mutations lead to new discoveries into the topological features and structural characteristics of V-ATPase, a membrane protein for which limited structural characteristics are known.
Work from this thesis resulted in a first authorship and co-authorship publication, listed in Publications.
Expertise gained in:
- Structural biology
- Post-translational protein modification
- Bone developmental biology
- Cellular homeostasis mechanisms
September 2005 - April 2009
(HBSc.) Integrative Biology
University of Toronto
Thesis: Role of PI3K signalling pathway in immune cell response to developmental and bacterial effectors
The focus of my undergraduate thesis project was to discover the role the PI3K downstream effectors played in macrophage immune response to effectors. These downstream effectors AKT, and BTK, were found to be critical in conveying the cellular response to variety of stimuli, such as bacterial invasion, and developmental ligand response.
Work during this thesis resulted in technical skills development useful for future studies, and are listed in Technical Skills.
Expertise gained in:
- Cellular signalling
- Host pathogen interaction
- Cell biology
Work Experience
Contracted Project, December 2011
Content developer
Canadian Arthritis Network (CAN)
- Oversaw and implemented online media node for CAN.
- Liaised with communication director to bring project from start to completion in tight timeframe.
- Performed data mining and information acquisition to complete project
- Negotiated legal rights for proprietary content transfer
May 2009 - September 2009
Undergraduate research assistant
CIHR-IMHA award funded research assistant
- Implemented directives of multi-disciplinary, multi-investigator, Canada wide new emerging discovery team initiative.
- Analyzed hundreds of patient samples for early biochemical markers in Osteoarthritis.
- Work performed resulted in co-authored manuscript (in prep), detailed in Publications
Sept 2008 - Apr 2010
Teaching assistant
University of Toronto
- Responsible for student evaluations
- Responsible for running seminar series for dental students, education on oral microflora bacteria and pathogenic potential of these oral bacteria.
- Conducted mock differential clinical scenario presentation depicting advanced stage acute ICP increase due to internal sub-dural abscess.
- Demonstrated proper culture of oral bacteria isolated from students' mouths, grown on blood agar substrates.
- Responsible for Blackboard Site management for enrolled students
- Responsible for undergraduate chemistry course instruction
Awards
$20,000
Canadian Arthritis Network Scholarship
- The Canadian Arthritis Network Masters Scholarship was awarded to foster academic research conducted during my graduate work to lead to translational industry value in producing clinically viable therapeutics for osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. Achievements derived from funding directly aided completion of my masters thesis project, detailed in Education.
$4,950
CIHR-IMHA Summer Studentship
- Funding was awarded during my undergraduate research career in order to pursue research in areas of strategic interest to Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (IMHA). Funding provided salary support for my Undergraduate Research Assistant position.
$6,000 // Declined
CIHR-CAG-CCFC Summer Studentship
- Funding was awarded during my undergraduate research career in order to pursue research in areas of strategic interest to Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) Canadian association of gastroenterologists (CAG) and Crohn and Colitis Foundation of Canada (CCFC). Funding provided salary support for my Undergraduate Thesis Work.
Distinction
Gordon Cressy Student Leadership Award
- Overhauled student union organization and mandate
- Founded advocacy, and media outlets for student union
- Liaised with university administration for academic matters and faculty hiring
- Developed new aid centre for students needing academic counselling for Chemistry courses
- Secured sponsorship with external corporations for funding student events.
Technical Skills
Expert, 5 years
Microscopy
- Transmission Electron Microscopy
- Scanning Electron Microscopy
- Confocal Microscopy
- LIVE acquisition Microscopy
Advanced, 3 years
Biochemistry
- Membrane protein isolation
- Proteomics
- Western Blotting
Advanced, 4 years
Cell culture
- Viral Transduction
- Differentiation
- Flow Cytometry
Intermediate, 2 years
Microbiology
- Host Pathogen Interaction
- Microbial Invasion
- Oral microbe viability assays
Intermediate, 2 years
Molecular Biology
- Cloning
- Protein Purification
- Yeast Viability Assays
Publications
1. Bhargava, A., Kartner, N., Voronov, I., Wang, Y., Glogauer, M., and Manolson, M. R444L missense mutation responsible for infantile osteopetrosis alters V-ATPase a3 structure and ER processing. (Manuscript in preparation, 2011)
2. Kartner, N., Yao, Y., Bhargava, A., Manolson, M., Topology, glycosylation and conformational changes in the membrane domain of the V-ATPase a subunit. (Manuscript submitted to JBC [ID:JBC/2011/334490], 2011)
3. Durand M., Komorova S.,Bhargava A., Li K., Fiorino C., Nabavi N., Manolson M.F., Harrison R.E., Dixon S.J., Sims S.M., Mizianty M.J., Kurgan L., Boire G., Lucena-Fernandes M.F., deBrum-Fernandes A.J., Monocytes from patients with osteoarthritis display increased osteoclastogenesis and subsequent bone resorption: the in vitro osteoclast differentiation in arthritis (IODA) study
(Manuscript submitted to Arthritis and Rheumatism [ID: ar-11-1887], 2011)
Abstracts
1. Bhargava, A., Kartner, N., Voronov, I., Wang, Y., Glogauer, M., and Manolson, M. R444L missense mutation responsible for infantile osteopetrosis alters V-ATPase a3 structure and ER processing.
Canadian Arthritis Network Conference, Quebec City, 2011
2. M.J. Mizianty, A. Bhargava, A.J. de Brum-Fernandes, S.J. Dixon, M. Durand, R.E. Harrison, S.V. Komarova, L. Kurgan, M.F. Lucena-Fernandes, M.F. Manolson, S.M. Sims, Multivariate diagnostic model for osteoarthritis highlights the importance of osteoclastogenesis and expression of interleukin 1 receptors.
Canadian Arthritis Network Conference, Quebec City, 2011
3. Bhargava, A., Glogauer, M., and Manolson, M. Elucidating the Mechanism by which the Human R444L and G405R Point Mutations in the V-ATPase 'a3' Subunit Leads to Osteopetrosis
American Society for Bone and Mineral Research,Toronto, 2010