Research Team
Nirmala Parajuli, DVM, Ph.D. (Principal Investigator)
My long-term goal is to develop therapeutic strategies to prolong the viability of donor kidneys used for transplantation. To accomplish this, I am focusing on identifying the cold-ischemic pathways that are responsible for inducing renal damage following transplantation using a rat model established by our laboratory. I have chosen to focus on how the complement system, molecular chaperone, and proteasome pathway converge to exacerbate renal damage in renal transplants. Currently, I have two active projects:
- Targeting heat shock protein 72 to improve renal function after transplantation (NIH supported)
- Targeting renal immunoproteasome during cold storage to improve transplant-associated cardiovascular health (AHA supported)
Li Jiang, B.S. (Research Technician)
Li Jiang has worked in this lab since December 2020. Her responsibilities include performing quantitative and qualitative analyses for renal transplant samples, maintaining tissue culture, and conducting in vitro experiments.
Past Graduate
Sorena Lo, B.S.
Sorena Lo was recruited as a research technician in Parajuli’s lab in 2016 and later promoted to Research Technologist. During her working period (2016-2020) with Dr. Parajuli, Ms. Lo demonstrated highest level of productivity in this lab. Currently, she is pursuing her MBA studies at University of Arkansas for Little Rock. We wish her all the best for her future endeavors!