Principal Investigator
​Smita S Patel, Ph.D.

Dr. Patel received her Ph.D. in 1988 in Chemistry at the Tufts University with David Walt and postdoctoral training in enzymology and transient state kinetics in the lab of Kenneth Johnson. She joined the Rutgers University in 1999 after serving as a faculty of Ohio State University. She is currently a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
​Dr. Patel's research is focused understanding the mechanisms of RIG-I like innate immune receptors involved in viral recognition and DNA and RNA polymerases involved in mitochondrial replication and transcription. The lab utilizes a combination of cell biology, biochemistry, biophysical, and structural approaches to understand the mechanistic basis of viral RNA recognition and transcription/replication of mitochondrial DNA.

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• Distinguished Professor
• [email protected]
• 732-235-3372

Google Scholar

Lab Members

Pranita Hanpude Ph.D.

• Research Scientist
• Ph.D. Biotechnology, Regional Centre for Biotechnology, India
• M.Sc. , Microbiology Devi Ahilya Vishwavidhyalay, India
• [email protected]​

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Anupam Singh Ph.D.

• Research Scientist
• Ph.D. National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India
• M.Sc. , Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
• [email protected]

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​Jiayu Shen

• Ph.D. Student
• B. S. China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
• ​M.S. Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

[email protected]

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Yogeeshwar Ajjugal PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Ph.D. Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad
M.Sc. Pondicherry University
​[email protected]

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• Laura Johnson Ph.D. 2023
• Postdoctoral Fellow
• Ph.D. Rutgers University
• B. S. University of North Carolina
• [email protected]

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Mihai Solotchi

• Ph.D. Student
• B. S. Rutgers University
• [email protected]

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Kuan-Ying Lee – Neil

• Ph.D. Student
• B.S. National Chung-Hsing University (NCHU) Taichung, Taiwan
• M.S. National Taiwan University (NTU) Taipei, Taiwan

[email protected]

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Candice Craig

• Ph.D. Student
• B. S. and M.S. University of Maryland
• [email protected]

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Gayatri Patel M.S.

• Research Scientist
• M.S. University of Kentucky
• [email protected]
• Quantum Si
• Publications​

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Patel Lab Aumni

Brandon D. Schweibenz
Ph.D. 2022

• B. S. Temple University
• Postdoctoral Fellow at NIAID

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Urmimala Basu
Ph.D. 2019

• B. Sc. University of Calcutta
• M.Sc. University of Calcutta
• ​[email protected]
• Pubmed
• Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University

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Aparna Ramachandran Ph.D.

• Post-doc Rutgers - RWJ Medical School
  
• Ph.D., Biochemistry, Northwestern University
• M.Sc. Biochemistry, Delhi University
• [email protected]
• Pubmed
• Currently: Research Investigator, Amicus Therapeutics, Cranbury, NJ

 

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Swapnil Devarkar
Ph.D. 2017

• B.Tech. Dr. D Y Patil Vidhyapeeth (DPU)
• [email protected]
• Pubmed
• Postdoctoral Fellow at Yale University

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Anand Ramanathan
​Ph.D. 2013

• M.Sc., Bangalore University, India
• [email protected]
• Publications
• Sr. Scientist, Syros Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge MA

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Shemaila Sultana, Ph.D.

• Post-doc Rutgers - RWJ Medical School
  
• Ph.D., Biochemistry CUNY Hunter College NYC
• [email protected]
• Pubmed
• Currently: Licensing Manager, Rutgers University

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Manjula Pandey Ph.D.

• Research Scientist RWJ Medical School
• Ph.D. IIT Delhi India
• [email protected]
• Publications
• Currently: Principal Scientist, Quantum-Si Guilford CT

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Divya Nandakumar
Ph.D. 2015

• B.Tech., Anna University India
• Postdoctoral Fellow at U. C. Berkeley
• Scientist at Immatics, Germany
• [email protected]


• Publications

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Aishwarya Deshpande
Ph.D. 2014

• M.Tech., University of Pune, India
• Postdoctoral Fellow at U.C.Berkeley
• Scientist, Novozymes, Bengaluru, India
• [email protected]
• Publications​

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Doyel Sen
Ph.D. 2011
M. Sc. Calcutta University India
Senior Scientist- Analytical instrumentation Product Development I Diagnostic Platform R&D I Drug Discovery I Assay Development
[email protected]

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Swaroopa Paratkar
Ph.D. 2010

• B. Tech. University of Mumbai UICT
• [email protected]
• Publications
• Johnson & Johnson, Merck,
  
• Bristol Myers Squibb Group Head, Cell therapy CMC Regulatory/ Technical Writing

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Vaishnavi Rajagopal
Ph.D. 2009

• M. Sc. IIT Bombay, India.
• [email protected]
• Publications
• Lab head, Complement Research, Immunology and Inflammation TA, Sanofi
  

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Ilker Donmez
Ph.D. 2008
B. Sc. Turkey
​​Publications

Vasanti Anand
Ph.D. 2007
B. S. Rutgers University
[email protected]
Publications
Associate Director, Global Regulatory Sciences

Mikhail Levin
Ph.D. 2002
The Ohio State University Biochemistry Ph.D. Student
M.S. Moscow Institute of Fine Chemical Technology Russia
[email protected]

• gfit (program for global regression analysis of data)

Madhura Gurjar Ph.D.
Post-doc Rutgers - RWJ Medical School
​Ph.D. NCL India
​Director Global Medical Affairs, Oncology at Daiichi Sankyo, Inc.

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Guo-Qing Tang Ph.D.
Post-doc., RWJ Medical School, NJ
Ph.D. Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto Japan
[email protected]
Publications
Associate Director, Ra Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge MA
Mechanistic Biology Lead UCB

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Yong-Joo Jeong Ph.D.
Post-doc Rutgers - RWJ Medical School
Ph.D. Korea
[email protected]
Professor Kookmin University, Seoul Korea

Dong-Eun Kim
Ph.D. 2001
The Ohio State University Biochemistry Ph.D. Student
B. Sc.
[email protected]
Professor Konkuk University, Seoul Korea

Rajiv Bandwar Ph.D.

• Research Scientist Rutgers- RWJ Medical School
• Ph.D. IIT Bombay India
• Signum Biosciences, YourEncore, Allied Innovative Systems LLC,
  
• ​[email protected]

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Peter Ahnert
Ph.D. 2000
The Ohio State University Biochemistry Ph.D. Student
B. S. University of Leipzig Germany
[email protected]
 Lab Head of Molecular Diagnostics - Microarray techniques at the Universitat Leipzig Germany

Kristen Picha
Ph.D. 2000

• The Ohio State University Biochemistry Ph.D. Student
• B. S. Miami University OH
• Senior Director, Janssen BioTherapeutic Scientific and Strategic Portfolio Planning
  

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Michael Todd Washington
Ph.D. 1998
The Ohio State University Biochemistry  Ph.D. Student
B. S. The Ohio University
[email protected]
Professor University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine

Yiping Jia
Ph.D. 1998
The Ohio State University BiochemistryPh.D. Student
B. Sc.
[email protected]
Research Chemist Food and Drug Administration MD

Manju Hingorani
​Ph.D. 1996
The Ohio State University Biochemistry Ph.D. Student
B. S. University of Bombay India
mhingorani​@wesleyan.edu
Professor Wesleyan University and NSF Program Director