Rodoshie Ghosh, mentored by Dr Inderjeet Kaur and Dr Aatish Mahajan, has been selected for the Lady Tata Memorial Trust (LTMT) Junior Research Fellow (JRF) 2025-2026 Fellowship Award (2025-2026). Ms Rodoshie received this accolade for her work titled 'Retinopathy of prematurity risk prediction based on metabolic and DNA methylation profiles at maternal-fetal interface in small for gestational age infants with preterm delivery.'
Research focus: This study intends to investigate how changes in metabolism during pregnancy influence DNA methylation in the placenta and cord blood of small for gestational age (SGA) preterm infants, evaluate how these metabolic alterations affect eye development, and confirm these results using an in-vitro cell culture model. The objective is to discover non-invasive biomarkers for the early detection of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), enabling timely intervention to prevent blindness.
Why this study matters: This study matters because it helps identify babies at risk of ROP early by integrating antenatal and perinatal biomarkers with neonatal eye imaging allowing targeted intervention and prevention of childhood blindness.
Quote from the mentor(s): 'Metabolic and epigenetic imprints at the maternal–fetal interface may hold the key for predicting an infant’s risk of retinopathy of prematurity. The research carried out by Rodoshie is poised to open new avenues for early risk stratification and precision neonatal care.'
