Name & Mentor
Tejaswini Pingali, PhD student, working under the supervision of Dr Vivek Singh and Dr Sayan Basu
Research Focus
Tejaswini’s PhD work focuses on understanding and comparing the immune profile of three ocular surface inflammatory disorders (OSIDs): Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, Ocular Cicatricial Pemphigoid, and ocular Graft Versus Host Disease. These conditions are rare but carry high risk for chronic ocular damage and vision impairment world-wide, however have limited targeted therapies.
Why the study matters
Immune cells and secretory factors are essential for maintaining ocular surface homeostasis, which become deregulated in these OSIDs. Current treatment regimens are broad-spectrum and non-specific, often destroying various ocular surface cells due to a limited understanding of the specific immune factors- both cellular and molecular, driving the pathological changes in each condition. This study aims to provide a detailed characterisation of the immunological alterations at the ocular surface in these OSIDs using a non-invasive sample collection technique, ‘Ocular Surface Wash’. This approach minimises patient discomfort during sample collection while enabling understanding of the ocular immune profile.
Quote from the Mentor
'By identifying disorder-specific immune signatures, Tejaswini’s PhD work will advance the development of targeted therapies for chronic ocular inflammation. I appreciate CSIR and the Government of India for reinstating the SRF-Direct program, supporting talented researchers like her beyond the constraints of standardized exams like UGC-NET.'
Fellowship Details
This is a Senior Research Fellowship (SRF-Direct) funded by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India. This fellowship supports Tejaswini’s on-going PhD project for three years.
