About Us
Research in Neuroendocrinology Department mainly centres around exploring the intricacies of male fertility and paternal contributions to pregnancy related disorders. Our interest also lies in understanding placental development and functions.
Our lab delineated the role of estrogen signalling through both its receptor (α and β) in spermatogenesis; and neuroendocrine regulation through hormones prolactin and dopamine. We also focused on investigating the paternal environmental estrogen exposure and lifestyle disorders (hypertension & obesity) in relation to fertility, pregnancy and fetal outcomes. Our studies with tamoxifen and cypermethrin in rodents have demonstrated their deleterious effects on fertility, embryo development and placentation. The cumulative knowledge highlighted the importance of paternal aberrant imprinting in causing post implantation embryo loss and abnormal placentation. This paved our interest to explore the epigenome in pregnancy related disorders like idiopathic Recurrent Pregnancy Loss (iRPL) and Pre-eclampsia (PE).
Moving ahead in this direction, our lab demonstrated the diagnostic potential of sperm DNA methylation globally (5mC) and on imprinted genes (IGF2-H19, MEST, ZAC, KvDMR, PEG3, PEG10) in iRPL cases. Few other novel gene loci (KCNQ1, PPARG, SETD2, MAP3K4) having aberrant DNA methylation changes specifically associated with iRPL cases are also identified.
Other projects on epigenetic alterations in chorionic villi of RPL and serum exosomes in PE, maternal micronutrient deficiency, role of endocannabinoid system in placental development and varicocele associated male infertility are ongoing.
Our research efforts are directed towards gaining deeper insights into factors associated with fertility/pregnancy outcomes and identifying novel diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers or therapeutic targets in different pregnancy related disorders.
People
| Name | Designation |
| Dr. Dipty Singh | Scientist E and Head |
| Dr. Kumari Nishi | Scientist C |
| Mrs. Vaishali Nakhwa | Sr. Technical Officer – 2 |
| Mrs. Shobha Sonawane | Sr. Technical Officer – 1 |
| Mrs. Reshma Goankar | Technical Officer |
| Mr. Suryakant Mandavkar | Technician ‘C’ |
| Mr. Deepak Shelar | Technician ‘C’ |
| Mr. Mahadev Pawar | Technician ‘C’ |
| Ms. Sweta Mohan | PhD Scholar |
| Ms. Mamta Datar | PhD Scholar |
| Ms. Sanketa Raut | PhD Scholar |
| Ms. Delna Irani | PhD Scholar |
| Ms. Deepshikha Arya | PhD Scholar |
| Ms. Anushruti Singh | PhD Scholar |
Projects
Projects (Ongoing):
| Title | Funding Agency |
| Molecular mechanisms involved in prolactin and dopamine signaling in male reproduction. | SERB |
| Omics of placental exosomes in early onset preeclampsia: a approach towards identifying predictive biomarkers. | DBT |
| Therapeutic potential of Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) for improving sperm quality, fertility and pregnancy outcomes in a murine model of endocrine disruption | ICMR (Extramural grant) |
| Validation of sperm DNA Epimutations as Diagnostic Biomarker for Idiopathic Recurrent Pregnancy Loss | DHR |
| Investigating the role of endocannabinoid system in first trimester chorionic villi of women experiencing recurrent spontaneous abortions | SERB |
| Idiopathic Recurrent Pregnancy Loss: Possible Association with Paternal Exposure to Endocrine Disruptors and Epigenetic Modifications in Sperm | ICMR-NIRRCH core grant |
| Unravelling the Sperm Epigenetic Landscape in Infertile Men with Clinical Varicocele | ICMR-NIRRCH core grant |
| Transgenerational effects of paternal hypertension on fertility and pregnancy outcome: An epigenetic approach | ICMR-NIRRCH core grant |
| Understanding the Role of Cannabinoid Receptors in Placental Calcium Transport | ICMR –NIRRCH core grant |
Projects (Completed- last 5 years):
| Title | Funding Agency | From | To |
| Cellular and Molecular Effects of Cypermethrin on Reproductive Functions of Male and Female Rats | SERB- DST | 2017 | 2020 |
| Genome-wide mapping of androgen and estrogen receptor binding sites in adult rat seminiferous epithelium. | Department of Biotechnology | 2017 | 2020 |
| Aberrant paternal imprinting as a risk factor for preeclampsia: A pilot study. | Lady Tata Memorial Trust | 2017 | 2019 |
| Genetic and epigenetic changes in male partners of women experiencing recurrent spontaneous abortions. | DST | 2015 | 2018 |
Contact Us
Telephone: +(91-22)2419202140
Email Id: nec[at]nirrch[dot]res[dot]in
| Name | Designation | Email Id | Phone no |
| Dr. Dipty Singh | Scientist D and Head | singhd@nirrch.res.in | +(91-22)24192025 |
| Dr. Kumari Nishi | Scientist C | kumarin@nirrh.res.in | +(91-22)24192024 |