Postdoc Profile: Berwin Singh Swami Vetha
Berwin Singh Swami VethaMentor
Dr. Azeez Aileru
Education
Biomedical Science, M.Sc. Bharathidasan University – India, 2012
Biomedical Technology, M.Phil. Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology – India, 2013
Engineering (Specialized in nano-drug delivery), Ph.D. Jeonbuk National University – South Korea, 2018
Research Summary
The focus of my research is a multi-disciplinary approach to neural control of hypertension (HTN) and the emphasis is on the role of angiotensin II (AngII) during HTN and how it produces profound changes in the physiology of synaptic transmission in HTN. We study the functional role of angiotensin receptors and the expression of reactive oxygen species (ROS) marker, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase 4 (NOX4) proteins in AngII–induced postganglionic transmission. In my work, I explore the molecular mechanism in sympathetic nerves, heart, and kidney in the long-term control of blood pressure, redox balance, and how a specific small molecule or peptide interacts with the cardiovascular system. I investigate these pathological changes using voltage clamp techniques, Western blotting, qRT-PCR, and confocal imaging. Recent work demonstrated the importance of the protective arm of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and MAS receptor in the sympathetic ganglia may contribute to the differential sensitivity to AngII and ganglionic long-term potentiation (gLTP). The ultimate goal of my work is to unravel the systemic RAS and redox molecular mechanisms in HTN and gain insight into the pathology of sustained blood pressure.