CDB Welcomes Vipul Shukla, PhD

Vipul was born and raised in a modest family residing in New Delhi, India. After obtaining his undergraduate education studying Zoology at Hindu College, Delhi University he completed his master’s in Toxicology at Jamia Hamdard University in Delhi. He then moved to the states to join, late Dr. Runqing Lu’s lab at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in Omaha, Nebraska (2011) to begin his formal research training focusing on molecular mechanisms controlling B lymphocyte development and their perturbations in associated malignancies. Continuing on with his interests in Immunology and Cancer Biology, Vipul joined (in 2016) the La Jolla Institute for Immunology in La Jolla, California for his post-doctoral training under the mentorship of Dr. Anjana Rao where he studied roles of cytosine modifications and alternative DNA structures in the genome. Vipul has received several awards including the outstanding graduate student award from Department of Genetics and Cell Biology at UNMC, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society fellow award, Tullie and Rickey family SPARK award and the K99/R00 “pathway to independence award” from National Cancer Institute.

A core principle of Vipul’s scientific philosophy is to mentor and train the next generation of scientists. He has had several rewarding experiences mentoring high school, undergraduate and graduate students throughout his career. Vipul has also actively participated in outreach programs aimed to engage the non-scientific community to support and promote biomedical research endeavors. He looks forward to continue learning from future mentoring opportunities to do his part in taking the biomedical research forward with equity and justness.

When not thinking about science, Vipul loves to watch (and play) sports (all kinds), dance along with his kids (when no one is watching, that is very important), and learn about astronomy, history, politics and cultures.

Visit the Shukla Lab Website

Research Focus

Shukla lab will be applying state-of-the-art genetics, genomics, molecular biology and cell biology techniques to understand the roles of cytosine modifications and alternative structural conformations in DNA during normal cellular differentiation and malignant transformation.

Decades of research have established how specific DNA sequences control genomic states associated with transcription, chromatin modifications and topological compartmentalization. However, besides helical, linear sequences, the DNA in the genome commonly adopts unusual, non-helical structural conformations. These alternative structural conformations, also referred to as secondary DNA structures, frequently form at guanine(G)-rich sequences and have been proposed to be functionally important in genome biology. One of the long-term goals of Shukla lab will be to understand the significance of non-B form DNA secondary structures in normal cellular physiology and associated pathologies.

The roles of specific DNA sequences in genome biology are well-characterized, but how DNA structures influence functional genomic states is poorly understood. Shukla lab is currently focusing on understanding the roles of two major non-B DNA secondary structures in the genome, G-quadruplexes and the associated DNA:RNA hybrids (R-loops). G-quadruplexes and R-loops occupy evolutionarily conserved sites and, are implicated in modulation of gene expression, alterations in chromatin states and maintenance of genomic stability. They have been linked to pathological conditions, including neurodegenerative diseases and cancers. While our knowledge regarding the biology of G-quadruplexes and R-loops is still in its infancy, Vipul’s current research strongly suggests their central role in regulation of transcription, chromatin accessibility, genomic compartmentalization and many other critical facets of genome biology. As first-steps towards understanding the functions of these structures, Shukla lab will study the abundance of G-quadruplexes and R-loops in normal and cancer genomes, epigenetic mechanisms regulating their localization and dynamics, and cellular pathways controlled by these structures.

Shukla lab also holds strong interest in understanding basic molecular mechanisms regulating immune responses. Vipul’s current work is focused on how metabolic pathways influence functional genomic states during immune cell differentiation. Altogether, the research program in Shukla lab will impinge on many exciting but largely unexplored areas of biology that have the potential to establish new paradigms.