Research Projects

Demyelination, a key feature of demyelination disorder caused by neurotropic viruses, is a growing concern in India. The Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a major cause of this inflammatory disease, with an increasing incidence in the Northern regions. Current models have technical limitations and are not suitable for high-throughput drug screening studies. To address this, a novel tool is needed to understand the mechanisms of demyelination disorder and screen novel drugs for treatment. The organotypic brain culture is a suitable model for understanding CNs infections, but a promising model for JEV infection is yet to be established. The proposed model will be an organotypic cerebellar culture model, which will assess demyelination, investigate the extent of alteration in the ceramide biosynthetic pathway, and evaluate the therapeutic effectiveness of teriflunomide, dimethyl furoate, and fingolimod based on enzyme activity and demyelination. If successful, this model could be used to screen anti-demyelinating drugs for JEV-challenged cases.