Scientist Profile

Nutritional Neuroscience, Neuroinflammation, Innate Immunity

• MK Bhan Young Researcher Fellow (2021 – 2024): National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI), Mohali, India
• Postdoctoral training (2019–2021): University of Kentucky, College of Pharmacy, USA
• Short Course on Genetics of Addiction (2019): The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine, USA
• Course of Japan-Asia Youth Exchange Program in Science (SAKURA Exchange Program, 2018), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan administered by Japan Science and Technology Agency:
  •  Health and Disease Innovation; Nutrition, Natural Drugs & New Trends

• Identified key neuroinflammatory drivers of sugar cravings which can be used as potential therapeutic targets for the management of palatable food addiction and sugar-bingeing-related mood disorders.
• Evidence-based promotion to use sulphur-based pro-drugs, nutraceuticals and diets as potential therapeutics for the management of metabolism (hyperhomocysteinemia, an amino acid metabolic disease) and neuroinflammation-associated brain disorders such as depression, anxiety, cognitive deficits and mood disorders.
• The evidence-based recommendation is that proper care must be taken to supplement both the vitamins (folate and vitamin B12) from preconception until the end of pregnancy in women, not only to prevent neural tube defects (NTDs) but also to improve postnatal brain functions.
• Showed myricetin (a flavonoid found in tea, berries, fruits, wine, and herbs) as an effective therapeutic candidate to treat Huntington’s Disease (HD) and other polyQ-related brain disorders.
• Discovered microglia (neuroimmune cells) as potential therapeutic targets to develop complete, effective, reliable and precise nicotine cessation therapies.
• Discovered methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T allele as a genetic risk factor for developing neurovascular diseases such as subarachnoid haemorrhage in the North Indian population.

Nutritional Neuroscience, Neuroinflammation, Immunometabolism, Therapeutic Diet, Precision Therapeutics 

Ongoing projects:

1. Immunometabolic Reprogramming for Better Immunity, Mental and Overall Health: Cellular metabolism maintains the activation of intracellular and intercellular signal transduction and plays a crucial role in the immune response. Under environmental stimulation, immune cells change from resting to activating, triggering metabolic reprogramming. The immune system cells exhibit different metabolic characteristics when performing functions. The study of immune metabolism provides new insights into the function of immune cells, including how they differentiate, migrate and exert immune responses. Studies of immune cell metabolism are beginning to shed light on the metabolic mechanism of disease progression and reveal new ways to target inflammatory diseases such as autoimmune diseases, chronic viral infections, neurological diseases and cancer. Some metabolic therapies are already in clinical practice for weight loss, managing metabolic disorders, pediatric epilepsy, heart disease, glioblastoma, and other cancers.
This project's long-term objective is to offer a broad framework for comprehending how metabolism drives and controls the development of immune responses. Improved knowledge of the metabolic checkpoints governing these transitions may lead to novel understandings of how to modulate immunity in conditions such as infection, cancer, neurological illnesses, and inflammatory disorders. In addition, we are working on creating new therapeutic diet plans that combine dietary interventions like nutritional ketosis and dietary restriction (restrictions on calories, macro- and micronutrients) to boost immunity and treat a range of inflammatory conditions, including neurological illnesses. 
 

2. Immunometabolic correlates of compulsive and binge eating disorders: Palatable and rewarding food consumption has skyrocketed in recent years and has now become the norm, particularly among young adults who are increasingly reliant on ultra-processed foods. Prolonged consumption of energy-dense processed foods has been linked to serious health complications such as Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, obesity, and neurological disorders. Reward neurocircuitry plays an important role in the never-ending cycle of hedonic overeating. This food releases feel-good hormones such as dopamine, which causes mood swings, strong cravings for rewarding food, loss of appetite control, and, eventually, food addiction. Withdrawal from these foods causes affective withdrawal symptoms such as severe cravings, anxiety, restlessness, and a negative mood, which leads to relapse on the palatable food itself or on other addictive drugs such as nicotine, alcohol, cannabis, and so on if these drugs were previously used. Repeated cycles of withdrawal and relapse result in maladaptive neuroadaptations, which lead to binge eating disorder.
We recently discovered an association between neuroimmune mechanisms and reward processes in a pre-clinical model of sugar dependence. The overall goal of this project is to identify the underlying molecular drivers, particularly neuroimmune mechanisms, of compulsive eating, hedonic overeating, and caloric-rich palatable food-driven neurological and lifestyle disorders to develop effective precision metabolism-based therapies for managing poor diet-associated metabolic and neurological disorders and assisting people in adopting a healthier lifestyle.

1. Kumar M, Bhatt B, Mahajan N, Gusain C, Bishnoi M (2024). Sex-specific effects of ketogenic diet on anxiety-like behaviour and neuroimmune response in C57Bl/6J Mice. The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. 127:109591, PMID: 38311044 (Corresponding author).

2. Kumar M, Gusain C, Bhatt B, Lal R, Bishnoi M (2024). Sex-specific effects of Sucrose Withdrawal on Anxiety-like Behaviour and Neuroimmune Response. Neuropharmacology. 15:249:109868, PMID: 38403263 (Corresponding author)

3. Kumar M, Keady J, Aryal S, Alpers MH, Richards CI, Turner JR (2023). The Role of Microglia in Sex- and Region-Specific Blood-Brain Barrier Integrity During Nicotine Withdrawal. Biological Psychiatry: Global Open Science. 4(1):182-193, PMID: 38298802.

4. Kumar M, Williams K, Lyle J, Vassoler FM, Turner JR (2021). Sexually Dimorphic Neuroimmune Response to Chronic Opioid Treatment and Withdrawal. Neuropharmacology. 186:10846, PMID: 33485944

5. Kumar M, Arora A, Sandhir R (2020). Hydrogen sulfide attenuates LPS-induced behavioral deficits by suppressing microglia activation and promoting M2 polarization. Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology. 16(2):483-499, PMID: 32676889.

View All Publication

• Awarded MK Bhan Young Researcher Fellowship (2021). This is a prestigious fellowship program under the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Govt. of India instituted in the name of former DBT secretary and Padma Bhushan awardee Dr. Maharaj Kishan Bhan. This program aims to offer independent research grants to bright researchers and help them to emerge as future leaders in science.
• First runner-up for PhRMA Foundation post-doctoral research fellowship (drug discovery) at the University of Kentucky, College of Pharmacy (UKCOP), USA: 2020.
• Awarded travel grant from the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) to attend IBRO/APRC Associate School of Neuroscience Advances in Molecular Neurobiology Research, Department of Zoology, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Amarkantak (MP): 2019.
• Awarded travel grant by the Japan Science & Technology Agency to attend 5th AIST International Imaging Workshop & DBT-AIST International Laboratory for Advanced Biomedicine (DAILAB) PIKNIKH series XXI “Health and Disease Innovation” Nutrition, Natural Drugs & New Trends, AIST Tsukuba, Japan: 2018.
• Successfully achieved the course of Japan-Asia Youth Exchange program in Science (SAKURA Exchange Program in Science) administered by Japan Science and Technology Agency at National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan: 2018.
• Awarded best poster award in the symposium on “Novel Innovations in Biochemistry” at the Department of Biochemistry, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India: 2013.
• Awarded Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) from University Grants Commission (UGC), Govt. of India: 2013.
• Awarded National Eligibility Test (NET-UGC): 2012