B.S., Bangalore University, Bangalore, India
M.S., Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia
Ph.D., The University of Georgia  

Description of Research Interests

Carbohydrates are an important and often under appreciated class of biological macromolecules that play important roles in development, and in repair and regeneration post-injury. Defects in carbohydrate biosynthesis and alterations in carbohydrate composition are known to result in several undesirable outcomes such as developmental abnormalities, cartilage breakdown and reduced myocardial tissue integrity to name a few. Carbohydrates also play important roles in a number of biological processes, a few of which include: binding trophic factors and cytokines, controlling stem cell differentiation, cell fate and self-renewal, directing neuronal path-finding, and protecting and stabilizing proteins. While bio-compatible synthetic polymer and peptide based biomaterials have gained widespread acceptance for regenerative medicine applications, the potential of natural carbohydrate based biomaterials for regenerative medicine has not been fully explored. My research integrates methodologies from engineering disciplines and biology, and uses an interdisciplinary approach to help understand, manipulate and design novel carbohydrate based biomaterials for spinal cord injuries (SCI), traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and neural interfacing applications.

Selected Publications (out of 15 total)

Karumbaiah L, Saxena T, Patil K, Betancur M, Patkar R, Stanley GB, Bellamkonda RV. Relationship between intracortical electrode design and chronic recording function. Biomaterials. 2013 Nov; 34(33):8061-74.

Saxena T, Karumbaiah L*, Gaupp E, Patkar R, Patil K, Betancur M, Stanley GB, Bellamkonda RV. The Impact of Chronic Blood-Brain Barrier Breach on Intracortical Electrode Function. Biomaterials. 2013 Jul; 34(20):4703-13. * Equal Contribution

Karumbaiah L, Norman SE, Rajan NB, Anand S, Saxena T, Betancur M, Patkar, Bellamkonda RV. The upregulation of specific interleukin (IL) receptor antagonists and paradoxical enhancement of neuronal apoptosis due to electrode induced strain and brain micromotion. Biomaterials. 2012 Sep; 33(26):5983-96.

Karumbaiah L, Anand S, Thazhath R, Zhong Y, McKeon RJ, Bellamkonda RV. Targeted downregulation of the chondroitin sulphate sulfotransferase (CSST) 4,6 significantly mitigates chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CSPG) mediated inhibition. Glia. 2011 Jun; 59(6):981-96.

Karumbaiah L, Oppert B, Jurat-Fuentes JL, Adang MJ. Analysis of midgut proteinases from Bacillus thuringiensis-susceptible and resistant Heliothis virescens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol. 2007 Jan; 146(1):139-46.

Mukhatyar V, Pai B, Clements I, Srinivasan A, Huber R, Mehta A, Mukhopadaya S, Rudra S, Patel G, Karumbaiah L, Bellamkonda R. Molecular Sequelae of Topographically Guided Peripheral Nerve Repair. Ann Biomed Eng. 10.1007/s10439-013-0960-x

Munson JM, Fried L, Rowson SA, Bonner MY, Karumbaiah L, Diaz B, Courtneidge SA, Knaus U, Brat DJ, Arbiser JL, Bellamkonda RV. Anti-invasive adjuvant therapy with Imipramine Blue enhances chemotherapeutic efficacy against glioma. Sci. Transl. Med. 2012, 4, 127ra36.

Valmikinathan CM, Mukhatyar VJ, Jain A, Karumbaiah L, Dasari M, Bellamkonda RV. Photocrosslinkable Chitosan Based Hydrogels for Neural Tissue Engineering. Soft Matter, 2012, 8, 1964-1976.

Jurat-Fuentes JL, Karumbaiah L, Jakka SR, Ning C, Liu C, Wu K, Jackson J, Gould F, Blanco C, Portilla M, Perera O, Adang MJ. Reduced Levels of Membrane-Bound Alkaline Phosphatase Are Common to Lepidopteran Strains Resistant to Cry Toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis. PLoS One. 2011 Mar 1; 6(3):e17606.

Ketan GB, Christian BT, Karumbaiah L, Fettig N, Bellamkonda RV, Johnson GA, Annapragada A. Probing the Tumor Micro-Environment using a Nanoparticle Contrast Agent and Computed Tomography Imaging. Academic Radiology. 2011 Jan 18: 20-30.

Karathanasis E, Chan L, Karumbaiah L, McNeeley K, D'Orsi C, Annapragada A, Sechopoulos I, Bellamkonda RV. Tumor vascular permeability of a nanoprobe correlates to tumor-specific expression levels of angiogenic markers. PLoS One. 2009 Jun 9; 4(6):e5843.

Mukhatyar V, Karumbaiah L, Yeh J, Bellamkonda RV. Tissue engineering strategies designed to facilitate the endogenous regenerative potential of peripheral nerves. Adv Materials. 2009 Nov; 21(46); 4670-4679.