Dr. Balachandar Vellingiri

Contact Info
Dr. Balachandar Vellingiri
Dr. Balachandar Vellingiri

Associate Professor

Lab No. 407, Human Cytogenetics and Stem Cell Laboratory,

North block, Department of Zoology,

School of Basic Sciences, Central University of Punjab.

Website : Dr. Balachandar Vellingiri | Central University of Punjab (cup.edu.in)

 

 

Qualification

 

Qualification

Experience
Teaching & Research Experience
  • Associate Professor, Department of Zoology, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda – 151401, Punjab.
  • Assistant Professor, Department of Human Genetics & Molecular Biology, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore – 641046, Tamil Nadu (2015-2022)
  • DST Young Scientist Fellow, Principal Investigator, DST - FAST Track Project, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore – 641046, Tamil Nadu (2012-2015)
  • Brain Pool Fellow, Assistant Professor, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea (2012)
  • DR. D. S. KOTHARI Postdoctoral Fellowship, UGC, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore – 641046, Tamil Nadu (2011-2012)
Administrative Experience
  • Deputy Nodal Officer, Samarth Nodal Officers, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda - 151401, Punjab.
  • NSS Unit 5 - Program Co-ordinator, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda - 151401, Punjab.
  • Board of Studies Member, Department of Zoology, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda – 151401, Punjab.
  • Deputy Coordinator (Technical) – Glue Grant proposal
  • Perception Committee Member, National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), BU
  • Board of Studies Member, Department of Human Genetics & Molecular Biology, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore – 641046, Tamil Nadu Open University (TNOU), Chennai – 600015, Tamil Nadu
  • Member representative - NAAC at Bharathiar University
  • Member - DST-PURSE establishment cell culture facility
  • Research Advisory Committee member, Tamil Nadu Open University (TNOU), Chennai – 600015, Tamil Nadu
International Course Undergone
Training Programme Year Place Funded by

European Advanced Postgraduate Course in Clinical and Molecular Cytogenetics (PGDCMC) - Certificate Course

 2010

Montpellier, Nimes, France

European Cytogenetics Association (ECA) Fellowship
26th Course in Medical Genetics, University of Bologna 2013

Bologna, Italy

 ESHG Fellowship
Next Generation Sequencing Course (NGS), University of Bologna 2013

Bologna, Italy

 ESHG Fellowship

Training program in iPSC technology at Centre for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA)

 2017

Kyoto, Japan (CiRA Fellowship)

 CiRA Fellowship
Basics in Human Genetic Diagnostics - A course for CLGs in education 2019

Figueira da Foz, Portugal

 EGF Fellowship

 

Research Area
  • Understand the relationship between genetic and environmental influence on neurological diseases
  • Design novel disease analysing models such as HiPSCs, animal models to understand the biology of the disease
  • Conduct mutational screening using NGS and sanger sequencing to unravel the in-depth reason for any neurological diseases
  • Undergo genome-editing to rectify any molecular changes in neurological diseases

Research Thrust Area

Research Grants/Projects

Ongoing

  • “Screening of Neurochemical, Amyloid precursor protein (APP) and Mitochondrial Calcium Uniporter MCU in Down Syndrome associated with Alzheimer’s disease: A potential therapeutic strategy” Department of Science and Technology – Cognitive Science Research Initiative (DST-CSRI), Government of India.
  • “Targeting RhoA and Dopamine Transporter (DAT) in Parkinson’s Disease (PD) derived Human Induced Pluripotent Stem cell (hiPSCs): As a potential therapeutic target” funded by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Government of India.
  • “Screening of histone modification and mitochondrial DNA copy number variation in Parkinson’s Disease (PD) from Tamil Nadu population” funded by Department of Health Research-Indian Council of Medical Sciences (DHR-ICMR), Government of India.
  • “Follow-up studies on SARS-CoV-2 recovered patients and artificial intelligence an approach towards COVID-19 funded by Department of Science & Technology - Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (DST-JSPS), Government of India.

Completed

  • “Screening of Novel Marker Chromosome, Gene Expression and Mitochondrial DNA copy number variations in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Individuals in Tamil Nadu Population” funded by Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Government of India.
  • “Investigation of the Molecular mechanism on Dopaminergic neurons and Neuro-degeneration of Parkinson’s disease by Human Neuronal Stem Cells (NSCs) and Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (hiPSC)” funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research – International Biomedical Scientist (ICMR), Government of India.
  • “Screening and Create the Registry of Disease pattern in Tribal Communities and provide the Health Care Strategies, Genetic Counselling and create the awareness to tribal women population in Tamil Nadu, India” funded by Natural Resources Data Management System (NRDMS) Government of India.
  • “Identification of Genetic alterations in Solid tumors Patients in South Indian Population” funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India.
  • “Screening of Novel marker chromosomes in Autism Spectrum disorder patients in Coimbatore population” funded by University Grant Commission (UGC), Government of India.
Professional Affiliation
  • Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)- International Biomedical fellow
  • European Cytogenetic Association (ECA)
  • European Society of Human Genetics (ESHG)
  • Indian Science Congress (ISC)
  • European Genetics Foundation (EGF)
Professional Recognition/Awards/Scholarships
  • Tamil Nadu Government Young Scientist fellow, Science City - Higher Educational Department, Tamil Nadu
  • Indo-Japan (JSPS) – Collaborative project with JAPAN, DST, Government of India
  • ICMR-IF, Visiting Biomedical Scientist, Southern University of Denmark
  • Brain Pool Fellow-Konkuk University, Seoul, Indo-Korea Collaboration
  • iPSC technology at Centre for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) Kyoto, Japan
  • European Society of Human Genetics Fellowship Recipient
Research Collaboration

International Research Collaborators

  • Prof. Ssang Goo Cho, Professor & Dean, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea
  • Prof. Dr. Tanja Maria Sheldrick-Michel – University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
  • Prof. Niels Tommerup Professor, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Dr. Masako Kinoshita, Professor, Nara Medical University, Kyoto, Japan
  • Dr. Alysson Muotri Professor, University of California, San Diego, USA
  • Prof. Thomas Liehr, Professor, Universitätsk - Linikum, Jena, Germany
Publications

Selected KEY Publications

  • Mohan, Gomathi, Geetha Bharathi, and Balachandar Vellingiri*. A Middle-aged Woman with Severe Scoliosis and Encephalopathy. JAMA Neurology, (88(2); 251-252; 2021 (Impact Factor: 29.9).
  • Balachandar Vellingiri*. A deeper understanding about the role of uranium toxicity in neurodegeneration. Environmental Research, 116430, 2023. (Impact Factor: 8.3).
  • Elangovan, A., Babu, H.W.S., Iyer, M., Gopalakrishnan, A.V. & Balachandar Vellingiri*. Untangle the mystery behind DS-associated AD–Is APP the main protagonist? Ageing Research Reviews p.101930; 2023 (Impact Factor: 13.1).
  • Iyer, M., Anand, U., Thiruvenkataswamy, S., Babu, H.W.S., Narayanasamy, A., Prajapati, V.K., Tiwari, C.K., Gopalakrishnan, A.V., Bontempi, E., Sonne, C. and Barceló, D., & Balachandar Vellingiri*. A review of chromium (Cr) epigenetic toxicity and health hazards. Science of The Total Environment, 882, p.163483., 2023 (Impact Factor: 9.8).
  • Ajay Elangovan, Dhivya Venkatesan, Priyanka Selvaraj, Md. Younus Pasha, Harysh Winster Suresh Babu, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Arul Narayanasamy, Mohana Devi Subramaniam, Abilash Valsala Gopalakrishnan, Nachimuthu Senthil Kumar, Balachandar Vellingiri*. miRNA in Parkinson's disease: From pathogenesis to theranostic approaches. Journal of Cellular Physiology, 238(2), pp.329-354; 2023 (Impact Factor: 6.513).
  • Balachandar Vellingiri, Atchaya Suriyanarayanan, Priyanka Selvaraj, Kripa Susan Abraham, Md Younus Pasha, Harysh Winster, Abilash Valsala Gopalakrishnan, G Singaravelu, Janardhana Kumar Reddy, Niraikulam Ayyadurai, Nandha Kumar, Bupesh Giridharan, P Sivaprakash, KRS Sambasiva Rao, Senthil Kumar Nachimuthu, Arul Narayanasamy, Iyer Mahalaxmi, Dhivya Venkatesan. Role of heavy metals (copper (Cu), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), iron (Fe) and lithium (Li)) induced neurotoxicity. Chemosphere 301, 134625., 2022. (Impact Factor: 8.8).
  • Balachandar Vellingiri*, Kiruthika Balasubramani, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Neethu Raj, Ajay Elangovan, Kwonwoo Song, Han‐Cheol Yeo, Namitha Jayakumar, Masako Kinoshita, Ravimanickam Thangarasu, Arul Narayanasamy, Ahmed Abdal Dayem, Vijay Kumar Prajapati, Abilash Valsala Gopalakrishnan, Ssang‐Goo Cho. Role of Telomeres and Telomerase in Parkinson's Disease—A New Theranostics?, Advanced Biology, 7(12), 2300097, 2023. (Impact Factor: 3.7)
  • Ajay Elangovan, Laxmi Kirola, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Priyanka Jeeth, Sakshi Maharaj, Nikki Kumari, Vikas Lakhanpal, Tanja Maria Sheldrick-Michel, KRS Sambasiva Rao, Ssang-Goo Cho, Mukesh Kumar Yadav, Abilash Valsala Gopalakrishnan, Saraboji Kadhirvel, Nachimuthu Senthil Kumar, Balachandar Vellingiri*. Does Gut Brain Axis has an impact on Parkinson’s Disease (PD)? Ageing Research Reviews, 102171, 2023. (Impact Factor: 13.1).
  • Mohana Devi Subramaniam, P Aishwarya Janaki, B Abishek Kumar, Janani Gopalarethinam, Aswathy P Nair, I Mahalaxmi, Balachandar Vellingiri. Retinal changes in Parkinson’s disease: a non-invasive biomarker for early diagnosis. Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology, 43(8), 3983-3996, 2023. (Impact Factor: 4.0).
  • Balachandar Vellingiri*, Dhivya Venkatesan, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Gomathi Mohan, Padmavathi Krishnan, Krothapalli Sai Krishna, R Sangeetha, Arul Narayanasamy, Abilash Valsala Gopalakrishnan, Nachimuthu Senthil Kumar, Mohana Devi Subramaniam. Concurrent assessment of oxidative stress and MT-ATP6 gene profiling to facilitate diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Tamil Nadu population. Journal of molecular neuroscience: MN, 73(6), 485, 2023. (Impact Factor: 3.1).
  • Harysh Winster, Ajay Elangovana, Neethu Raj, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Younus Md, Abilash Gopalakrishnan, Arul Narayanaswamy, Balachandar Vellingiri*. Screening of Kynurenine 3-monooxygenase (KMO) gene to facilitate diagnosis among Parkinson's disease (PD) patients of Coimbatore population, Tamil Nadu, India. Molecular Neurobiology, 1-15, 2023. (Impact Factor: 5.1).
  • Dhivya Venkatesan, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Arul Narayanasamy, Abilash Valsala Gopalakrishnan, Balachandar Vellingiri*. Plausible Role of Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number in Neurodegeneration—a Need for Therapeutic Approach in Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Molecular Neurobiology, 60(12), 6992-7008 2023. (Impact Factor: 5.1).
  • Dhivya Venkatesan, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Neethu Raj, Abilash Valsala Gopalakrishnan, Arul Narayanasamy, Nachimuthu Senthil Kumar, Balachandar Vellingiri*. Assessment of tRNAThr and tRNAGln Variants and Mitochondrial Functionality in Parkinson’s Disease (PD) Patients of Tamil Nadu Population. Journal of molecular neuroscience: MN, 73(11), 912-920, 2023. (Impact Factor: 3.1).
  • Balachandar Vellingiri*, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Mohana Devi Subramaniam, Kaavya Jayaramayya, Zothan Siama, Bupesh Giridharan, Arul Narayanasamy, Ahmed Abdal Dayem, Ssang-Goo Cho. Understanding the role of the transcription factor Sp1 in ovarian cancer: from theory to practice. International journal of molecular sciences 21(3), 1153, 2020. (Impact Factor: 5.6).
  • Balachandar Vellingiri, SY Aishwarya, S Benita Jancy, G Sriram Abhishek, Padmavathi Vijayakumar, Arul Narayanasamy, Sujitha Mariappan, R Sangeetha, Abilash Valsala Gopalakrishnan, Ramakrishnan Parthasarathi, Mahalaxmi Iyer. An anxious relationship between Autism Spectrum Disorder and Gut Microbiota: A tangled chemistry? Journal of Clinical Neuroscience, 99, 169-189 (Impact Factor: 2).
  • Mohan, Gomathi, Ranjan Jyoti Sarma, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Nachimuthu Senthil Kumar, and Balachandar Vellingiri*. Highlighting novel genes associated with the classical Rett syndrome patient from India. Genes & Diseases, 1394-1396; 2021. (Impact Factor: 7.01).
  • Mahalaxmi, I., Subramaniam, M.D., Gopalakrishnan, A.V. and Balachandar Vellingiri*. Dysfunction in Mitochondrial Electron Transport Chain Complex I, Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Activity, and Mutations in ND1 and ND4 Gene in Autism Spectrum Disorder Subjects from Tamil Nadu Population, India. Molecular Neurobiology, 58(10):5303-5311; 2021. (Impact Factor: 5.1).
  • Balachandar Vellingiri*, Mamatha Chandrasekhar, S Sri Sabari, Abilash Valsala Gopalakrishnan, Arul Narayanasamy, Dhivya Venkatesan, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Kavindra Kesari, Abhijit Dey. Neurotoxicity of pesticides–A link to neurodegeneration. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 243, 113972, 2022. (Impact factor: 6.8)
  • Balachandar Vellingiri*, Atchaya Suriyanarayanan, Kripa Susan Abraham, Dhivya Venkatesan, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Neethu Raj, Abilash Valsala Gopalakrishnan. Influence of heavy metals in Parkinson’s disease: An overview. Journal of neurology, 269(11), 5798-5811, 2022. (Impact Factor: 6.0).
  • Mohana Devi Subramaniam, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Aswathy P Nair, Dhivya Venkatesan, Sinnakaruppan Mathavan, Nimmisha Eruppakotte, Soumya Kizhakkillach, Manoj kumar Chandran, Ayan Roy, Abilash Valsala Gopalakrishnan, Balachandar Vellingiri*. Oxidative stress and mitochondrial transfer: A new dimension towards ocular diseases. Genes & Diseases, 9(3), 610-637, 2022. (Impact Factor: 6.8)
  • Dhivya Venkatesan, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Robert Wilson, G Lakshmipathy, Balachandar Vellingiri*. The association between multiple risk factors, clinical correlations and molecular insights in Parkinson’s disease patients from Tamil Nadu population, India. Neuroscience Letters, 755, 135903, 2022. (Impact Factor: 2.5)
  • Dhivya Venkatesan, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Arul Narayanasamy, Siva Kamalakannan, Abilash Valsala Gopalakrishnan, Balachandar Vellingiri*. Genotypic-phenotypic analysis, metabolic profiling and clinical correlations in Parkinson’s disease patients from Tamil Nadu population, India. Journal of Molecular Neuroscience, 72(8), 1724-1737, 2022. (Impact Factor: 3.1).
  • Vellingiri Balachandar*, Kamarajan Rajagopalan, Kaavya Jayaramayya, Madesh Jeevanandam, Mahalaxmi Iyer. Mitochondrial dysfunction: A hidden trigger of autism? Genes & Diseases, 8(5), 629-639, 2021. (Impact Factor: 6.8).
  • Masako Kinoshita, Kazuaki Sato, Balachandar Vellingiri, Shawn J Green, Masami Tanaka. Inverse association between hypertension treatment and COVID-19 prevalence in Japan. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 108, 517-521, 2021. (Impact Factor: 8.4).
  • Kaviyarasi Renu, Rituraj Chakraborty, Haritha Myakala, Rajeshwari Koti, Ademola C Famurewa, Harishkumar Madhyastha, Balachandar Vellingiri, Alex George, Abilash Valsala Gopalakrishnan. Molecular mechanism of heavy metals (Lead, Chromium, Arsenic, Mercury, Nickel and Cadmium)-induced hepatotoxicity–A review. Chemosphere, 271, 129735, 2021. (Impact Factor: 8.8).

International Book Chapters:

  • Ssang-Goo Cho, Claude Hughes, Iyer Mahalaxmi, Mohana Devi Subramaniam, Balachandar Vellingiri* and Stafford Warren. Therapeutic options initially available for COVID-19 patients and initial clinical trials. The Coronavirus Pandemic and the Future: Royal Society of Chemistry, 2020.
  • Mohana Devi Subramaniam, Abishek Kumar B, Ruth Bright, Ashwathy P Nair, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Balachandar Vellingiri*. Environmental Transmission of Human Pathogens Associated withSARS-CoV-2 and the Effect on Soil and Aquatic Ecosystem: A Biological Way of Management. The handbook of environmental chemistry, 2022.
  • Claude Hughes, Kaavya Jayaramayya, Balachandar Vellingiri*, Stafford Warren And Michael Waters. Evaluation of the disease, sample collection and diagnostics. The Coronavirus Pandemic and the Future: Royal Society of Chemistry, 2020.
  • Balachandar Vellingiri*, et al. Big Data in Tribal Healthcare and Biomedical Research. Taylor & Francis Group, 2022.
  • Claude Hughes, Arul Narayanaswamy, Balachandar Vellingiri*, Dhivya Venkatesan, Stafford Warren, And Michael Waters. What we know about the life-threatening novel human coronavirus. The Coronavirus Pandemic and the Future: Royal Society of Chemistry, 2020.
Research Guidance

PhD., Supervision Completed              :         07

PhD., Supervision Ongoing                 :         04

M.Phil., Supervision Completed          :         05

M.Sc., Supervision Ongoing                :         07

M.Sc., Supervision Completed            :         42

Conference/ Workshops/Seminars Attended
International Conference Attended:
  • 22nd World Congress on Parkinson’s and Related Disorders, Vietnam – Received Travel Award -  2017
  • 14th Asian Oceanian Congress of Neurology (AOCN 2014), Macao, China – Received Travel Award – 2014
  • Miami Winter Symposium The Molecular Basis of Brain Disorders Miami, USA – Received DBT-Travel Award – 2015
  • XX World Congress on Parkinson's Disease and Related disorders Geneva, Switzerland – Received Travel and Young Investigator Award – 2013
  • 26th Course in Medical,  European Genetics Foundation, 2013, Bologna, Italy – Received Fellowship received from ESHG – 2013
  • Course in Next Generation Sequencing” European Genetics Foundation, 2013, Bologna, Italy - Received Fellowship received from ESHG – 2013
  • 11th World Congress of Biological Psychiatry, Kyoto, Japan – Received Travel Award– 2013
  • Human Genome Meeting, Dubai, UAE – Received Young Scientist Travel Award – 2011
  • Environmental health –Elsevier, Salvador, Brazil – Received Best Presentation award – 2011
  • European Society of Human Genetics Conference (ESHG), Vienna – Austria – Received Best Presentation Award – 2009
  • International Society of Psychiatric Genetics (ISPG), USA – Received Young Investigator award cum Travel award – 2009

Workshop Attended:

  • New Horizons in Exercise and Health (NHEH – 2017) - Dept. of Zoology, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati - 2017
  • Think Tank Initiation for IPR Policy Implementation - Intellectual Property Rights Cell, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore - 2017
  • Plant Conservation Biotechnology - Dept. of Botany, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore - 2017
  • One Day workshop on Research Tools and Techniques using SPSS Package - Department of Women’s Studies, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore - 2016
  • Advanced Techniques in Animal Cell Culture (ATACC-2011) - Department of Biotechnology, Karunya University, Coimbatore - 2011
Conference/ Workshops/Seminars Organised
National Level
  • Organizing Secretary for Workshop cum Hands-on Training in Mol-Bio-Techniques (2016 – 2020), Department of Human Genetics & Molecular Biology, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore
  • Organizing Secretary for Autism Awareness day 2017 - Dept. of HG&MB, Bharathiar University (02.04.2017)
  • Organizing Member for National Conference Insights of Genetics in Molecular Medicine (IGMM’17) - Dept. of HG&MB, Bharathiar University (2017)
  • Organizing Member for Cancer Awareness Day - Dept. of HG&MB, Bharathiar University (2017)

International Conference/ Workshops/Seminars Organised

  • Organizing Secretary – International Conference on Environment, Genes, Health, and Diseases (EGHD-2017)
  • Organizing Secretary – International Conference on Environment, Genes, Health, and Diseases (EGHD-2011)

 

Invited Talks/ Resource Person
• Workshop on Basic techniques in Genetics, Cell Biology and Animal cell culture - Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, National Workshop – Invited Lecture - 2018
• National Lecture cum Practical Workshop on New Horizons in Exercise and Health - Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, National Lecture Cum Workshop - Invited Lecture – 2017
• 9 Days National Workshop on Plant Conservation Biotechnology - Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, National Workshop - Invited Lecture – 2017

Patent Filed/ Published
PATENT PUBLISHED
  • Giridharan Bupesh, Balachandar Vellingiri, C.P. Indhumathi, V. Senthilkumar. A Pharmaceutical Composition Exhibiting Antiviral Activity against Human Parainfluenza Virus. Intellectual Property, India (Patent No: 360299), 2017 (Approved).
Citations

Google Scholar Citation          - 5533 (As of 5.02.2024)        

H-Index                                     - 37     

I10-Index                                   - 97

 

Link : ‪‪https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=MFP2n2wAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao