Mohan Krishnan, Ph.D. Titles and Appointments Associate Professor School Medical School Department Pediatrics | Immunology | Molecular Biology Graduate Programs Cell and Molecular Biology Biography Dr. Mohan Krishnan, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Immunology, and Molecular Biology and is an investigator in the Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Krishnan obtained his PhD degree from University of Madras, India. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and the University of Illinois at Chicago. He became a faculty member at the University of South Florida and moved to Johns Hopkins University, then held a tenure associate professor in the University of Nebraska Medical Center before joining UTSW. The Krishnan lab investigates the pathophysiology of Transfusion-associated Necrotizing Enterocolitis (TA-NEC), Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS), and Neurodevelopmental outcomes in premature infants who are at high risk of anemia and heavily transfused. The lab research mainly focused on understanding the inflammatory mechanisms of Neonatal Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC), specifically the subset of disease associated with red blood cell transfusions (TANEC). His cross-training in Biochemistry, Biotechnology, and Molecular Biology places him in a small group of researchers capable of elucidating the cellular and immunological events associated with NEC, SIRS, and neuroinflammation. Since his postdoctoral training, he has delved deeply into NEC and has successfully characterized both the cellular mechanisms of NEC as well as inciting factors, both chemical and immunological. His seminal contribution includes the development of a highly innovative murine model of NEC caused by the administration of blood transfusions to phlebotomy-induced murine anemic pups, with resulting injury correlating to the severity and duration of the underlying anemia. Using this first pre-clinical model of TANEC, he has addressed longstanding controversies by untangling the individual contributions to injury from anemia versus its treatment, the subsequent transfusion. This high-caliber murine model sets the foundation for future rigorous evaluations of TANEC, particularly regarding immunological changes in the intestine that predispose to mucosal injury. In addition, he is extending research studies focusing on the mechanism(s) involved in transfusion-related neurodevelopmental deficits and systemic inflammatory response syndrome in premature infants Research Interest Effect of Platelet Transfusions on Neonatal Intestinal Injury Liver-gut axis in neonatal anemia and its role in transfusion associated with gut mucosal injury. RBC transfusion exacerbates brain inflammation in anemic murine neonates and causes long term neurodevelopment impairment RBC transfusion in anemic neonates leads to systemic inflammatory response syndrome Publications Featured Publications Immune landscape in liver of neonatal mice with phlebotomy-induced anemia. Ramatchandirin B, Wang W, Balamurugan MA, Alnahhas Y, Desiraju S, Subrramanya A, George Raj J, Lawal ZD, Ferris M, Tseng G, Konnikova L, MohanKumar K, Pediatr Res 2025 Sep Platelet specific knockout of integrin beta-3 (β3) reduces severity of necrotizing enterocolitis in murine neonates. Balamurugan MA, Ramatchandirin B, Desiraju S, Subrramanya A, George Raj J, Ferris MM, Lawal ZD, Olaloye OO, Konnikova L, MohanKumar K, Front Pediatr 2025 13 1560242 Stored RBC transfusions leads to the systemic inflammatory response syndrome in anemic murine neonates. Ramatchandirin B, Balamurugan MA, Desiraju S, Chung Y, Wojczyk BS, MohanKumar K, Inflamm Res 2024 Nov 73 11 1859-1873 A Detailed Protocol for the Induction of Anemia and RBC Transfusion-associated Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Neonatal Mice. Ramatchandirin B, Balamurugan MA, Desiraju S, Chung Y, MohanKumar K, Bio Protoc 2024 May 14 10 e4993 Hematological changes in neonatal mice with phlebotomy-induced anemia. Chung Y, Desiraju S, Namachivayam K, Guzman P, He L, MohanKumar K, Pediatr Res 2022 Mar The P300 acetyltransferase inhibitor C646 promotes membrane translocation of insulin receptor protein substrate and interaction with the insulin receptor. Peng J, Ramatchandirin B, Wang Y, Pearah A, Namachivayam K, Wolf RM, Steele K, MohanKumar K, Yu L, Guo S, White MF, Maheshwari A, He L, J Biol Chem 2022 Mar 298 3 101621 Mutation-Induced Long-Range Allosteric Interactions in the Spike Protein Determine the Infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 Emerging Variants. Das JK, Thakuri B, MohanKumar K, Roy S, Sljoka A, Sun GQ, Chakraborty A, ACS Omega 2021 Nov 6 46 31312-31327 Targeted inhibition of thrombin attenuates murine neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis. Namachivayam K, MohanKumar K, Shores DR, Jain SK, Fundora J, Everett AD, He L, Pan H, Wickline SA, Maheshwari A, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2020 May 117 20 10958-10969 Severe neonatal anemia increases intestinal permeability by disrupting epithelial adherens junctions. MohanKumar K, Namachivayam K, Sivakumar N, Alves NG, Sidhaye V, Das JK, Chung Y, Breslin JW, Maheshwari A, Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 2020 Apr 318 4 G705-G716 Lyophilization of human amniotic fluid is feasible without affecting biological activity. Coon JI, Jain S, Sepuru KM, Chung Y, Mohankumar K, Rajarathnam K, Jain SK, Pediatr. Res. 2020 04 87 5 847-852 Results 1-10 of 26 1 2 3 Next Last Honors & Awards Basic Science Research AwardSociety of Pediatrics Research (2017-2017) PAS Travel Award for Young InvestigatorsPAS/ASPR Meeting (2016-2016) PAS Travel Award for Young InvestigatorsPAS/ASPR Meeting (2011-2013) Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) awardUniversity of Grants Commission (UGC), Government of India, New Delhi, INDIA (2003-2006) Professional Associations/Affiliations American Physiological Society (2020) American Society of Hematology (2024) Scientific Advisory Committee member, WUACD, One Health (2025) Society for Pediatrics Research (2019)
