Samarpita Sengupta, Ph.D.

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I received my PhD in Cell Regulation from the Department of Pharmacology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. My PhD dissertation project, in the laboratory of Dr. Melanie Cobb, focused on the With no Lysine (WNK) kinases. Mutations in these kinases have been linked to a form of genetic hypertension called Pseudohypoaldosteronism Type II (PHAII). I identified a novel interaction between WNKs and the mammalian target of rapamycin complex II (mTORC2) implicating mTORC2 in the regulation of ion balance and homeostasis. This work was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2013 and was cited in the Faculty of 1000 as of being of special significance in the field.

I pursued a postdoctoral fellowship for two years working on signaling mechanisms in the pheromone sensing pathway. Using Drosophila melanogaster as a model system,we studied pheromone sensing pathways, especially the 11-cis vaccenyl acetate (cVA)  pathway which is a male specific pheromone that promotes courtship in females and inhibits courtship in males. I conducted large scale genetic screens and identified four novel genes, two on the second chromosome and two on the X chromosome of Drosophila that are involved in the cVA sensing pathway.

In my next postdoctoral training in the Department of Pediatrics, I further honed my skills on signaling mechanisms. Antiphospholipid syndrome is an autoimmune disease that causes vascular thrombosis and pregnancy loss. I worked on understanding the signaling mechanisms in the antiphospholipid syndrome that result in pregnancy complications and miscarriages. I also worked on applying a novel method to specifically label in vivo and study the transcriptome of endothelial cells.

I joined the Department of Neurology September 2015 as a Scientific Research Writer where I was able to translate my understanding on basic science to the therapeutic approaches to treating a variety of neurological conditions.  I served as a Research Development Professional and Instructor within the Department, I worked within the Neuroscience Translational Research Center in the O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute with scientists whose interests span basic, clinical and translational neuroscience.

As Director of Research in the Department of Physician Assistant Studies, I will be responsible for building up the research portfolio and funding of the department. I will also be responsible for creating and executing startegic programs and initiatives designed to increase student participation in research, elevate research by faculty, maintain accreditation as well as improve upon our standing as a destination PA program in the country.

Undergraduate

All India Institute of Medical (2005), Biochemistry

Graduate School

Jawaharlal Nehru University (2007)

Graduate School

UT Southwestern Medical Center (2012)

Featured Publications

Effect of an Interdisciplinary Stroke Consult Service on the Transition to Post-Acute Rehabilitation.

Venkatachalam AM, Rabroker A, Stone S, Manchi MR, Sengupta S, Ifejika NL, Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2022 Mar

Creating a resident-centric rehabilitation research team.

Abraham AM, Chavez AA, Venkatachalam AM, Sengupta S, Olson DM, Bell KR, Ifejika NL, BMC Med Educ 2022 Mar 22 1 168

Deep Brain Stimulation and Sleep-Wake Disturbances in Parkinson Disease: A Review.

Sharma VD, Sengupta S, Chitnis S, Amara AW, Front Neurol 2018 9 697

Feasibility and Efficacy of Nurse-Driven Acute Stroke Care.

Mainali S, Stutzman S, Sengupta S, Dirickson A, Riise L, Jones D, Yang J, Olson DM, J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis 2017 May 26 5 987-991

Intracranial Pressure Values Are Highly Variable After Cerebral Spinal Fluid Drainage.

Rogers M, Stutzman SE, Atem FD, Sengupta S, Welch B, Olson DM, J Neurosci Nurs 2017 Apr 49 2 85-89

Identification of a Monoclonal Antibody That Attenuates Antiphospholipid Syndrome-Related Pregnancy Complications and Thrombosis.

Mineo C, Lanier L, Jung E, Sengupta S, Ulrich V, Sacharidou A, Tarango C, Osunbunmi O, Shen YM, Salmon JE, Brekken RA, Huang X, Thorpe PE, Shaul PW, PLoS ONE 2016 11 7 e0158757

The domain-swapping switch point in Ste20 protein kinase SPAK.

Taylor CA, Juang YC, Earnest S, Sengupta S, Goldsmith EJ, Cobb MH Biochemistry 2015 Jul

Regulation of OSR1 and the sodium, potassium, two chloride cotransporter by convergent signals.

Sengupta S, Lorente-Rodríguez A, Earnest S, Stippec S, Guo X, Trudgian DC, Mirzaei H, Cobb MH Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2013 Nov 110 47 18826-31

Interactions with WNK (With No Lysine) Family Members Regulate Oxidative Stress Response 1 and Ion Co-transporter Activity.

Sengupta S, Tu SW, Wedin K, Earnest S, Stippec S, Luby-Phelps K, Cobb MH J. Biol. Chem. 2012 Nov 287 45 37868-79

Serum and glucocorticoid-induced kinase (SGK) 1 and the epithelial sodium channel are regulated by multiple with no lysine (WNK) family members.

Heise CJ, Xu BE, Deaton SL, Cha SK, Cheng CJ, Earnest S, Sengupta S, Juang YC, Stippec S, Xu Y, Zhao Y, Huang CL, Cobb MH J. Biol. Chem. 2010 Aug 285 33 25161-7

 Featured Books

How Drosophila Detect Volatile Pheromones: Signaling, Circuits, and Behavior. In Neurobiology of Chemical Communication

Samarpita Sengupta, Dean P Smith, Carla Mucignat-Caretta , (2014). Boca Raton (FL), CRC Press/Taylor & Francis

• NORDP Innovation Award
  Given to the NROAD to RD team, of which I was Chair (2022)
• NORDP Innovation Award
  Given to the NORDP Mentoring Committee, of which I was a member (2021)
• NORDP Rising Star Award
  The NORDP Board of Directors established the Rising Star Award in 2016 to recognize up to three members annually who have made outstanding volunteer contributions and show great potential for future contributions to NORDP and the Research Development Profession. Awardees are announced at the NORDP annual conference, presented with an etched glass plaque, and receive free registration for the following year’s annual conference.https://nordpnews.org/2019/05/07/nordp-2019-rising-star-samarpita-sengupta/ (2019)
• Strategic Alliance Travel Award
  Awarded by National Organization of Research Development Professionals (2018)
• Dean’s Award for Outstanding Commitment to Graduate School
  Awarded by UT Southwestern Medical Center (2012)
• Excellence in Science Award
  Awarded by The American Association for Advancement in Science (2008)
• Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund Award
  Awarded by Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India (2007)
• Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) award
  Awarded by Council of Scientific and Educational Research (CSIR), Government of India (2007)
• Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Fellowship
  Awarded by Council of Scientific and Educational Research (CSIR), Government of India (2007)
• National Talent Search Scholarship
  Awarded by the Government of India (1999)

• American Society of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (2013-2016)
• Grant Professionals Association (2016-2017)
• National Organization of Research Development Professionals (2017)
• National Postdoctoral Association (2014)