New faculty spotlight: Amar Singh, Ph.D.

Amar Singh, Ph.D., is a new faculty member at UNMC. Here’s a brief rundown of his background and the expertise he brings to campus.

• Name: Amar B. Singh, Ph.D.
• Hometown: Varanasi, India
• New title and department at UNMC: Associate professor, UNMC Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Research/Professional Interests:
The long-term research interest of my laboratory is to develop preventive strategies aimed at minimizing the risk of mucosal inflammatory disorders, to reduce susceptibility to inflammation-associated colon cancer and to develop non-invasive therapeutic options. To achieve these objectives, we have directed our efforts towards understanding the molecular details of the processes that regulate mucosal antigen-immune interaction and mucosal inflammation. To combat cancer, we have focused upon understanding the cellular and molecular dysregulations that foster tumor growth and find ways to normalize their functioning. We utilize intestine and kidney as model systems to pursue our studies.

How I fell in love with science:
I used to pass a high school experimental lab with large windows while walking to my elementary school and saw big kids looking through microscopes. The concept of seeing things that others don’t fascinated me and nurtured my interest in science and knowing how our body works. My current scientific interest, however, has roots in my post-doctoral training, which focused upon understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying EGF receptor-mediated epithelial cell morphogenesis. These studies led to our current research focus, which deals with understanding the fascinating role of the epithelium in regulating the communication between our environment and inside of our body, and how its deregulation leads to inflammation and cancer.

Degrees:

• Ph.D, Banaras Hindu University

Memberships:

• American Gastrointestinal Association
• American Society of Nephrology

Three things people may not know about me:

• As a kid, I wanted to join the army to become an Air Force pilot and fly bombers.
• I love ethnic foods and would like to travel to different parts of the world.
• I love watching movies but cannot watch the same movie twice.