Biotechnology at CCSF - Lisha Prakash

LishA Prakash

Lisha is a biotechnology postgraduate originally from India. She relocated to the US soon after her studies. For several years after arriving, she was a stay-at-home mom. As a first step towards a career in her interested field, she joined CCSF biotechnology program. Currently, she is a CIRM intern at Tenaya Therapeutics. Her work involves developing a scalable AAV overexpression system for high-throughput gain-of-function screening in iPSC-CMs (induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes) for finding possible targets for dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).

“When I wanted to get back into the research field, I was really concerned about the long break I took right after my studies from this field and whether I will be able to balance my studies /work and family life. The classes I took at City College biotech program were very flexible and helped me a lot in filling the gap (updating my lab skills). When I was completing my stem cell certificate

At CCSF, I became attracted to stem cell technology. During this internship, I got more opportunity to update myself with new technical skills and current trends in stem cell research field. Working among highly talented people who are passionate and dedicated towards stem cell biology was an amazing experience.”

After this internship, Lisha wants to pursue a career in regenerative medicine and looking forward to applying her knowledge and skills in either industry or academia.

Lisha in tissue culture room at Tenaya therapeutics

Lisha Prakash - Gain-of-Function High-Throughput Screen for Target Discovery - CCSF CIRM Internship 2021-22.pdf

Lisha isolating plasmid DNA from E.Coli culture

CIRM Intern: Lisha Prakash

Stem Cell Internship: Tenaya Therapeutics

Project Title: Gain-of-Function High Throughput Screen for Target Discovery

Abstract: Familial dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is characterized by reduced cardiac output, as well as thinning and enlargement of left ventricular chambers, which eventually leads to heart failure. Current standards of care do not target the underlying causes of genetic forms of heart failure, driving a need to develop novel therapeutics that target the genetic causes of DCM. To identify candidate therapeutics, we developed an in vitro DCM model using induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs). Using a high-throughput AAV overexpression system in iPSC-CMs we plan on identifying novel therapeutic targets using phenotypic screening and deep learning to deliver therapies that address the underlying causes of heart disease. By using a high-throughput AAV over-expression system, we have achieved promising results in overexpressing some target genes in iPSC-CMs. These cells can be used as a platform for target discovery for DCM.

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LishA Prakash

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