Vikas Saxena

Associate Editor
Vikas Saxena
Post-doctoral Fellow
Center for Vascular & Inflammatory Diseases
School of Medicine
University of Maryland
Baltimore, MD,
USA
Official e-mail address: VSaxena@som.umaryland.edu

Dr. Vikas Saxena has devoted his career for the scientific endeavors towards ameliorating infectious diseases amongst animals and humans by using immunological approaches. He has completed his Bachelor’s in Veterinary Sciences. During his Master’s in veterinary anatomy, Dr Saxena has analyzed anatomical conformities of the salivary glands of goat by using light microscopy (Indian Journal of Animal Sciences, 2007). During his PhD dissertation research under the mentorship of Dr. Michael Lai, Academia Sinica, Taiwan, Dr Saxena was working to analyze role of host cellular factors, by using several biochemical and molecular virology related tools. His research endeavors has led him to identify a host cellular factor, annexin A2, serving as a scaffold for viral non-structural proteins on lipid raft region, where the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) replication complex is assembled (Journal of Virology, 2012). Further, using his expertise in confocal and electron microscopy and by developing an in-vitro culture model for HCV RNA replication Dr Saxena together with his colleagues, elucidated mechanism of HCV release via exosome (Plos One, 2014). During his postdoctoral training with Dr. Christopher Walker, Ohio State University, USA, Dr Saxena participated in a collaborative study with Dr Stanley Lemon, University of North Caroline at Chapel Hill, USA, to analyze escape mutations acquired by cell culture-derived HCV during persistent infection in a chimpanzee and thus highlighted the possible pattern of molecular evolution of a poorly fit virus (Journal of Virology, 2014). Besides, Dr Saxena has developed rhesus macaque model to study T cell mediated control of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection. By using IFN-γ spot forming assay (ELISPOT) and flow cytometry based techniques, Dr Saxena has identified HEV specific CD8+ T cells exerting control over persistent viral infection. The exact mechanism underlying viral persistence is under evaluation. Further Dr Saxena is exploring mechanism involved in the development of memory CD8 T cells. By using Listeria monocytogenes based cancer vaccine platform and transgenic mice Dr Saxena with his colleagues has elucidated importance of T cell receptor (TCR) governed signaling mechanism involving NFkB-Pim-1-Eomes axis, which is important for the fitness of memory CD8 T cells (Under revision, PNAS, 2016). Also, same team has worked towards elucidation of mechanism of TCR and pro-inflammatory cytokine receptor signaling cooperation, (Journal of Immunology, 2016). Dr Saxena is continuing in his quest for exploration of immunological control of viral infections in animals and humans.

Molecular Virology, Cellular Immune Response against infectious diseases, Replication & pathogenesis of hepato-tropic viruses, Memory CD8 T cells, Cancer Vaccine, Veterinary Anatomy & Histology, Veterinary Sciences.