Faculty Details

Research Interests:

• Several early developmental mechanisms and cancers share common molecular mechanisms and players. In this context, our research focuses on the roles of specific neurodevelopmentally important genes in brain development and their potential involvement in cancer. Certain outstandin questions include: Why does the loss of function of these genes specifically cause brain-related phenotypes, while overexpression causes malignancies in different tissues?
• What are the common and distinct molecular programs between cancers and neurodevelopment, regulated by these genes? Understanding these contrasting pathologies will enable us to devise intervention strategies and take a step towards precision medicine. We use state-of-the-art cell and molecular biology techniques such as stem cell-based 3D organoids, genome editing by CRISPR Cas9, high-resolution imaging, etc.

Educational and Professional Career:

• Ph.D. from University of Pune (at National Centre for Cell Science), completed in 2009.
• Post-doctoral fellow at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden (2009–2010).
• Post-doctoral fellow at University of Cambridge, Cancer Research UK (2010–2016).
• Investigator Scientist at MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK (2016–2018).
• Senior Scientist, CSIR – Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad (2019-2024)

Selected Publications:

• Parvatam S and Chavali PL. Organs-on-a-Chip in Preclinical Studies. Microfluidics and Multi Organs on Chip. 2022. Ed. PV Mohanan. Springer Nature, USA.
• Ganguli S, Chavali PL. Intrauterine Viral Infections: Impact of Inflammation on Fetal Neurodevelopment. Front Neurosci. 2021;15:771557. Published 2021 Nov 10. doi:10.3389/fnins.2021.771557.
• Chavali PL, Stojic L, Meredith LW, et al. Neurodevelopmental protein Musashi-1 interacts with the Zika genome and promotes viral replication.Science. 2017;357(6346):83-88. doi:10.1126/science.aam9243.
• Chavali PL, Pütz M, Gergely F. Small organelle, big responsibility: the role of centrosomes in development and disease. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2014;369(1650):20130468. doi:10.1098/rstb.2013.0468.
• Chavali PL, Chandrasekaran G, Barr AR, et al. A CEP215-HSET complex links centrosomes with spindle poles and drives centrosome clustering in cancer. Nat Commun. 2016;7:11005. Published 2016 Mar 18. doi:10.1038/ncomms11005.