My primary research priority is to identify strategies to enhance the viability of kidneys during prolonged cold storage in order to ensure the long-term survival of renal transplants. My research focuses on exploring novel mechanisms by which cold storage alters protein quality and renal function after transplantation, and importantly, to identify a possible therapeutic target that could lead to improved renal outcomes after transplantation. Specifically, my laboratory investigates the roles of the proteasome, heat shock proteins, and the complement pathway during cold storage followed by transplantation using rat models.

Nepal Veterinary Association

Director of Graduate Pharmacology and Therapeutics (PHAR 51073)

Member of Graduate Council, UAMS

Member of Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, UAMS

Long-term interest of my laboratory is to understand molecular mechanisms responsible for cold storage (CS)-induced renal damage. My research focuses on exploring novel mechanisms by which CS alters protein quality and renal function after transplantation, and importantly, to identify a possible therapeutic target that could lead to improved renal outcome after transplantation. Specifically, I plan to investigate the roles of proteasome, heat shock proteins and complement pathway during CS plus transplantation. We have established a rat kidney transplantation model, which will be fundamental in studying my independent research project on CS mediated renal damage. In addition, I’m also collaborating with Dr. MacMillan-Crow to study the molecular mechanisms that disrupt mitochondrial dynamics during renal CS and transplantation using our rat kidney transplant model.

https://www.archildrens.org/research/researchers-at-acri/nirmala-parajuli-phd

https://pharmtox.uams.edu/faculty/primary-faculty/nirmala-parajuli-ph-d/