Dr. Saurabh Shakya
March 16, 2026 2026-08-13 12:55Dr. Saurabh Shakya
Research Areas
- Cilia Biology
- Membrane Trafficking
- Ciliopathies
Research
Biogenesis of Primary Cilia
Primary cilia are microtubule-based organelles that play essential roles in early development and tissue homeostasis. The laboratory studies the formation of primary cilia from the mother centriole and the intracellular trafficking events involved in cilia assembly.
The research aims to identify novel regulators of cilia assembly using biochemical and molecular biology approaches, together with advanced fluorescence microscopy.
Ciliopathy: Bardet-Biedl Syndrome
The laboratory investigates primary cilia dysfunction in Bardet-Biedl syndrome, a genetic disorder associated with developmental delays, skeletal anomalies, heart defects and kidney cysts.
The research focuses on identifying new genes and genetic variants associated with Bardet-Biedl syndrome and understanding their contribution to disease pathogenesis.
CRISPR-Cas9-based cell-line disease models and patient-derived cell models are being developed to investigate disease mechanisms and explore potential rescue therapies.
Research Approach
The laboratory combines biochemical and molecular biology approaches with advanced fluorescence microscopy to study intracellular trafficking, cilia assembly and the molecular basis of ciliopathies.
Disease mechanisms are further investigated using CRISPR-Cas9-based disease models and patient-derived cell models, providing a platform for studying potential therapeutic strategies.
Lab Members
- Vijay Anand
- Utkarsh
Teaching
Cell Biology
Selected Publications
- Variants in the WDR44 WD40-repeat domain cause a spectrum of ciliopathy by impairing ciliogenesis initiation. Accogli, A.*, Shakya, S.*, Yang, T*. et al. Nature Communications, 15, 365, 2024.
- Rab22A recruits BLOC-1 and BLOC-2 to promote the biogenesis of recycling endosomes. Shakya, S., Sharma, P., Bhatt, A.M., Jani, R.A., Delevoye, C., and Setty, S.R. EMBO Reports, 19, 2018.
