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Review
. 2021 Sep;79(3):433-444.
doi: 10.1007/s12013-021-01002-y. Epub 2021 May 31.

My Journey in Academia as a Lipid Biochemist

Viswanathan Natarajan  1
Affiliations
Review

My Journey in Academia as a Lipid Biochemist

Viswanathan Natarajan. Cell Biochem Biophys. 2021 Sep.

Abstract

An overview of Prof. Viswanathan Natarajan's journey in academia as a mentor, teacher, and lipid scientist for nearly 50 years is presented. As a graduate student, Dr. Natarajan interrogated biosynthesis and catabolism of phospholipids in the developing brain; however, in the last five decades, he has been investigating the role of sphingolipids and sphingolipid-metabolizing enzymes in pulmonary endothelial cells, epithelial cells, and fibroblasts under normal conditions and during various lung pathologies such as sepsis, asthma, pulmonary hypertension, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and lung cancer. His recent work on sphingosine-1-phosphate and lysophosphatidic acid metabolism in pre-clinical animal models has identified small molecule inhibitors in the signaling pathways that could have therapeutic potential in ameliorating pulmonary fibrosis, hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension, lung cancer, and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Future research in bioactive lipids in combination with OMICS should unravel the importance of various lipid mediators as modulators of cell function under normal and pathological conditions.

Keywords: Academic Journey; Evolution of a Chemist; Lipid Biochemist.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author declares no competing interests.

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