Madame Pratikhya ACHARYA / PhD student

Skills

1. Teamwork 2. Growth oriented mindset( Receptive to feedback and constructive criticism) 3. Resilient 4. Science Communication 5. Teaching

Techniques

My academic and research training has equipped me with a strong interdisciplinary foundation in Neuroscience, Molecular biology, and Regenerative medicine, with specific expertise in neural injury models and cell-based therapies. Cell Culture: I have hands-on experience in culturing mammalian cell lines (HEK293T, N2A) and primary cortical neurons, including transfection and maintenance protocols for functional studies. Rodent Handling and Surgery: I am proficient in a range of survival surgeries, including stereotaxic gene delivery, thoracic spinal cord crush, and sciatic nerve crush models. I have also performed neural progenitor cell (NPC) transplantation and peptide hydrogel implantation into injured CNS tissues. Histological Processing: Skilled in tissue fixation, sectioning, and immunohistochemistry/immunocytochemistry for the analysis of cellular integration, axonal regeneration, and inflammatory response. Molecular Biology Techniques: Competent in AAV transfection and purification, qPCR, RNA extraction, cDNA synthesis, CUT&RUN, SDS-PAGE, Western blotting, and agarose gel electrophoresis. Microscopy: Experienced in confocal and epifluorescence microscopy (Apotome) for high-resolution imaging of fixed and stained samples. Behavioral and Functional Analysis: I have applied DeepLabCut, a deep learning–based tool for automated behavioral tracking, to assess functional recovery in rodent models. Through my Master's research at CCMB Hyderabad, and academic training at IISER Berhampur, I have developed a strong ability to design and execute experiments that bridge molecular mechanisms and functional outcomes in CNS axon regrowth.