Dr. Ashok K Sharma: A Luminary in Computational Biology & Pharmaceutical Research

Current Role:

📚 Scientist-II, Takeda Pharmaceuticals

• Championing computational modeling and pipeline development projects to revolutionize the pharmaceutical domain.
• Spearheading AI/ML-based models targeting toxicological endpoints: Hepatotoxicity (DILI) & Neurotoxicity (using 3D neural spheroids).
• Streamlining sequencing projects through comprehensive analysis of datasets: Bulk RNA-seq, Nanostring, and single-cell RNA-seq.
• Enhancing pharmaceutical modalities, including small molecules and oligonucleotide therapies.

Previous Experience:

🔬 Postdoctoral Scientist, Cedars Sinai Medical Center

• Integrated and analyzed multi-omics datasets to understand Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) complexities.
• Key projects:
• Quantifying bacterial growth rates in Crohn’s disease.
• Investigating gene expression in UC patients post-IPAA surgery.
• Analyzing microbial regulation of immune responses in Crohn’s disease creeping fat.

🔍 Postdoctoral Associate, University of Minnesota Twin Cities

• Established computational pipelines on high-performance computing facilities.
• Analyzed whole genome sequencing data to study diet and lifestyle impacts on gut microbial compositions.
• Explored gut microbiome changes due to fermented food consumption.
• Identified gastrointestinal gene expression patterns using meta-transcriptomic data analysis.

Education:

• 🎓 B.Pharm in Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2010
• 🎓 M.S. in Pharmacoinformatics, NIPER Mohali, India, 2012
• 🎓 Ph.D. in Computational Biology, IISER Bhopal, 2018
• Developed machine learning-based computational methods for genomic and metagenomic data analysis.
• Predicted gut microbial-mediated drug metabolism and toxicity using chemical structure-centric approaches.
• Identified markers associated with colorectal cancer patients in India.

Awards & Recognitions:

Throughout his illustrious career, Dr. Sharma has been the recipient of numerous awards and grants, a testament to his unwavering commitment to computational biology and pharmaceutical research.

With a profound vision and unparalleled expertise, Dr. Sharma continues to be at the forefront of pharmaceutical advancements, championing the development of safer and more efficacious medicines for the global populace.