Vishalini Venkatesan

Project Title: The Molecular Mechanisms of Cyst Expansion and Cardiovascular Diseases in Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD)

• Selected for the Kansas PKD-RTCC Summer Student Enrichment Program and received €3,350 in full funding from the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, to receive specialized training in 3D microcyst assays using primary normal human kidney and PKD cells.

Project Title: Unraveling the role of DNA Demethylation in Postnatal Heart Development • Developed and validated a Langendorff-free protocol for primary cardiomyocyte isolation, reducing processing time by 80% (from five hours to one) and avoiding €10,000 in specialized equipment costs while maintaining cell viability. • Served as the primary liaison among the animal facility, MRI unit, and microscopy team, aligning breeding, longitudinal cardiac imaging, experimental activities, and timelines.

• Developed structured lesson plans and delivered 40+ hours of tutorials, simplifying core concepts in cardiovascular physiology, epigenetics, radiology, and molecular cardiology. • Supported student performance and evaluation by organizing revision sessions and assessments.

Project Title: Assessment of Redox State in Peroxisome-deficient Cells • Standardized patient-derived iPSC-cardiomyocyte cell culture workflows, improving laboratory efficiency and reducing bacterial contamination. • Optimized commercial ELISA-based protocols for measuring glutathione (GSH) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), improving assay reliability. • Reviewed 80+ publications and analyzed multi-omics data on gene expression in peroxisomal disorders, contributing to a scientific review article.

Project Title: Genotyping and Characterization of Cardiac-Specific Tet3 Knock-out Mice • Isolated primary mouse fibroblasts and performed AAV packaging, filtration, and viral transduction. • Validated gene knockout using genotyping PCR and Sanger sequencing and characterized downstream effects using high-throughput qRT-PCR and immunofluorescence microscopy. • Quantified cardiac fibrosis in transgenic mouse tissue using immunohistology and Masson’s trichrome staining.

Project Title: Termination of Arrhythmia Using Global Photo-stimulation in Optogenetic Murine Hearts • Generated ex vivo cardiac datasets by performing Langendorff isolated-heart perfusions in mice and operating optogenetic hardware. • Collaborated with animal technicians, electrical engineers, and computational scientists to produce data for simulation studies, contributing to three co-authored research publications.

Project Title: Generation of Cell-Permeant, Pluripotency-associated Reprogramming Recombinant Protein – GLIS1 • Produced a cell-permeant, biologically active recombinant protein with >90% purity using molecular cloning, E. coli expression, and affinity chromatography. • Confirmed protein structure and biological activity using circular dichroism spectroscopy and a scratch wound-healing assay, contributing to a co-authored research publication. • Co-authored a book chapter by reviewing and synthesizing find