Education and Training

• Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences and Molecular Pathology, University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston.
• M.Sc. in Medical Entomology, Vector Control research Center (WHO), Pondicherry, India.
• B.S. in Zoology, Women’s Christian College, Chennai, India.

Research Interests

• Expression of key immune changes under immune suppressed conditions such as microgravity and cancer,
• Development of three-dimensional human tissue engineering models using no scaffolds.
• Signaling mechanisms involving the gut-brain axis in inflammation, nano-formulation, nanotechnology and mathematical radiation tissue modeling of heavy ion effects.
• Nutritional immunomodulation

Research Grants (since 2007)

• “Center for Biomedical and Minority Institutions Program”, NIH/NIMHD-Research Centers in Minority Institutions Program (RCMI), U54MD007605, $8,632,113, 2020-2025, Role: Faculty Expert
• Somatic hypermutation of B cells in Microgravity-NASA Space Biology program, $180603.00, 2020-2023, Role PI
• NSF Targeted Infusion Program 1929976                               Sundaresan, (PI)                      06/01/2019-05/31/2021                          $66414
• PI: Gene expression and transcriptomics of ETAS Effects in an APP murine model. Funded by Amino Up Chemical, Jan 1-Dec 31, 2018-Dec 31, 2020. $30,316.00
• PI: NSF “Targeted Infusion Project: Establishment of an Undergraduate Peer-Mentor Project-Based Program in STEM at Texas Southern University,” June 1, 2017 -May 31, 2021, $393,985.00.
• PI: Studies of marker and chemo-microcapsules in normal and breast tumor cells”. Nu Vue Therapeutics, Feb 1, 2015-March 31, 2016 ($55,000.00+$50000.00). December 31, 2016-2018.
• PI: Subcontract agreement between SAIC (Science Applications International Corporation NASA and TSU. May 18, 2015-September 30, 2016 ($25,691.20).
• PI: Mickey Leland Faculty led -Study Abroad grant from Texas Southern University-Awarded January 2015,2016 – ($ 5000.00).
• PI: NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) International Space Station (ISS) University Research Project. The effect of benzofuran 2-carboxylic acid derivatives in the augmentation of the immune system (UR-1)- 2013-2015 (1.67 million). TSU lead over five other HBCUs.
• PI: Effects of AHCC in human lymphocytes in modeled microgravity. Pilot grant from Amino Up Chemical Company, Japan March 2013-August 2015($25,000.00), Second award-$10000.00. Contract (March 1 2016-April 30, 2018)
• PI: The effect of UV radiation on skin fibroblasts in parabolic flight and microgravity: National Space Grant Foundation, 2013 ($5000.00).
• PI-Development and elucidation of technologies to mitigate bone loss in microgravity: UNCSFP-NASA grant awarded 2011. Grant period 2011-2014 ($600,000.00).
• PI: Toxicological studies of Lunar dust in three-dimensional lung tissue models; NASA grant, awarded, 2010-2011($50,000.00)
• Co-Principal Investigator:D.Das/Dr.Alamelu Sundaresan. Modelling ‘in vitro’ cell culture under microgravity conditions using NASA’s rotating bioreactor. Travel Grant to invite scientists from abroad, the Royal Society, UK. 2010 (15000.00 pounds sterling).
• PI: NASA Administrator’s Fellowship Program (NAFP) FAR research endeavor: Awarded July, 2008-2010 with matching NASA funds ($75,000.00).
• Principal Investigator: NASA administrator’s Grant: Awarded from 2007-2009 ($200,000)

Selected Awards and Honors

• European Low Gravity Research Association-Life Sciences “Collaboration with Europe “Lifetime achievement award, September, 2019 in Granada Spain.
• Scholarly Research and Creative activities award at Texas Southern University –May 2019, Dr. Sundaresan.
• Dr. Sundaresan. Deutsche Welle radio interview on the Spectrum program in honor of Women’s day (March 8th 2018). Topic: Where are all the women in science? SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/deutsche-welle-in-english/spectrum-where-are-all- the-women-in-science

DW      Media  Center: http://www.dw.com/en/spectrum-where-are-all-the-women-in- science/av-42846358

• Student Opportunities in Airborne Research (SOAR) on NASA’s WB-57 High Altitude Aircraft. (PI: Dr. Sundaresan, CO PI: Vivek Mann, Elvis Okoro)
• https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/student-experiments-soar-on-nasa-s-wb-57-high- altitude-aircraft.
• Women in Scientific Excellence Award in Texas, July 2015:
• Johnson Space Center- NASA University Research 1 project Group Achievement Award- January 2015(Principal Investigator)
• Speaker at DLR: https://www.dlr.de/me/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-1752/2384_read- 46684/
• Speaker-University of Oslo.https://www.odont.uio.no/forskning/aktuelt/arrangementer/gjesteforelesninger/alamelu_o pt.html
• Best Research Award: July 2014, 2016 for The International Congress on Nutrition and Integrative Medicine (ICNIM) for the project “AHCC Triggers Immune Proliferation and Activation of Human Lymphocytes via Targeted Phenotypic and Genotypic Transformation”.-July, 2014.
• Deans leadership Award-June 2011

COURSES: Head professor for Anatomy and Physiology

Biol 135: Human Anatomy and Physiology Pre-Nursing Part 1(3 credit hours)

Biol 136: Human Anatomy and Physiology Pre-Nursing Part 2(3 credit hours)

Biol 620: Graduate Course-Neurobiology (3 credit hours)

Biol 447: Human Physiology (3 credit hours)

Biol 245: Comprehensive Human Anatomy and Physiology-One semester course (3 credit hours)

Publications

1. TT Le, A Ropars, A Sundaresan, B Crucian, A Choukér, JP Frippiat.Pharmacological Countermeasures to Spaceflight-Induced Alterations of the Immune System. Stress Challenges and Immunity in Space, 637-657, 2020.
2. Vivek Mann, Alamelu Sundaresan, Satish Mehta, Brian Crucian, Sundar Devakottai. Effects of microgravity and other space stressors in immunosuppression and viral reactivation with potential nervous system involvement. Neurology India, 67 (8), 198.May 2019.
3. V Mann, A Sundaresan, M Chaganti.Cellular changes in the nervous system when exposed to gravitational variation.Neurology India 67 (3), 684, August 2019.
4. Z Peng, A Sundaresan, D Bick, S Umar, MF Doursout. Role of the Microbiome on the Modulation of the Intestinal Barrier in LPS Rats. The FASEB Journal 33 (1_supplement), lb65-lb65, 2019.
5. Vivek Mann , Daniela Grimm , Thomas J Corydon , Marcus Krüger, Markus Wehland, Stefan Riwaldt , Jayashree Sahana, Sascha Kopp, Johann Bauer, Janne E. Reseland, Manfred Infanger, Aina Mari Lian , Elvis Okoro and Alamelu Sundaresan 1, . Changes in Human Foetal Osteoblasts Exposed to the Random Positioning Machine and Bone Construct Tissue Engineering. J. Mol. Sci.2019, 20(6), 1357; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20061357 (registering DOI)
6. Vivek Mann, Elvis Okoro, Ayodotun Sodipe, Courtney Williams, Patricia Ngantcha and Alamelu Sundaresan. Lymphocyte Signaling and Function in Altered Physiological Environments. Published: December 17th 2018. DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.81171
7. Anil D Kulkarni, Marie-Francoise Doursout, Asmita Kulkarni, Alamelu Sundaresan, Takehito Miura, Koji Wakame and Hajime Fujii. Spaceflight: Immune Effects and Nutritional Countermeasure. Published: May 30th 2018.DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.74709
8. Sigrid Haugen,1 Jianying He,2 Alamelu Sundaresan,3 Astrid Kamilla Stunes,4,5 Kristin Matre Aasarød,4,5 Hanna Tiainen,1 Unni Syversen,4,6 Bjørn Skallerud,2 and Janne Elin Reseland1,* Adiponectin Reduces Bone Stiffness: Verified in a Three-Dimensional Artificial Human Bone Model In Vitro. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2018; 9: 236.
9. Okoro E, Mann V, Ellis I, Mansoor E, Olamigoke L, Marriott KC, Denkins P, Williams W, Sundaresan A. Immune modulation in normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) (Lymphocytes) in response to benzofuran-2- carboxylic acid derivative KMEG during spaceflight. Microgravity Science and Technology. 2017 August; 29(4): 331-336. DOI: 10.1007/s12217-017-9551-z.
10. Sundaresan A, Mehta S.K, Schlegel T.T., Russomano T, Pierson D.L, Mann V, Olamigoke L, Mansoor E, Okoro E. Placental Growth Factor Levels in Populations with High Versus Low Risk for Cardiovascular Disease and Stressful Physiological Environments such as Microgravity: A Pilot Study: Placental growth factor levels in cardiac disease. Microgravity science and technology. 2017 February 02; 1-5.
11. Doursout MF, Liang Y, Sundaresan A, Wakame K, Fujii H, Takanari J, Devakottai S, Kulkarni A. Active hexose correlated compound modulates LPS- induced hypotension and gut injury in rats. Int Immunopharmacol. 2016 Aug 5;39:280-286. doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2016.07.023. [Epub ahead of print]
12. Neal R. Pellis · Alexander Chouker · B. Yic · Svantje Tauber · Oliver Ullrich · Sundaresan. Overview and Translational Impact of Space Cell Biology Research. Chapter · December 2015.DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-3277-1_1 In book: Effect of Spaceflight and Spaceflight Analogue Culture on Human and Microbial Cells, pp.3-37. http://www.springer.com/us/book/9781493932764
13. Grimm, J,Grosse, V.Mann, J.E.Reseland, A.Sundaresan and T.Corydon, The impact of microgravity on bone. Bone. Vol 87, pages 44-56, June 2016.
14. Thomas J. Corydona Vivek Mann, Lasse Slumstrup, Sascha Kopp,Jayashree Sahana, Anne Louise Askou, Nils E. Magnusson David Echegoyen, Toke Bek Alamelu Sundaresan, Stefan Riwaldta, Johann Bauerf, Manfred Infangerand Daniela Grimm. .Reduced Expression of Cytoskeletal and Extracellular Matrix Genes in Human Adult Retinal Pigment Epithelium Cells Exposed to Simulated Microgravity. Cell Physiol Biochem 2016;40:1-17.
15. Olamigoke L, Mansoor E, Mann V, Ellis I, Okoro E, Wakame K, Fuji H, Kulkarni A, Francoise Doursout M, Sundaresan A.AHCC Activation and Selection of Human Lymphocytes via Genotypic and Phenotypic Changes to an Adherent Cell Type: A Possible Novel Mechanism of T Cell Activation. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015:508746. doi: 10.1155/2015/508746. Epub 2015 Dec 15.PMID: 26788109 Free PMC Article.
16. Kogiso M, Wakame K, Sakai T, Yamamoto S, Sundaresan A, Kulkarni AD*Active Hexose Correlated Compound and T cell Response in Hind – Limb – Unloaded BALB/c Mice. International Journal of Surgery and Research (IJSR) / IJSR-2379-156X-02-501 9Dec 2015) .
17. Sundaresan, K. Marriott, J. Mao, S. Bhuiyan, and P. Denkins. The effects of benzofuran-2-carboxylic acid derivatives as countermeasures in immune modulation and cancer cell inhibition.. Microgravity Sci. Technol. (2015) 27:129– 140.