Staff Profile

Introduction

Working as a senior lecturer at NUMed Malaysia since 2014. Earlier I was a post-doctoral researcher at The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA. My current roles and responsibilities are teaching Human Genetics, Cell and Molecular biology, Immunology to BMS and MBBS students. My research interests include pharmacogenomics, RNA biology and medical education.

Qualifications

• Ph.D, Department of Biotechnology, Manipal University, Manipal, India 
• Post-doctoral fellowship,Center for RNA biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA
• Post-doctoral fellowship, Center for Pharmacogenomics, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA
• Certificate in principles of clinical pharmacology, National Institute of Health, USA
• MBA, Annamalai University DDE, India

Impact and Awards

2016     Teaching Excellence Awards Nominations: Innovative Teaching Methods (Medical Sciences) and Taught Supervisor category  

2015     Teaching Excellence Awards Nominations: Innovative Teaching Methods

2013     Selected for Pharmacogenomics Research Network (PGRN) ‘HOT TOPIC’, PGRN Scientific  
            steering committee meeting, Columbus, USA

2009     Young Scientist Award from Indian Society of Human Genetics (ISHG-2009), India

2009     Best poster award, Manipal University, Manipal, India

2008     Best poster award, Manipal University, Manipal, India

2007     Best paper presentation award at the ‘International Conference on Biomarkers in Health…’
            Coimbatore, India

2001    Gold Medal in Masters Degree, Mangalore University, India

Research interests:

• RNA biology – Specifically mRNA decay, role of coding and non-coding RNAs in translation
• Pharmacogenomics – Role of regulatory polymorphisms in drug metabolism
• Mitochondrial genetics – Mitochondrial DNA mutation in cervical cancer
• Genetics of CNS disorders – Molecular markers in Lewy body dementia
• Medical Education – Teaching methodologies and approaches to assessment

Module lead (Biomedical Sciences)

• Genetics
• Control of Eukaryotic Gene Expression
• Clinical Immunology and Viral Pathogens

Unit lead (MBBS)

• Life Cycle 1 – Genetics

Teaching (Biomedical Sciences)

• Cell Biology and Disease (Stage II)
• Control of Eukaryotic Gene Expression (Stage II)
• Clinical Immunology and Viral Pathogens (Stage II)
• Genetics (Stage I)
• Cell biology (Stage I)
• Pharmacology (Stage I)
• Microbiology and Immunology (Stage I)
• Practical Skills in Biomedical and Biomolecular Sciences 1 & 2

Teaching (MBBS)

• Life Cycle 1
• Clinical Sciences and Investigative Medicine 1
• Clinical Sciences and Investigative Medicine 2
• Nutrition, Metabolism and Endocrinology 2

• Mascarenhas R, Pietrzak M, Smith RM, Webb A, Wang D, Papp AC, Pinsonneault JK, Seweryn M, Rempala G, Sadee W. Allele-selective transcriptome recruitment to polysomes primed for translation: protein-coding and noncoding RNAs, and RNA isoforms. PLoS One 2015, 10(9), e0136798.
• Kabekkodu SP, Bhat S, Radhakrishnan R, Aithal A, Mascarenhas R, Pandey D, Rai L, Kushtagi P, Mundyat GP, Satyamoorthy K. DNA promoter methylation-dependent transcription of the double C2-like domain β (DOC2B) gene regulates tumor growth in human cervical cancer. Journal of Biological Chemistry 2014, 289(15), 10637-10649.
• Kabekkodu SP, Bhat S, Mascarenhas R, Mallya S, Bhat M, Pandey D, Kushtagi P, Thangaraj K, Gopinath PM, Satyamoorthy K. Mitochondrial DNA variation analysis in cervical cancer. Mitochondrion 2014, 16, 73-82.
• Mascarenhas R, Dougherty JA, Schoenberg DR. SMG6 cleavage generates metastable decay intermediates from nonsense-containing β-globin mRNA. PLoS ONE 2013, 8(9), e74791.
• Dougherty JA, Mascarenhas R, Schoenberg DR. Quantitative analysis of deadenylation-independent mRNA decay by a modified MBRACE assay. In: Polyadenylation. Humana Press, 2014, pp.353–371.
• Patra S, Mascarenhas R, Maliyakkal N, Aranjani JM. Protocatechualdehyde induce apoptosis in human non-small-cell lung cancer cells by up regulation of Growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible (GADD) genes. Mol Biol 2013, 2:113:e1000113.
• Smith RM, Webb A, Papp AC, Newman LC, Handelman SK, Suhy A, Mascarenhas R, Oberdick J, Sadee W. Whole transcriptome RNA-Seq allelic expression in human brain. BMC Genomics 2013, 14, 571.
• Mascarenhas R, Kabekkodu SP, Vijaya PH, Manjunath K, Graw J, Gopinath PM, Satyamoorthy K. Analysis of mitochondrial DNA variations in Indian patients with congenital cataract. Mol Vis 2012, 18, 181-93.
• Guruprasad KP, Mascarenhas R, Gopinath PM, Satyamoorthy K. Studies on Brahma rasayana in male swiss albino mice: Chromosomal aberrations and sperm abnormalities. J Ayurveda Integr Med 2010, 1(1), 40-4.
• Mascarenhas R, Vijaya PH, Lavanya GR, Shama PK, Santhiya ST, Graw J, Gopinath PM, Satyamoorthy K. A novel human CRYGD mutation in a juvenile autosomal dominant cataract. Mol Vis 2010, 16, 887-96.
• Tungekar A, Mandarthi S, Mandaviya PR, Gadekar VP, Tantry A, Kotian S, Reddy J, Prabha D, Bhat S, Sahay S, Mascarenhas R, Badkillaya RR, Nagasampige MK, Yelnadu M, Pawar H, Hebbar P, Kashyap MK. ESCC ATLAS: A population wide compendium of biomarkers for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Scientific Reports 2018, 8(1), 12715.