Seena Ajit

Seena Ajit, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Pharmacology & Physiology at Drexel University College of Medicine

Dr. Ajit's research focus is to understand the molecular mechanisms of pain with emphasis on epigenetics.

Aberrant miRNA expression is a common feature in a variety of human diseases, thus providing avenues for the identification of biomarkers and new opportunities for the discovery and validation of novel therapeutic targets. Currently Dr. Ajit's lab is studying miRNA regulation and their utility as biomarkers in patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), a chronic neuropathic pain condition. The lab has identified several differentially expressed miRNAs in CRPS patients, highlighting the potential utility of these miRNAs as biomarkers to group patients based on their disease etiology. We are evaluating the feasibility of testing miRNA fingerprints after administering therapeutic agents, with the goal of developing rigorous translational approaches to predict utility for novel therapeutics and clinical response.

One mode of miRNA transport in body fluids is via exosomes. Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles originating from the inward budding of the plasma membrane. They carry mRNAs and miRNAs to recipient cells via circulation, with functional gene regulatory consequences. However, exosomes do not incorporate everything that is present in the parent cell, suggesting that this well-regulated process is dynamically altered by signaling cues. Thus, the composition of these vesicles varies depending on the source, the physiological conditions of cells releasing them and disease states. Exosome uptake results in modulation of gene expression in recipient cells and represents a novel mechanism of cellular communication. We are investigating alterations in composition, function and signaling mechanisms of small extracellular vesicles using in vitro approaches and rodent models of pain.