Dr. Pankaj Kumar is a postdoctoral research scholar in the Department of Internal Medicine at The Ohio State University. His research focuses on cancer biology and the immune response in lupus nephritis. Dr. Kumar completed his Ph.D in Molecular and Cancer Biology from CSIR-CCMB, India. His doctoral thesis explored the role of Hsp90 in cancer, with a particular emphasis on multidrug resistance and tumor metastasis. At Ohio State University, Dr. Kumar’s postdoctoral research has expanded to include studies on NAFLD, NASH, LPS clearance, and lupus nephritis. His significant contributions to the field are reflected in his publications in high-impact journals, such as BBA - Molecular Cell Research, Cancer Reports, and Cancer Research. Dr. Kumar received several prestigious awards, including the Keystone Symposia Travel Award and the Carl Storm International Diversity Fellowship from the Gordon Research Conferences. He has also received multiple international travel grants for his research. As an active reviewer, he contributes to several scientific journals, including Cancer Reports, Experimental Cell Research, BBA- Reviews on Cancer, and Autophagy. He has presented his research at numerous national and international conferences, such as the Gordon Research Conference, Endocrine Society Meetings, and the International Congress of Cell Biology. In addition to his research, Dr. Kumar is committed to teaching and mentoring, guiding the next generation of scientists and researchers.

Evan A. Schroder is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with degrees in Biochemistry and Microbiology. Through the Department of Biochemistry and under the mentorship of Dr. Edward Harris, he has gained four years of lab experience studying the biology and biochemistry of the Stabilin receptor family. His current research interests and projects include purifying Stabilin proteins for characterization studies and intracellular tagging to visualize their trafficking, localization, and recycling. Evan has also held research positions and internships, including participating in the Summer Undergraduate Research Program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) from 2019 to 2021. Under the guidance of Dr. Howard E. Gendelman in the Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, he completed internships focused on HIV drug design and enhancement, virus-like particle synthesis, and the implications of clinically relevant antiretroviral therapies and HIV infection on cardiac myocyte function.

Murugesan Rajaram is an Associate Professor at the Department of Microbial Infection and Immunity, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University. He has completed his Ph.D in Microbiology at the University of Madras, India and did his post-doctorate at the University of Paris and OSU. His research interest program is focused on understanding the molecular mechanism of host response to microbial infections of humans, particularly bacterial and viral diseases. His research has been focused on two major areas, 1. Understanding the molecular mechanisms and pathogenesis of cardiac dysfunction caused by bacterial and viral pneumonia, and 2. Defining the mechanism of mycobacterium tuberculosis drug resistance.

Edward N. Harris is a Professor of Biochemistry at the Department of Biochemistry, University of Nebraska in Lincoln, Nebraska. He completed his PhD studies in Cell Biology at the Louisiana State University Health Science Center in Shreveport, Louisiana in 2001 and was awarded the Chancellor’s and Graduate School Dean’s award for excellence in graduate studies. He completed a post-doctoral fellowship in the Dept of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences under the direction of Prof. Paul Weigel prior to joining the faculty at the University of Nebraska in 2010. His research interests are focused on the biology and biochemistry of the Stabilin receptors which are the only members of the Class H scavenger receptor family. Key words also include: endocytosis, hyaluronan, fatty liver disease, heparin, antisense oligonucleotides, liver, sinusoids.

Dr. Latha Prabha Ganesan, is an assistant professor at the Department of Internal Medicine, at The Ohio State University. She completed her PhD studies at the Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai. She has recently led the project on LPS clearance. She has published 44 papers in various journals and her interests include the keywords. LPS clearance, lupus nephritis, liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, liver immunology and kidney immunology, innate and adaptive immune response