Bioenergetics: Open Access

Bhawana Agarwal

Bhawana Agarwal
Biotechnology and Bioengineering Center
Medical College of Wisconsin, USA

Biography

I received my PhD in Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology from Indian Institute of Technology in 2008. My dissertation work was to investigate the role of anions to elucidate the Molecular mechanism of ATP synthesis.  After receiving my PhD, I joined the group of Dr. Dan Beard and Dr. Ranjan Dash, in Biotechnology and Bioengineering Centre, in association with Dr. Zeljko Bosnjak, Dr. David Stowe and Dr. Amadou Camara, in the Department of Anesthesiology, in the Medical College of Wisconsin as a postdoctoral fellow.  Under their auspices I am studying how volatile anesthetics modulate mitochondrial function and the potential implications of these findings in understanding an anesthetic protection against ischemia and reperfusion injury for cardioprotection.  I also received two masters’ degrees - in Organic Chemistry and Biochemical Engineering from Kanpur University and Harcourt Butler Technological Institute, Kanpur, India, respectively. The topic of my master dissertation in Biochemical Engineering was the Fed batch production of Alkaline proteases from Bacillus licheniformis. 

Research Interest

Dr. Agarwal’s recent research interests also focus on the role of mitochondria (respiration, inner membrane potential, redox potential, reactive oxygen species) in cardiac preservation during ischemia and reperfusion in isolated rat hearts. Understanding the source and mechanism of ROS/RNS generation could lead to the development of drug target and prevention of mitochondrial diseases.  Other research interests include regulation of mitochondrial ion flux (hydrogen, sodium and calcium fluxes), mitochondrial pH, membrane potential, mPTP and mitochondrial ROS, and the effects of derangement in these processes in the potential squealed of activation of cellular injury.