Areas of Expertise
HIV-associated lung comorbidities
Diabetology
Biochemistry
Endocrinology
Toxicology
Biography
Srinivasan Chinnapaiyan is an expert in airway biology and HIV research, with more than nine years of experience studying the intersection of HIV infection, substance use, and respiratory diseases. His expertise includes three-dimensional air-liquid interface culture of human bronchial epithelial cells, HIV latency, drugs of abuse, identification of novel small molecule inhibitors, aptamer, siRNA, and miRNA for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). He is also skilled in single-cell isolation, proteomics, CRISPR-based editing of the miRNA target sites of a specific gene, and gene therapy.
Chinnapaiyan’s current research focuses on mucociliary dysfunction in individuals with HIV who smoke tobacco or use other smoked substances. He investigates the pathophysiological mechanisms that suppress mucociliary clearance in this population and explores CRISPR-based microRNA antagonism as a novel therapeutic strategy for HIV and cigarette smoke-induced COPD.
Chinnapaiyan has published several research papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals, holds a U.S. patent, and has presented his work at national and international conferences.
Active Grants
09/01/2024 – 05/31/2028
Project Name: A CRISP(e)R approach to alleviating HIV-associated COPD
Sponsor: NIH/ NHLBI, 1R01HL176254-01
Role: Principal Investigator
Objective: The proposal will test an IRS-1 specific microRNA antagonism to restore baseline IRS-1 with ADAM17 levels and mitigate its downstream effects on mitophagy, senescence and inflammation in the context of HIV and cigarette smoke exposure.
02/01/2024 - 11/30/2028
Project Name: A CRISP(e)R way to silence HIV
Sponsor: NIH/ NIAID/ NIDA, R01AI174269-01A1
Role: Co-Investigator
Objective: The proposal will test an HIV specific CRISPR expression targeting a critical cellular factor to silence HIV in diverse HIV reservoirs.
08/01/2022 – 07/31/2025
Project Name: Restoring mucociliary clearance apparatus to mitigate lung inflammation in the context of HIV and cigarette smoke.
Sponsor: NIH/NIDA (A-START), R03 DA057162-01
Role: Principal Investigator
Objective: To determine the role of miRNA-mediated SIRT1 suppression in HIV Tat and CS-mediated mucociliary clearance (MCC) dysfunction and gene-specific microRNA antagonism in combination with SIRT1 activator to rescue SIRT1 levels, suppression of inflammation and enhance mucociliary clearance apparatus.
Honors and Awards
- Patent: “Inducible CRISPR System Expression and Applications Thereof”. Publication No. US 2023/0257780 A1, August 17, 2023
- Edu-GLIA award, Initial Training Network funded by European Commission under the Seventh Framework Programme, France
- Senior Research Fellowship in Department of Science and Technology, India
- Junior Research Fellowship in Department of Science and Technology, India
Committees and Professional Organizations
- The American Thoracic Society
- The Society for Reproductive Biology and Comparative Endocrinology
- The Society for Personalized Nanomedicine
Education
Ph.D., Biochemistry-Endocrinology (Interdisciplinary), Dr. A.L.M. Post Graduate Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Madras, Chennai, India
M.Phil., Endocrinology, Dr. A.L.M. Post Graduate Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Madras, Chennai, India
MS, Biochemistry, Annamalai University, Chidambaram, India
B.Sc., Biochemistry, University of Madras, Chennai, India