School of Life Sciences

Employment History

Senior Lecturer, School of Medicine (Faculty of Health), Keele University (2011- )

• Full Member, Cellular and Neural Engineering Group, Institute for Science & Technology in Medicine

• Coordinator for Medical Intercalated Degrees

• Scientific Lead for Neuroscience/Neurology unit of undergraduate medical curriculum

Lecturer, School of Medicine (Faculty of Health), Keele University (2007-11).

• Full Research member, Institute for Science and Technology in Medicine, Keele University.

Junior Fellow-Multiple Sclerosis Society, UK, Cambridge Centre for Brain Repair and Veterinary Medicine, Cambridge University (2003-07)

Research Associate, Cambridge Centre for Brain Repair and Veterinary Medicine, Cambridge University (Wellcome Trust funded) (2000-03)

Education

D.Phil “Cell Genesis in Hamster Cortex”, Oxford University, Wadham College, 2000, funded by an international scholarship.

MSc Medical Physiology All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, First Class, 1996

BSc (Hons) in Human Biology (Physiology) AIIMS, New Delhi, First Class, 1994

Research interests:

1. Use of novel biomedical engineering strategies (such as magnetic nanoparticles and stem cell seeded polymer scaffolds to promote neural regeneration);

2. Development of ex vivo tissue engineering injury models to evaluate cell transplantation therapies;

3. Mechanisms of effects of anti-inflammatory therapies on myelin genesis and repair

We currently use a combination of methods for these studies including:

• Mathematical modelling of handling of synthetic materials by neural cell populations (with Dr Theo Kyriacou, Keele University School of Computing Science and Mathematics)
• Isolated neural cells (primary cultures of neural stem cells, oligodendrocyte precursor cells, olfactory ensheathing cells, oligodendrocytes, astrocytes and neuronal cell lines)
• Organotypic slice cultures of normal and injured brain and spinal cord, with electrophysiological recordings from regenerating nerve fibres (with Dr David Mazzocchi Jones, Keele University)
• In vivo models of CNS injury in the adult and neonatal brain and spinal cord (demyelination and transection) with cell transplantation
• State of the art static and oscillating field MAGNETOFECTION techniques
• High resolution TEM to monitor intracellular nanoparticle fate, and development of new SEM methods to examine stem cell-nanoparticle associations (with Dr David Furness, Director -Keele University Electron Microscopy Unit)
• Proteomics based analysis of the safety of MNP mediated transfection and cell labelling (with Dr Sarah Hart, Keele University)

Elongation of a type 2 astrocyte on a nanofabricated polymer scaffold fibre (with Dr Y Yang)
Axonal outgrowth across a transecting lesion in mouse spinal cord slice culture	Differentiation of an OPC transfected with magnetic nanoparticles into a complex, membrane eleborating oligodendrocyte
Combinatorial delivery of GFP & RFP plasmids to neural stem cells, mediated by magnetic nanoparticles	MNP labelled, transplanted astrocytes integrated into organotypic cerebellar slice circuitry (image features as cover of Jan2011 issue – Tissue Engineering C)
Magnetic nanoparticle mediated delivery of bicistronic plasmid encoding GFP and FGF2 to oligodendrocyte precursor transplant populations	Uptake of magnetic nanoparticle clusters by macropinocytosis in a rat astrocyte

• SI Jenkins, MR Pickard, DM Chari. 2013. Magnetic nanoparticle mediated gene delivery in oligodendroglial cells: A comparison of differentiated cells versus precursor forms. Nano LIFE, invited paper for special issue on Nanotechnology and Neuroengineering, Edited by Erkin Seker, UC Davies USA. In press.
• Chari DM. Transcriptional effects of corticosteroid therapy on myelin genesis and neuronal health. Midlands Medicine. Vol 26 (3). April 2011
• Putting the Nanoscience in Neuroscience: Magnetic attraction. 2012. British Neuroscience Association Bulletin. Issue no 66, p12. http://www.bna.org.uk/about/bna-bulletin.html

Funding

2012 PhD studentship "Evaluation of astrocyte interactions with nanomaterials" Primary supervisor

2012 EPSRC 3ME Initiative- Bridging the Gaps “Mathematical modelling of magnetic particle uptake in neural cell populations: Can we predict modes of particle handling in complex cell systems?” Principal Investigator

2012 BBSRC Project Grant “Magnetic nanoparticle mediated delivery of neurotherapeutic genes to multipotent neural stem cell transplant populations” Principal Investigator

2012 EPSRC E-TERM Landscape Fellowship "Magnetic nanoparticle based transfection of oligodendrocyte precursor cells for transplantation into a 'living brain' reductionist demyelination model", (www.regener8.ac.uk/)

2012 ISTM capital bid funding to purchase (1) Stereomicroscope with imaging system, (with ISTM neuroscience theme research scientists) ; and (2) Electrophysiology rig for electrical recordings from acute brain slices and organotypic slice culture injury models (with Dr David Mazzocchi Jones and Dr Mike Evans).

2011 MMed. Ed. project " A survey of intercalation at UK medical schools" Co-supervisor

2011 EPSRC Doctoral Training Centre PhD studentship “Strategies to enhance magnetic nanoparticle mediated delivery of therapeutic biomolecules to neural transplant populations ” Primary Supervisor

2010 North Staffordshire Medical Institute grant “Transcriptional effects of corticosteroid (CS) therapy on myelin genesis and neuronal health” Principal Investigator

2010 EPSRC Doctoral Training Centre PhD studentship “Development of Novel Tissue Engineering Strategies for Spinal Cord Repair” Primary Supervisor

2009 Royal Society UK research grant “Magnetic nanoparticle MNP mediated gene transfer to oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) derived for transplantation” Principal Investigator

2008 United States National Multiple Sclerosis Society Pilot Award “Can magnetic nanoparticles be used to modulate gene expression in demyelinated areas?” Principal Investigator

2008 BBSRC New Investigator Award “Development of magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) based delivery system for gene transfer to multipotent neural precursor cells (NPCs)” Principal Investigator

2007 British Neuropathological Society Small Grant “Effects of corticosteroid (CS) administration on myelination in the developing central nervous system (CNS)” Principal Investigator

2007 Keele School of Medicine startup fund &PhD studentship “Applications of magnetic nanoparticles for oligodendrocyte precursor cell transplantation strategies” Primary Supervisor

2003 UK Multiple Sclerosis Society, Junior Research Fellowship (four-year) “Effects of corticosteroid administration on oligodendrocyte progenitor cells and remyelination”

1996 Felix Scholarship to undertake DPhil studies at Oxford University

ISTM research themes: 1. Bioengineering & Therapeutics 2. Neuroscience & Human Metabolism