Dr. Sumi S

Dr. Sumi completed her Masters in Biotechnology from Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, and her PhD in Biomedical Sciences from Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences & Technology, Thiruvananthapuram. Further, she worked in DBT-Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology for past 15+ years as a DBT-research associate, DST-Woman Scientist and as a Program scientist. She has secured extramural research funding from several national agencies, and published more than 23 articles in reputed international journals.

Research interest

Principal focus of the laboratory is to delineate the molecular mechanisms involved in vascular diseases for predictive marker discovery and drug target identification. Precisely, we utilise patient samples and endothelial cell models to understand the role of hemodynamic flow pattern, inflammation and epigenetic reprogramming in vascular disease pathology.

Extramural funding

• SERB-core research grant (2021-2024). Piezo-KLF2 axis in endothelial dysfunction and venous wall remodelling in varicose veins. Rs. 50,43,859/-

• Dr N Radhakrishnan Foundation for Research on Venous Diseases (2018-2025). Molecular Pathogenesis of varicose veins. Rs. 10, 00,000/-

• ICMR extramural grant (2019-2022). Do epigenetic alterations in shear stress regulatory genes induce endothelial mesenchymal transition in patients with cerebral arteriovenous malformations? Rs. 39,79,752/-

• KSCSTE –YIPB (2018-2021). Role of hemodynamic shear stress in the pathogenesis of varicose veins. Rs 23, 65,000/-

• DST- WOS A (2014-2017). Genetic and epigenetic mediated regulation of gene expression in pancreatic β cells by metabolites of gut microbiota. Rs. 30,02,667/-

Honors and awards

• DBT-RGCB Best teacher award for MSc Biotech course (2024, 2023, 2022, 2021)
• DST Women Scientist fellowship (2014)
• Prof. N K Ganguly award for Young Scientists in Cardiovascular Clinical Research (2012)
• Research associateship from Department of Biotechnology, New Delhi (2010)
• Qualified CSIR (NET) JRF (2003)
• Qualified GATE (percentile score 93.78) (2003)
• First rank in MSc Biotechnology, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala (2003)

Publications (* Corresponding)

• Sreelakshmi BJ, Karthika CL, Ahalya S, Kalpana SR, Kartha CC, Sumi S*. Mechanoresponsive ETS1 causes endothelial dysfunction and arterialization in varicose veins via NOTCH4/DLL4 signaling. European Journal of Cell Biology. 2024 103(22):151420.

• Karthika CL, Vani Venugopal, Sreelakshmi BJ, Krithika S, Jaya Mary Thomas, Mathew Abraham, Kartha CC, Rajavelu A, Sumi S*. Oscillatory shear stress modulates Notch-mediated endothelial mesenchymal plasticity in cerebral arteriovenous malformations. Cellular & Molecular Biology Letters. 2023 28:22.

• Thomas JM, Sasankan D, Abraham M, Sumi S, Kartha CC, Rajavelu A. DNA methylation signatures on vascular differentiation genes are aberrant in vessels of human cerebral arteriovenous malformation nidus. Clinical Epigenetics. 2022 13; 14(1):127.

• Vani Venugopal and Sumi S*. Molecular biomarkers and drug targets in brain arteriovenous and cavernous malformations: where are we? Stroke, 2022; 53(1):279-289.

• Karthika CL, Ahalya S, Vyshna Beena, BinilRaj SS, RaviKumar B Lakkappa, Ravi Kalyani, Radhakrishnan N, Kalpana SR, Kartha CC, Sumi S*. Shear stress alterations activate BMP4/pSMAD5 signaling and induce endothelial mesenchymal transition in varicose veins. Cells, 2021; 10(12), 3563.

• Verma A, Sumi S and Seervi M. Heat shock proteins-driven stress granule dynamics: yet another avenue for cell survival. Apoptosis, 2021; 26(7-8):371-384.

• Thomas JM, Sasankan D, Sumi S, Abraham M, Rajavelu A, Kartha CC. Aberrant regulation of retinoic acid signaling genes in cerebral arterio venous malformation nidus and neighbouring astrocytes. Journal of Neuroinflammation, 2021; 18(1):61.

• Karthika CL, Ahalya S, Radhakrishnan N, Kartha CC, Sumi S*. Hemodynamics mediated epigenetic regulators in the pathogenesis of vascular diseases. Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, 2021; 476:125–143.

• Krithika S and Sumi S*. Neurovascular inflammation in the pathogenesis of brain arteriovenous malformations. Journal of Cellular Physiology, 2020; 236(7):4841-4856.

• Seervi M, Sumi S, Chandrasekharan A, Sharma AK, Santhosh Kumar TR. Molecular profiling of anastatic cancer cells: potential role of the nuclear export pathway. Cellular oncology, 2019 Oct; 42(5):645-661.

• Thomas JM, Sumi S, Abraham M, Sasankan D, Bhaadri S, Rajavelu A, Kartha CC. Gene expression analysis of nidus of cerebral arteriovenous malformations reveals vascular structures with deficient differentiation and maturation. PLoS ONE 2018; 13(6): e0198617.

• Radhakrishnan N, George D, Jayakrishnan R, Sumi S*, Kartha CC*. Vein size and disease severity in chronic venous diseases. International Journal of Angiology 2018 Dec; 27(4):185-189.

• Sumi S, Surya Ramachandran, V Raman Kutty, Maulin M Patel, Anand TN, Ajit Mullassari, Kartha CC. ENPP1 121Q functional variant enhances susceptibility to coronary artery disease in South Indian patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry 2017; 435:67–72.

• Thomas JM, Sumi S, Abraham M, Rajavelu A, Kartha CC. Genetic and epigenetic mechanisms in the development of arteriovenous malformations in the brain. Clinical Epigenetics 2016; 8:78.

• Sumi S, Kalpana SR, Aarcha Suresh, Binil Raj SS, Ravi Kumar B Lakkappa, Giridhar Kamalapurkar, Radhakrishnan N, Kartha CC. Arterialization and anomalous vein wall remodeling in varicose veins is associated with upregulated FoxC2-Dll4 pathway. Nature-Laboratory Investigation 2016; Apr;96(4):399-408.

• Vinitha A, Raman Kutty V, Vivekanand A, Reshmi G, Divya G, Sumi S, Santosh KR, Pratapachandran NS, Ajit Mullassari, Kartha CC, Ramachandran S. PPIA rs6850: A > G single-nucleotide polymorphism is associated with raised plasma cyclophilin A levels in patients with coronary artery disease. Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry 2016 Jan; 412(1-2):259-268.

• Sumi S, Ramachandran S, V Raman Kutty, Maulin M Patel, Anand TN, Ajit Mullassari, Kartha CC. Nonsynonymous T280M gene variant of CX3CR1 in South Indian population is associated with reduced risk for vascular disease in patients with diabetes mellitus. Current Research: Cardiology 2015; 2 (4): 188-192.

• Sumi S, Athira G, Radhakrishnan Nair, Kalpana SR, Divya H. Nair, Jissa VT, Ravikumar BL, Giridhar Kamalapurkar, Kartha CC. Forkhead box C2 promoter variant c.-512C>T is associated with increased susceptibility to chronic venous diseases. PLoS ONE 2014; 9(3): e90682.

• Sumi S and Radhakrishnan VV. Diagnostic significance of humoral immune responses to recombinant antigens of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in patients with pleural tuberculosis. Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis 2010; 24: 283-288.

• Sumi S, Madhavilatha GK, Sathish Mundayoor, Annamma Mathai and Radhakrishnan VV. Assessment of four recombinant mycobacterial antigens as serodiagnostic markers for pulmonary tuberculosis. Journal of Clinical Medicine and Research 2009; 1(3): 35-40.

• Sumi S and Radhakrishnan VV. Evaluation of immunohistochemistry with a panel of antibodies against recombinant mycobacterial antigens for the diagnosis of tuberculous lymphadenitis. International Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences 2009; 1 (5): 215-219.

• Anie Y, Sumi S, Varghese P, Madhavi LG, Sathish M, Radhakrishnan VV. Diagnostic approaches in patients with tuberculous pleural effusion. Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Diseases 2007; 59(4):389-394.

• Jegan Roy, Sumi S, K Sangeetha, T Emilia Abraham. Chemical modification and immobilization of Papain. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology 2004; 80:184-188.

Refereed book chapters

• Sumi S* and Kartha CC. Genetic and Epigenetic Regulation by Gut Microbe-Modulated Metabolites in Chronic Metabolic Diseases. In: Thomas, S. (eds) Human Microbiome. Springer, Singapore. 2022. 109-127.

• Sumi S* and Kartha CC. Role of Non-coding RNAs in Vascular Complications of Diabetes Mellitus. In Mechanisms of Vascular Defects in Diabetes Mellitus, Advances in Biochemistry in Health and Disease 17. Eds. Kartha CC, Ramachandran S, Pillai MR. Springer International Publishing. 2017; 341- 357.

• Sumi S, Mathai A, Radhakrishnan VV. Dot-immunobinding assay. In Methods Molecular Biology. Eds. Kurien BT & Scofield RH. Towata, NJ: Humana Press Inc., 2015; 1312:105-8.

• Mathai A, Sumi MG, Sumi S, Anie Y, Radhakrishnan VV. Immunology of neurotuberculosis. In Reviews in Neurology. Eds. Arun B Taly & Gagandeep Singh, Indian Academy of Neurology, 2009: 265-294.

Professional memberships

2017- Life member, Society of Biological Chemists, India

2016- Life member, Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences, International Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences, Indian Chapter

2014- Life member, Indian Society of Cell Biology (ISCB)

2013- Life member, Association for the promotion of DNA fingerprinting and other DNA technologies (ADNAT)