Indumathi Mariappan

Indumathi Mariappan completed her doctoral training in the area of Cell Biology and Molecular Biology at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad in the year 2005. She also underwent a three-year post-doctoral training at CCMB before joining the stem cell biology laboratory at LVPEI in 2008. Dr Mariappan’s research team is focused on basic and translational research efforts towards addressing the problems of retinal and corneal diseases using different sources of adult and pluripotent stem cells. The team is currently exploring the applications of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and the latest genome editing techniques to understand various mechanisms leading to retinal pathologies. The team is also engaged in translational research, to develop stem cell-based therapies for retinal dystrophic conditions. She has made significant contributions in the field of iPSC research and was one of the first to generate 3D corneal and retinal organoids in the dish. Apart from stem cells, the team works with various animal models such as mice, rat and zebrafish in basic research studies and for pre-clinical evaluations. Over the course of her career, Dr Mariappan has published research findings in well-reputed journals and made several presentations at various national and international conferences. In 2016, she was awarded the B.M. Birla Science Prize for Biology for her contributions in the area of stem cell research.