MBI Researcher Highlight: Dr. Paramita Chakrabarty

By Michelle Jaffee 

paramita Chakrabarty

Paramita Chakrabarty, Ph.D., is an associate professor of neuroscience at the University of Florida’s College of Medicine and member of the Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease. Her lab investigates the role of neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s disease.

Q: What is the most exciting discovery you’ve made so far?

A: The goal of my research is to understand how neuroinflammation influences onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Our lab has recently focused on how peripheral inflammation influences brain health. We started this project because there is a link between sepsis and cognitive impairment, which prompted us to wonder if sepsis-induced inflammation is linked to accelerated cognitive decline in people at higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias. We are investigating this from the other side — that is, does peripheral inflammation, or inflammation that occurs in your body and not necessarily your brain — modify function of the brain?

I have a great team of collaborators here at UF — in the departments of neuroscience, surgery, pharmacology, and psychiatry. In collaborative studies, we have observed that brain cells react rapidly to sepsis and some of these effects linger on. In particular, we are excited to pursue the male-female dichotomy in the brain’s response to this inflammation, because I think this could potentially guide personalized treatments for sepsis survivors who are at higher risk of developing dementia.

Q: How do you envision your research advancing neurological disease treatments?

Paramita in the lab instructing a lab member

A: We know that personalized medicine approaches are necessary to treat complex disorders like Alzheimer’s disease. In addition to investigating sepsis in rodent models, we have experiments in progress testing the effect of human sepsis-derived materials on brain function. We are doing these experiments in mouse models of Alzheimer’s so we can better understand the link between sepsis and Alzheimer’s dementia. Using human-derived materials allows us to build translational bridges between the fundamental science and clinical science. Through these research projects, we hope to understand fundamental aspects of how brain health is regulated by peripheral immunity. The idea is that our research, as well as other investigators’ work, will guide personalized medicine approaches to understand if inflammatory episodes occurring over a lifetime change your brain in a way that it becomes more vulnerable to dementia, specifically Alzheimer’s and related dementias.

Paramita in the lab instructing a lab member at a wet station

Q: What inspired you to focus on this area of neuroscience?

A: I did my Ph.D. in a completely different field. I am not a neuroscientist or immunologist by training; rather, I worked on biochemistry of calcium-binding proteins in parasites for my graduate thesis. Once I finished my Ph.D., I sat back and said, this is great, but I don’t know what I’m doing. I wanted to work on something I felt would affect people’s lives significantly. And then I read about Alzheimer’s disease. At that time, we knew very little about the etiology of the disease. We knew about genetic causes of early onset Alzheimer’s, but most patients develop Alzheimer’s-type dementia without any known genetic cause. We also knew little about the mechanisms underlying the development of neurodegeneration in these diseases. This was a turning point for me when I got interested in how brain function worsens in an inexorable way in some people. I was lucky to get a competitive postdoctoral position in Seattle soon after my graduation. In this lab, I worked on tau and then I moved to Florida to work on neuroinflammation with Dr. Todd Golde. Spending these formative years immersed in the science of Alzheimer’s inspired me and shaped my goal of contributing towards translational knowledge that could be used in therapeutics to combat Alzheimer’s.

Dr. Paramita Chakrabarty alongside members of her lab.

Q: What makes working in your lab different from other research environments?

A: I feel very honored to be working lockstep with some very talented graduate and undergraduate students. Their motivation drives me, and on tough days knowing my students and technicians are here with me keeps me going. Most of my trainees run their own projects, and I am proud that even undergraduate students have had first-author research papers published from our lab. I am also proud of their work ethic, their absolute dedication to rigor, and that everyone contributes to every project, even in the smallest way. This fosters an openness and sense of collaboration within the lab rather than being siloed in their own space. Our team is built on a foundation of trust and I am so proud that I can trust them implicitly and explicitly.

Q: What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

A: I like reading books, solving crossword puzzles, and traveling. Last year I visited London, spent a week walking around the city, and of course doing some touristy stuff. I loved being part of historical architecture in London and also enjoyed the beautiful countryside. Next on my bucket list is to drive around Iceland enjoying the natural beauty of the lava fields and volcanoes.