M.S. Microbiology, Panjab University Chandigarh, India Ph.D. Molecular Biology, Loyola University Chicago Postdoctoral fellowship, HHMI, University of California San Diego

A protein biochemist and cell biologist by training, Dr. Bhandari uses mammalian cells and S. cerevisiae (Baker's yeast) as model systems to study fundamental questions in cell biology. Dr. Bhandari spent a significant amount of her postdoctoral training on studying the transport of secretory/transmembrane proteins from the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER). The ER is a site of many important cellular functions including proper protein folding, posttranslational modifications and maintaining Ca2+ homeostasis in virtually every mammalian cell. Perturbations in these functions generate ER stress and lead to activation of a signaling program known as the “Unfolded protein response (UPR)”. By triggering UPR, cells initially try to restore normal function by halting general protein translation, selectively enhancing production of molecular chaperones involved in protein folding and triggering autophagy for cell survival. However, if the damage is beyond repair and homeostasis is not achieved within a reasonable time frame, the UPR ultimately commits cells to apoptosis. How cells make this life-or-death decision remains an exciting and unanswered question. Dr. Bhandari is very interested in identifying factors/mechanisms that play a decisive role in determining whether cells survive or succumb to ER stress. Her long-term goal is to determine if the switch from cytoprotective to apoptotic signaling by UPR can be manipulated to achieve pharmacological intervention in diseases like Cancer, Neurodegeneration, Cardiovascular diseases and Diabetes.