Sagara Wijeratne

Lab assistant
Email
sagara.wijeratneobfuscate@rutgers.edu

I graduated from Rutgers University in 2013 with degrees in Chemistry, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry. My first foray into research was studying RNA biology in neocorticogenesis with the Rasin Lab in Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. I became interested in the dynamic gene regulation stem cell fate decisions and circuit wiring in the brain. Exploring science led to me to medicine. Throughout the years, I was a medical scribe, a first responder, clinical research associate, and EMT. I learned that I have an affinity both medicine and science. Early on my first lab experienced, I wanted to learn more about omics to gain a better view of complex systems. This interest led me to study R coding and join the Shah Lab. My future will be in both the clinical and research sides of biomedicine as an MD/PhD.

Papers

Ribosomal stalk proteins RPLP1 and RPLP2 promote biogenesis of flaviviral and cellular multi-pass transmembrane proteins. Campos et al. Nucl. Acids Res. 2020

Post-transcriptional regulation of colonic epithelial repair by RNA binding protein IMP1/IGF2BP1. Chatterji et al. EMBO reports 2019

The LIN28B–IMP1 post-transcriptional regulon has opposing effects on oncogenic signaling in the intestine. Chatterji et al. Genes & Development 2018