Affiliation: Southern Illinois University School of Medicine

Dr. Aarushi Sharma received her PhD from the Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in August 2016 under the aegis of her thesis mentor Dr. Randolph C. Elble. Her dissertation work focused on describing the mechanism of crosstalk between human chloride channel accessory protein 2 (hCLCA2) and TMEM16A or Anoctamin 1, a calcium-activated chloride channel. As a postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Sharma has carried out preclinical drug development studies on potential Bcl-2 targeting agents in leukemia cells with a focus on their effect on intracellular calcium. Her current research interests include further understanding of the mechanisms of intracellular calcium in resistant and metastatic cancers.