Dr. Maheswari Rajasekaran

B.Pharm., M.Tech Industrial Biotechnology, Ph.D. Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences

Maheswari started her science career with an undergraduate degree in Pharmacy and later went on to complete a master’s degree in Biotechnology in India. She then pursued a Ph.D. at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in the USA. Her dissertation was in the area of pharmacology and was about characterizing allosteric modulators of cannabinoid type -2 receptors as novel therapeutics for inflammatory diseases. She has published her work during her Ph.D. in peer-reviewed journals. Soon after her Ph.D., she worked as an Assistant Professor at Stella Maris College in Chennai, India. Subsequently, she started doing several science writing assignments as a freelancer. Communicating science eloquently for all types of audiences to understand is one of her strengths. She currently holds a position as a senior analyst in a private company and continues to actively pursue her passion for science writing.

Articles from Maheswari

Sero-epidemiological insights into pathways to COVID-19 immunity

A new study posted to the medRxiv* server attempts to utilize serology as a tool to identify disparities in infection rates and vaccination coverage.

10 Oct 2021

Research finds different antibody responses following COVID vaccination and natural infection

A new study published in the journal Nature attempted to investigate memory B cell evolution 5 months after vaccination with mRNA vaccines such as Moderna (mRNA-1273) or Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT162b2) in SARS-CoV-2 naïve individuals. The study explored various aspects of memory B cell antibody response like neutralizing response, affinity, epitope targeting, and neutralizing breadth.

10 Oct 2021

Using a new public antibody to understand SARS-CoV-2 neutralization

SARS-CoV-2 infects host cells by binding to the angiotensin convertase 2 receptor (ACE2) on the cell surface through its trimeric spike (S) protein. SARS-CoV enters host human cells through endosomes, while SARS-CoV-2 enters through the cell surface and endosomes. The present study published in the journal “Cell Reports” aimed to understand the mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 antibody neutralization to facilitate the development of therapeutic interventions for COVID-19.

4 Oct 2021

REGEN-COV shown to reduce risk of COVID-19–related hospitalization or death from any cause

The phase 1-2 clinical trials conducted using REGEN-COV had shown promising therapeutic benefits in COVID-19 outpatients. Its effect was further investigated in the present phase 3 clinical trial, the findings of which have been published in the "The New England Journal of Medicine".

3 Oct 2021

Limited evidence colchicine reduces COVID-19 related hospitalization

The present randomized clinical trial attempted to study if colchicine will effectively hasten recovery and reduce COVID-19 associated hospitalizations or death.

27 Sep 2021

Hyperbranched polylysine nanopolymer as potential broad-spectrum antiviral against SARS-CoV-2

The findings from this study suggest that HPNs may inhibit viral replication and budding.

27 Sep 2021

The influence of prior seasonal coronavirus infection on disease severity in COVID-19

A new study posted to the bioRxiv* server attempted to explore anti-spike IgG responses, Fc-gamma receptor (FcγR) activation, IgG targeting of immunodominant regions, and recall responses due to seasonal hCoV infections in non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

20 Sep 2021

Digital spatial profiling of individual glomeruli from HIV and COVID-19 patients

Now, a new study posted to the bioRxiv* server by scientists from the University of Washington explores the use of NanoString’s GeoMx digital spatial profiling (DSP) to investigate CG caused by HIV and SARS-Cov-2 infections.

14 Sep 2021

Metabolic and immune markers as tools for risk stratification and monitoring in COVID-19

In a new study posted to the medRxiv* server scientists from Weil Cornell University and Stony Brook University in New York attempted to identify the metabolic and immune markers associated with severe COVID-19 disease using high-throughput targeted nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and high-dimensional flow cytometry. This will facilitate risk stratification, monitoring, and therapeutic interventions in COVID-19 patients.

14 Sep 2021

Implications of persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with lymphoid malignancies

In a recent study, scientists attempt to understand persistent COVID-19 and its implications in patients with hematologic malignancies.

6 Sep 2021