Dr. Vasanthy Narayanaswami is a professor of biochemistry in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at California State University Long Beach (CSULB). She obtained her PhD in chemistry (biochemistry) from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, did a postdoctoral training as an Alexander von Humboldt fellow at the University of Dusseldorf in Germany, and a research associateship at the University of Alberta, Canada. Her research work involves investigating the role of apolipoprotein E (apoE), the cholesterol transport protein, in relation to cardiovascular ailment and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), two major global biomedical issues. She employs a combination of biochemical, molecular, and cell biological, as well as spectroscopic approaches to examine the role that dysfunctional high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (aka “the good cholesterol”) plays in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. She also studies the role of oxidative stress on HDL biology and its function in the amyloidogenesis process in AD brains at the molecular and cellular levels. Besides, her research group evaluates the use of HDL nanodiscs as drug-delivery and targeting vehicles.
Dr. Narayanaswami has over 75 publications in peer-reviewed journals, several with students as co-authors. In 2017, she received the title of Fellow of the American Heart Association (FAHA) from the American Heart Association (AHA) for her meritorious contributions and commitment to AHA’s mission. She has received several awards and honors in recognition of her research and scholarly activities. Noteworthy among these are the 2020 Faculty Research Award from the California State University Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology and the 2020 CSULB Outstanding Professor Award.
Dr. Narayanaswami is an ardent advocate of equity and diversity in biomedical research and directs several federally funded programs that are designed to enhance equity, diversity, and inclusion in research.
In her Fulbright-Nehru project, Dr. Narayanaswami is addressing the etiology of AD. She is engaged in investigating the physiochemical aspects of amyloid plaque formation, a hallmark feature of AD, using the sophisticated mass spectrometry and imaging tools at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Hyderabad in India. This project has significance also because it calls for combining forces and initiating collaborations between two major educational and research organizations.