Careers
Dr. Namitha Kumar's Profile
MA, PhD
Namitha A Kumar has a PhD in psychology from the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) focusing on the cognitive aspects of disability. She works in the field of rare, genetic disorders and currently, develops all the medical content for the Open Platform for Rare Diseases (OPFORD).
Written / Edited / Medically Reviewed
Unmutated Form of P53 Protein is the Key to Cancer Prevention
New enzyme pathway that plays a role in anticancer protein p53 has been discovered by scientists. Oncogene p53 has two faces, i.e its unmutated form prevents cancer while mutated form leads to aggressive cancers.
Gene Therapy for Macular Degeneration
Gene therapy gives new hope for age-related blindness. Scientists were able to deliver the gene for a retinal opsin into the genome of ganglion cells using an adeno-associated viral vector. The blind ganglion cells were restored and became sensitive to light.
CRISPR-Cas9 Gene Editing Creates Invisible Stem Cells
CRISPR gene editing makes pluripotent stem cells invisible to the immune system. Autologous induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) made invisible to the body’s immune system with gene editing by CRISPR-Cas9.
Sickle Cell Anemia Gets a New Ray of Hope
Sickle cell anemia is a devastating blood disorder that can cause early death. With advances in gene therapeutics, new study focus on correcting the disease at the genetic level.
Genes Can Help Distinguish A Number of Scents
Genetic mechanism in the human nose can enable the detection of a number of various scents. Scientists have uncovered the mechanisms by way of which neurons and genes work in tandem to enable the human nose to distinguish a finite number of scents.
