Vijay K. Singh

Ph.D.

Department of Primary Appointment:
School of Medicine
Pharmacology & Molecular Therapeutics
Title
Professor
Location: Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
Research Interests:
Radiation Biology
Radiation Countermeasures, Biomarkers, Signal Transduction
Office Phone

Education

1987 - 89 Visiting Associate, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
1984 - 87 Post-doctoral Fellow, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
1983 Ph.D., Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow (KU), India

Biography

Advanced development of radiation countermeasures and investigations for biomarkers and mechanism of action
The primary research interests of Dr. Singh’s laboratory are to develop radiation countermeasures for acute radiation syndrome (ARS) following US FDA Animal Rule. His activities for this endeavor can be divided into the following major categories: 1) Development of BIO 300 (genistein) as radiation countermeasure for ARS and delayed effects of acute radiation exposure (DEARE), 2) Development of gamma-tocotrienol for ARS, 3) Role of growth factors in progenitor mobilization and radiomitigation, 4) Identification and validation of biomarkers for radiation injury and countermeasure efficacy, 5) Advanced development of other promising radiation countermeasures using small and large animal models. His laboratory has extensive experience in studying the hematopoietic and gastrointestinal ARS following total-body and partial-body irradiation using animal models, and the effects of various radiation countermeasures on injury and recovery. He has few radiation countermeasures under advanced development which have US Food and Drug Administration Investigational New Drug (IND) status for development under Animal Rule. His objective is to identify and validate non-invasive biomarkers using various omic platforms for radiation injury and countermeasure efficacy.
His laboratory has identified and validated several biomarkers using metabolomics/lipidomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, and miRNA for radiation dose assessment and efficacy of radiation countermeasures. He has also identified a few miRNAs which can distinguish between irradiated versus unirradiated animals. Results of biomarker study using multi-omics approach is encouraging. He collaborates with large number of academic and corporate collaborators in US as well as from other countries. He is recipient of several prestigious award, editorial board member for few reputed journals, and reviewer for research grants of various US agencies of DoD and HHS. He has published 210 papers in high impact journals.

Career Highlights: Positions, Projects, Deployements, Awards and Additional Publications

1. Determination of radiation dose response for the AFRRI LINAC and subsequent non-clinical studies to evaluate potential medical countermeasures as mitigators of hematopoietic and/or low dose GI syndromes (H-ARS; GI-ARS) in an NHP model. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), $8,535,865, 9/15/2015 – 8/31/2023

2. Evaluation of radiation mitigators in nonhuman primates with supportive care. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), FY 2015 $406,581, FY 2016 $1,226,757, FY17 $1,264,698, FY18 725,333, FY19, 725,000, FY20 $425,000, FY21 $102,500, 9/30/2015 – 8/30/2023

3. Advanced development of BIO 300 for acute radiation syndrome and delayed effects of acute radiation exposure, Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs/Joint Program Committee 7 (CDMRP/JPC7), $1,195,189, 10/1/2016 – 9/8/2023.

4. Development of BIO 301 to prevent acute radiation syndrome and mitigate the delayed effects of acute radiation exposure. Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP - JWMRP), $4,720, 276, 9/30/2019 – 12/31/2024.

5. Biomarkers for the development of BIO 301 as a prophylactic radiation countermeasure for the acute and delayed effects of radiation exposure. Joint Program Committee-7, $1,089,459, 4/24/2020 – 4/23/2023

6. Proteomic biomarkers for radiation injury and countermeasure efficacy. NIAID $500,000, 10/01/2021 – 9/30/2026.

7. Development for a novel countermeasure, RadioDefender, as a radioprotector for hematopoietic acute radiation syndrome. Defense Health Agency (through Zymeron Corporation), $1,254,973, 3/25/2022 - 2/6/2024

8. Novel biologic countermeasure for acute radiation syndrome. Defense Health Agency (through Technology Holding), $1,247,939, 6/21/2022 - 10/20/2024

9. Development of BIO 300 Injectable suspension to treat radiation-induced lung injury. CDMRP (through Humanetics Corporation), $720,000, 7/1/2022 – 6/30/2025.

10. Further development of 5-AED (androstenediol, Neumune) for the protection from acute radiation syndrome (ARS). Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP – JWMRP, Through NSRI), $1,499, 367 POP TBD.

Representative Bibliography

1. Singh VK, Seed TM: An update on romiplostim for treatment of acute radiation syndrome. Drugs Today 58:133-145, 2022, PMID: 35274632

2. Vellichirammal NN, Sethi S, Pandey S, Singh J, Wise SY, Carpenter C, Fatanmi OO, Guda C, Singh VK: Lung transcriptome of nonhuman primates exposed to total‑ and partial-body radiation. Mol Ther Nucleic Acids 29: 310-320, 2022 , PMID: 36090752

3. Rosen E; Fatanmi OO; Wise SY, Rao, VA; Singh VK: Gamma-tocotrienol, a promising radiation countermeasure under development, reverses proteomic changes in serum following total-body gamma irradiation in mice. Sci Rep 12:3387, 2022, PMID: 35233005

4. Singh VK, Fatanmi OO, Wise SY, Carpenter A, Nakamura-Peek S, Serebrenik AA, Kaytor KD: A novel oral formulation of BIO 300 confers prophylactic radioprotection from acute radiation syndrome in mice. Int J Radiat Biol. 98:958-967, 2022, PMID: 34554032

5. Garg S, Garg TK, Wise SY, Fatanmi OO, Miousse IR, Savenka AV, Basnakian AG, Singh VK, Hauer-Jensen M: Effects of gamma-tocotrienol on intestinal injury in a GI-specific acute radiation syndrome model in nonhuman primate. Int J Mol Sci. 23:4643, 2022, PMID: 35563033

6. Singh VK, Seed TM: Medical countermeasures for extraterrestrial environments: Current status and future prospects with focus on acute injuries. The Health Risks of Extraterrestrial Environments (THREE) (https://three.jsc.nasa.gov/articles/Medical%20countermeasures%20for%20space%20environments%20-%20Singh.pdf) 1-59, 2022

7. Hinzman CP, Bansal S, Li Y, Iliuk A, Girgis M, Singh B, Herremans KM, Trevino JG, Singh VK, Banerjee PP, Cheema AK: A multi-omics approach identifies pancreatic cancer cell extracellular vesicles as mediators of the unfolded protein response in normal pancreatic epithelial cells. J Extracellular Vesicles 11:e12232, 2022, PMID: 35656858

8. Li Y, Girgis M, Jayatilake M, Serebrenik AA, Cheema AK, Kaytor MD, Singh VK: Pharmacokinetics and metabolomics studies with BIO 300 oral powder formulation in nonhuman primates. Sci Rep 12:13475, 2022, PMID: 35931769

9. Singh VK, Seed TM: Acute radiation syndrome drug discovery using organ-on-chips. Expt Opin Drug Discov 17:865-878, 2022, PMID: 35838021

10. Cheema AK, Li Y, Moulton J, Girgis M, Wise SY, Carpenter A, Fatanmi OO, Singh VK: Identification of novel biomarkers for acute radiation injury using multiomics approach and nonhuman primate model. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 114:310-320, 2022, PMID: 35675853