Vascular Inflammation, Therapeutics & Analytics Lab
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At VITAL, we strive to drive innovative research in vascular health and therapeutics, offering insights that lead to better patient outcomes.
Dr. Siddarth Raajasekar.,M.Sc., MS., Ph.D
Principal Investigator
Dr. Siddarth Raajasekar is a biochemist and Assistant Professor at the Department of Biotechnology, KIT–KalaignarKarunanidhi Institute of Technology, where his work centers on vascular inflammation, immune-redox mechanisms, and translational biomarker research. He completed his PhD at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, investigating macrophage activation and inflammatory metabolites in cardiovascular disease. His current research integrates clinical data analytics, computational drug discovery, and molecular modelling to study neurovascular dysfunction, antimicrobial resistance, and inflammasome-driven disease pathways. He leads the VITAL Lab at KIT, supervising biotechnology student teams on high-impact computational and clinical projects, while actively collaborating with clinicians across major hospitals to develop next-generation diagnostics and therapeutic strategies.
Our Research Focus
Vascular Inflammation
Drug Discovery
Clinical Biomarkers
We specialize in understanding the mechanisms of vascular inflammation to develop therapeutic strategies.
Our computational approaches enhance drug discovery processes, bridging the gap between research and clinical applications.
Identifying and validating clinical biomarkers is crucial for advancing diagnosis and treatment in cardiovascular diseases.
Translational Biomedicine
We focus on translating basic scientific discoveries into real-world medical solutions that improve patient care.
Research
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The VITAL Lab is currently engaged in a diverse portfolio of computational and clinical research focused on vascular inflammation, neurovascular physiology, and therapeutic discovery. Our ongoing work includes analysing the GE-75 cohort to understand how systemic inflammation, metabolic stress, and microvascular injury influence cerebrovascular perfusion, vasoreactivity, cognition, and gait in individuals with Type 2 Diabetes. In parallel, we are investigating antimicrobial resistance patterns in uncomplicated urinary tract infections using the AMR-UTI PhysioNet dataset to identify predictors of treatment failure and empirical antibiotic inappropriateness. On the computational therapeutics front, the lab is conducting structure-guided drug repurposing studies targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome, mapping the binding behaviour of inhibitors such as MCC950 and OLT1177 across multiple conformational states, and identifying novel targets within glioma stem cell survival pathways for potential GBM therapeutics. Together, these projects reflect the lab’s commitment to bridging biotechnology, clinical analytics, and computational discovery to address critical challenges in vascular and inflammatory diseases.
Our Team.
Welcome to the VITAL Lab, where a passionate team of B.Tech Biotechnology students fuels our innovative projects. With expertise in vascular inflammation, computational drug discovery, and clinical dataset analytics, our collaborative environment thrives on curiosity and strong scientific foundations. Our students are integral to every aspect of our research, from data analysis and literature exploration to molecular modelling and manuscript preparation, propelling our lab's mission forward. Join us as we explore the frontiers of biotechnology
Pooja.G
Undergrad Student
Mathiazhagan.R
Undergrad Student
Pandi Murugan.K
Undergrad Student
Ragul.P
Undergrad Student
Kokila.M
Undergrad Student
Bavana. S.R
Undergrad Student
Vishal.N
Undergrad Student
Jagadeeshwaran.V
Undergrad Student
Aiswarya.M
Undergrad Student
Sabarinathan.A
Undergrad Student
Veera Santhosh.S
Undergrad Student
Dharshini.S
Undergrad Student
Sahanaa.P.K
Undergrad Student
Varsha Shree.P.S
Undergrad Student
Ongoing Research
1. Cerebrovascular Perfusion in Type 2 Diabetes
Mapping how inflammation and metabolic stress alter brain perfusion in the GE-75 cohort. (PI: Dr. Siddarth Raajasekar)
2. Kidney Microvascular Injury & Cognitive Decline
Linking renal microvascular injury and systemic inflammation to gait and cognitive impairment. (PI: Dr. Siddarth Raajasekar)
3. AMR-UTI Resistance Analytics
Identifying predictors of antimicrobial resistance and empirical treatment failure in UTI cases. (PI: Dr. Siddarth Raajasekar)
4. Glioma Stem Cell Targets in GBM
Discovering druggable pathways controlling glioma stem cell survival using in-silico modelling. (Co-PI: Dr. Siddarth Raajasekar)
5. NLRP3 Drug Repurposing – MCC950
Analysing state-dependent binding of MCC950 across NLRP3 conformational states. (PI: Dr. Siddarth Raajasekar)
6. OLT1177 Conformational Plasticity
Modelling divergent binding modes of OLT1177 to understand inflammasome inhibition. (PI: Dr. Siddarth Raajasekar)
7. GBM Drug Repurposing
Screening repurposable molecules for GBM therapy using structure-guided computational tools. (Co-PI: Dr. Siddarth Raajasekar)
8. Semaglutide–Liver Interaction Modelling
Mapping semaglutide’s hepatic signalling and metabolic effects through in-silico pathway analysis. (Co-PI: Dr. Siddarth Raajasekar)
Publications
Raajasekar, S., Roake, J., Cameron, V., Benson, R., Pilbrow, A., & Gieseg, S. (2025). Plasma total neopterin and neopterin levels are significantly elevated in stroke patients before carotid endarterectomy surgery. Pteridines, 36(1), 20250055.
Baxter-Parker, G., Roffe, L., Moltchanova, E., Jefferies, J., Raajasekar, S., Hooper, G., & Gieseg, S. P. (2021). Urinary neopterin and total neopterin measurements allow monitoring of oxidative stress and inflammation levels of knee and hip arthroplasty patients. PLoS One, 16(8), e0256072.
3. Significance of immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture filtrate protein antigens in cerebrospinal fluid of tuberculous meningitis patients: A search for diagnostic marker
Giribhattanavar, P., Kumar, K., Raajasekar, S., Chandrashekar, N., & Patil, S. A. (2017). Significance of immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture filtrate protein antigens in cerebrospinal fluid of tuberculous meningitis patients: A search for diagnostic marker. Journal of Immunoassay and Immunochemistry, 38(1), 45–57. https://doi.org/10.1080/15321819.2016.1215329
4. Impact of Single amino acid Polymorphisms in Protein-Protein interactions in tumorigenic cluster A and cluster B of VHL: Computational molecular dynamics
Doss, C. G. P., Chakraborty, C., Siddarth, R., Nagasundaram, N., Magesh, R., Udhayakumar, S., ... & Priyadharshini Christy J. (2014). Impact of Single amino acid Polymorphisms in Protein-Protein interactions in tumorigenic cluster A and cluster B of VHL: Computational molecular dynamics. In IWBBIO (pp. 1705-1716).