Anonymous

Details

Skills

I am currently working as a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Oxford, learning new electrophysiological techniques to study the impact of drugs on brain function. These include electrophysiological recordings form single neurons, as well as monitoring neuronal network activity using high-density multielectrode arrays (26,400 electrodes, with an interelectrode distance of 17.5 micron and an area of 3.85 x 2.10 mm). In my future work, I will integrate these electrophysiological techniques with my established skills in behavior, neuropharmacology and toxicology, to understand the long-lasting impacts of early life drug exposure on mental health. The proof of the concept will be established in laboratory animals. I will focus drugs that are routinely used by mothers (antidepressants) and, examine the effects of exposure during different stages of perinatal life, and monitor how behavior evolves throughout adolescence into adulthood. For each drug and developmental stage that exhibits a behavioral phenotype, I will resolve the neurochemical, molecular, electrophysiological and morphometric changes in the neuronal networks driving these behaviors Once the proof of the concept is developed, I hope to work with clinicians on retrospective surveys of mentally ill subjects to examine whether the same timeline of behavioral motifs can be elucidated in humans. These studies will establish how early life drug exposure may contribute to the burden of disorders such as anxiety, depression, social and cognitive deficits.

About

My name is Nadeem and my research area in Neuropharmacology, with a particular focus on characterizing both the positive and negative effects of early life exposure in designing maternal drug treatment strategies. This has the potential to reduce mental illness in adulthood, to the human My interests in Neuropharmacology stem from broad training in pharmaceutical sciences, academic research in pharmacology and experiences of professional work in pharmacy and the pharmaceutical industry. My scientific journey began with a Bachelor of Pharmacy from the University of Sindh, Pakistan, in 2006. Subsequently, I undertook a Master of Pharmacy at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Karachi, in 2009, studying errors in antibiotic prescriptions. Following my master s degree, I joined Jamjoom Pharma (Pvt.) Ltd. in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for 2 years as a Quality Assurance Executive Officer. In 2013, driven by a passion for education and research, I returned to Pakistan and joined Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University Larkana (SMBBMUL) as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacy. Alongside my continuing teaching, I completed my Ph.D. in Neuropharmacology in 2021, from Ziauddin Medical University Karachi Pakistan, researching the developmental effects of antidepressants. In recognition of my academic contributions, I was promoted to Associate Professor in 2023 and Professor in 2024.Iam the author and co-authors of 38 publications (Nadeem Lund Baloch - Google Scholar ). It is my PhD research that has paved the way for my current and future research. My thesis showed that exposing infant rats to Fluoxetine (an antidepressant drug), via the breast milk of the mothers, led to subsequent behavioral changes in adulthood, including measures of depression, anxiety and social ability. These behavioral phenotypes correlated with perturbed tryptophan metabolism, corticosterone levels, NR3C1 and PSD-95 expression and hippocampal morphometrics. It therefore appears that early life chemical stress permanently changes the trajectory of neurodevelopment. This highlight the need to incorporate long term neurobehavioral monitoring developmental toxicity studies performed during drug development. I am currently working as a postdoctorate- research fellow at the University of Oxford UK, learning new electrophysiological techniques to study the impact of drugs on brain function. These include electrophysiological recordings from single neurons, as well as monitoring neuronal network activity using high-density multielectrode arrays (26,400 electrodes, with an interelectrode distance of 17.5 micron and an area of 3.85 x 2.10 mm). In my future research, I will integrate these electrophysiological techniques with my established skills in behavior, neuropharmacology and toxicology, to understand the long-lasting impacts of early life drug exposure on mental health in laboratory animals. I will focus on drugs that are routinely used by mothers, examine the effects of exposure during different stages of perinatal life, and monitor how behavior evolves throughout adolescence into adulthood. For each drug and developmental stage that exhibits a behavioral phenotype, I will resolve the neurochemical, molecular, electrophysiological and morphometric changes in the neuronal networks driving these behaviors. Once the proof of the concept is developed, I hope to work with clinicians on retrospective surveys of mentally ill subjects, to examine whether the same timeline of behavioral motifs can be elucidated in humans. These studies will establish how early life drug exposure may contribute to the burden of disorders such as anxiety, depression, social and cognitive deficits. I hope to combine my preclinical research with teaching for undergraduates in medicine and dentistry, as well as clinical work in healthcare settings. I have previously taught pharmacology across undergraduate courses in Pharmacy, Medicine/Surgery and dentistry, and can build on these experiences for the benefit of UK students