Rajasingh Johnson

MPhil, PhD, HCLD (ABB)

Dr. Johnson is currently working as a professor in the Department of Bioscience Research at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, and got his secondary appointment at the Department of Medicine-Cardiology and Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Biochemistry at the same university.

Dr. Johnson trained as a postdoctoral fellow at Vanderbilt University, St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, and Northwestern University before accepting an appointment as an Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2008.

His research interest is focused on novel strategies to enhance the therapeutic benefits of stem cells in regenerative medicine particularly repairing the heart, lung and oral tissues. Currently, the lab is involved in reprogramming somatic cells (normal and patient) by utilizing a safe approach using mRNA of pluripotent factors to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and further differentiating into various kinds of cells including cardiomyocytes, Odontoblasts, Osteoblasts and Mesenchymal stem cells. The team is looking into Epigenetic mechanisms of somatic cell reprogramming and developing an exosome-based therapy as an alternative viable cell-free source for heart regeneration.