Endowed Chair, SmartState COEE Endowed Chair in Pediatric Neurotherapeutics
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Biography
Dr. Thomas received his Master’s in Zoology from Banaras Hindu University in India and his PhD from the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology Kolkata, India, where he studied the role of nitric oxide and hydroxyl radicals in neurodegeneration as it relates to Parkinson’s disease. Subsequently he joined the laboratory of Dr. Ted Dawson at Johns Hopkins University as a postdoctoral fellow in 2002, where he investigated the biology and pathophysiology of gene products associated with inherited Parkinson's disease. Prior to joining the Medical University of South Carolina, Dr. Thomas was an assistant professor in the Department of Neurology and Neuroscience at Weill Medical College of Cornell University New York from 2008-2012 and an associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University from 2012-2018. Among the honors and awards Dr. Thomas received are the Börje Uvnäs Award in Pharmacology, Young Investigator Award from RIKEN Brain Science Institute, and research award from the Indian Academy of Neurosciences.
Research in Thomas laboratory is focussed on understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of both age-related and childhood neurodegenerative disorders, with special emphasis on mitochondrial dysfunction and stress signaling cascades involving oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. The overall goal is to utilize this mechanistic knowledge to develop tangible neuroprotective therapies.