Dr. Cijo Vazhappilly

Dr. Cijo George Vazhappilly is an Associate Professor in the Biotechnology Department, teaching several graduate courses including Stem Cells Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Immunology, Molecular Biology, Cell Culture theory & technology and Senior Project. Prior to joining AURAK, Dr. Cijo worked as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at The University of Texas, USA and Dalhousie University, Canada. He also worked as a researcher at the University of Sharjah, UAE where he focused on identifying and developing potent molecules as anti-cancer agents. Dr. Cijo has authored and co-authored multiple peer-reviewed scientific articles and presented his works at many national and international conferences.

Dr. Cijo’s academic career is decorated with several reputable awards. He received a CSIR-SRF Fellowship for doctorial research (Ph.D.) by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) organization, New Delhi, India in 2013. He also received the SERB-National Post Doctoral Fellowship by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), India in 2016, and a Mitacs Accelerate- Post Doctoral Internship for “An antioxidant nutraceutical from apple peels” by Mitacs, Canada in 2016.

He received his PhD in Cancer Biology from Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT University), India, in 2014, his Masters in Science in Biotechnology from Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, India in 2009, and his Bachelors of Science from Bangalore University, Bangalore, India in 2007.

Research

• Genomic instability and cancer regulated by plant flavonoids
• Pharmacokinetics and dose response effect of flavonoids in cancer treatment
• Flavonoids as Nrf2 regulators to reduce side effects of chemotherapeutics
• Personalized medicine and therapeutic interventions in cancer
• Developing and identifying novel potent molecules either from natural or synthetic origins as anti-cancer agents.

Two of his research studies have received funding: “Isolation, characterization and validation of bioactive compounds from Annonamuricata for their in vitro selective role in cervical tumor inhibition” with DST-SERB, India in 2016 was approved for 10,000 USD and “New inhibitors of protein tyrosine phosphatase (SHP2) as potential anticancer compounds” with the University of Sharjah, Sharjah was approved for 22,000 USD in 2018. Dr. Cijo is also the recipient of seed grant award from Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for the year 2019 on the project entitled “Resisting Antibiotic Resistance in Ras Al Khaimah”.

Patent

• Taleb Al Tal; Raafat El-Awady; Vunnam Srinivasulu; Cijo George Vazhappilly; Hany Omar, Novel Heterocyclic Systems and Pharmaceutical compositions thereof; US PATENT; Reg. No. 17112088; 2021.

Publications

• Shoib Sarwar Siddiqui, Rawad Hodeify, Shimy Mathew, Seba Alsawaf, Anood Alghfeli, Rachel Matar, Maxime Merheb, John Marton, Hussain AbdulKarim Al Zouabi, Dhiviya Prabaa Muthuirulandi Sethuvel, Naveen Kumar Devanga Ragupathi, Cijo George Vazhappilly*. Differential dose–response effect of cyclosporine A in regulating apoptosis and autophagy markers in MCF‑7 cells. Inflammopharmacology, 2023.
• Seba Alsawaf, Fatema Alnuaimi, Saba Afzal, Rinku Mariam Thomas, Ayshwarya Lakshmi Chelakkot, Wafaa Ramadan, Rawad Hodeify, Rachel Matar, Maxime Merheb, Shoib Sarwar Siddiqui and Cijo George Vazhappilly*. Plant Flavonoids on Oxidative Stress-Mediated Kidney Inflammation. Biology, 2022, 11, 1717.
• Rawad Hodeify, Arfan Ghani, Rachel Matar, Cijo George Vazhappilly, Maxime Merheb, Hussain Al Zouabi, and John Adenosine Triphosphate Protects From Elevated Extracellular Calcium-Induced Damage in Human Proximal Kidney Cells: Using Deep Learning to Predict Cytotoxicity. Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry, 2022, 56, 484-499.
• Laila Zeyad Bazbouz, Fatme Ghassan Ibrahim, Ayshwarya Lakshmi Chelakkot, Rachel Matar, Maxime Merheb, Rawad Hodeify, Cijo George Vazhappilly*. Plant phytochemicals as potential candidates for treating post- COVID-19 lung Phytotherapy Research. 2022 Oct 11. doi: 10.1002/ptr.7650.
• Cijo George Vazhappilly*, Wilfa Fernandes, Maxime Merheb, Rachel Matar, Rawad Hodeify, Shimy Mathew, Rajan Radhakrishnan, Fatema Al Zaabi, John Marton, Hussain Abdel Karim Al Zouabi, Ashfaque Hossain. A Study on Antibiotic Usage and Resistance in Ras Al Khaimah. Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research, 2022, (Policy Paper 53).
• Anjitha, T. B, Ethiraj, K. R, Sonia, D. A., Cijo George Vazhappilly, Kannadasan, S, Renjan, T, Manju, S. L, and Shanmugam, P. Chromone- a Privileged Scaffold in Drug Discovery: Developments on the Synthesis and Bioactivity. Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry, 2022, 22, 1030-1063.
• Anoop Bhaskaran Sathyabhama, Jayesh Puthumana, Vrinda Sukumaran, Cijo George Vazhappilly, Rosamma Philip and Isaac Sarojini Bright Singh. A novel approach of transdction of recombinant baculovirus in to cells derived from lymphoid organ of shrimp for developing continuous cell lines. Marine Biotechnology, 2021,
  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10126-021-10043-6
• Dana M. Zaher, Wafaa S. Ramadan, Raafat El-Awady, Hany A. Omar, Fatema Hersi, Vunnam Srinivasulu, Ibrahim Y. Hachim, Farah I. Almarzooq, Cijo George Vazhappilly, Salim Merali, Carmen Merali, Nelson C. Soares, Paul Schilf, Saleh M. Ibrahim, Taleb H. Al-Tel*. A Novel benzopyrane derivative targeting cancer cell metabolic and survival pathways. Cancers, 2021, 13, 2840
• Cijo George Vazhappilly*, Rawad Hodeify, Shoib Sarwar Siddiqui, Amina Mohammed Jamal Laham, Varsha Menon, Raafat El-Awady, Rachel Matar, Maxime Merheb, John Marton, Hussain Abdel Karim Al Zouabi and Rajan Radhakrishnan. Natural compound catechol induces DNA damage, apoptosis and G1 cell cycle arrest in breast cancer cells. Phytotherapy Research, 2021, 35, 2185-2199
• Cijo George Vazhappilly*, Madumani Amararathna, Asha Caroline Cyril, Rebecca Linger, Rachel Matar, Maxime Merheb, Wafaa S Ramadan, Rajan Radhakrishnan and H.P. Vasantha Rupasinghe. Current methodologies to refine bioavailability, delivery, and therapeutic efficacy of plant flavonoids in cancer treatment. The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnutbio.2021.108623
• Anoop B.S, Jayesh Puthumana, Cijo George Vazhappilly, Salini Kombiyil, Rosamma Philip, Anas Abdulaziz and Isaac Sarojini Bright Singh. Immortalization of shrimp lymphoid cells by hybridizing with the continuous cell line Sf9 leading to the development of ‘PmLyO-Sf9’. Fish and Shellfish Immunology, 2021, 113, 196-207.
• Sofia Rahman, Shimy Mathew, Pooja Nair, Wafaa Ramadan, Cijo George Vazhappilly*. Health benefits of cyanidin-3-glucoside as a potent modulator of Nrf2-mediated oxidative stress. Inflammopharmacology, 2021,
  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10787-021-00799-7
• Rawad Hodeify, Shoib Sarwar Siddiqui, Rachel Matar, Cijo George Vazhappilly, Maxime Merheb, Hussain Abdel Karim AL Zouabi and John Marton. Modulation of calcium-binding proteins expression and cisplatin chemosensitivity by calcium chelation in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells. Heliyon (cell press) 2021,7, e06041
• Heinz Läubli, Kunio Kawanishi, Cijo George Vazhappilly, Rachel Matar, Maxime Merheb, Shoib Sarwar Siddiqui. Tools to study and target the Siglec-sialic acid axis in cancer. The FEBS Journal, 2020, DOI: 10.1111/febs.15647
• Wafaa S Ramadan, Ekram M Saleh, Varsha Menon, Cijo George Vazhappilly, Hajjaj H. M. Abdu-Allah, Abdel-Nasser A. El-Shorbagi,Wael Mansour and Raafat El-Awady. Induction of DNA damage, apoptosis and cell cycle perturbation mediate cytotoxic activity of new 5-aminosalicylate–4-thiazolinone hybrid derivatives. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, 2020, I31, 110571.
• Shoib Sarwar Siddiqui, Sofia Rahman, H.P. Vasantha Rupasinghe, Cijo George Vazhappilly*. Dietary flavonoids in p53-mediated immune dysfunctions linking to cancer prevention. Biomedicines, 2020, 8,286.
• Shimy Mathew, Cijo George Vazhappilly*. Recent pharmacological advances on genistein in clinical trials. EXCLI J, 2020, 19. 1120-1123.
• Shoib Sarwar Siddiqui, Rachel Matar, Maxime Merheb, Rawad Hodeify, Cijo George Vazhappilly, John Marton, Syed Azharuddin and Hussain AL Zouabi. Siglecs in Brain Function and Neurological Disorders. Cells, 2019, 8, 1125
• Cijo George Vazhappilly, Shabbir Ahmed Ansari, Rula Al-Jaleeli, Aya Mudhafar, Al-Azawi, Wafaa S Ramadan, Varsha Menon, Rawad Hodeify, Shoib Sarwar Siddiqui, Maxime Merheb, Rachel Matar and Rajan Radhakrishnan. Role of Flavonoids in Thrombotic, Cardiovascular, and Inflammatory Diseases. Inflammopharmacology, 2019, 27,5, 863–869
• Maxime Merheb, Rachel Matar, Rawad Hodeify, Shoib Sarwar Siddiqui, Cijo George Vazhappilly, John Marton, Syed Azharuddin and Hussain AL Zouabi. Mitochondrial DNA, a Powerful Tool to Decipher Ancient Human Civilization from Domestication to Music, and to Uncover Historical Murder Cases. Cells, 2019, 8, 433
• Wafaa S Ramadan, Cijo George Vazhappilly, Ekram M Saleh, Varsha Menon, AyaM AlAzawi, Ahmed T El-Serafi, Wael Mansour and Raafat El-Awady. Interplay between Epigenetics, Expression of Estrogen Receptor-, HER2/ERBB2 and Sensitivity of Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cells to Hormonal Therapy. Cancers, 2019, 11,1,13
• Cijo George Vazhappilly, Ekram saleh, Wafaa Ramadan, Varsha Menon, Aya Mudhafar Al-Azawi, Hamadeh Tarazi, Hajjaj Abdullah, Abd El-Nasser El-Shorbagi and Raafat El-Awady. Inhibition of SHP2 by new compounds induces differential effects on RAS/RAF/ERK and PI3K/AKT pathways in different cell types. Investigational New Drugs, 2019, 37,2, 252-261
• Cijo George Vazhappilly, Shabbir Ansari et al. and H.P. Vasantha Rupasinghe. DNA-dependent protein kinase: Epigenetic alterations and the role in genomic stability of cancer. Mutation Research – Reviews, 2018, 780, 92-105
• Cijo George Vazhappilly and H.P. Vasantha Rupasinghe. DNA damaging and apoptotic potentials of Bisphenol A and Bisphenol S in human bronchial epithelial cells. Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology, 2018, 60: 52–57.
• Cijo George Vazhappilly and H.P. Vasantha Rupasinghe. Apple flavonoids suppress carcinogens-induced DNA damage in normal human bronchial epithelial cells. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, 2017,
  https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/1767198
• Cijo George Vazhappilly, Graham Dellaire and H.P. Vasantha Rupasinghe. Plant flavonoids in cancer chemoprevention: Role in genome stability. The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, 2017, 45:1-14.

• BIOL 095; Introductory Biology
• BIOL 100; Humankind in a Biological World
• BIOL 112; University Biology
• BIOL 270; General Genetics
• BIOL 420; Molecular Biology and Genetics
• BIOL 421; Molecular Biology & Recombinant DNA (Laboratory course)
• BIOL 430; Cell Culture theory & technology
• BIOL 435; Stem Cells Biology and Regenerative Medicine
• BIOL 436; Immunology
• BIOL 480; Bioprocess Technology in Pharmaceutical Industry
• BIOL 493; Research Methodology in Biological Sciences
• BIOL 494; Senior Project