Dr. Vishwanath Jha joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hematology as an instructor in December 2024. He is an accomplished postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Jaehyung Cho’s laboratory at Washington University School of Medicine, specializing in hematology, focusing on thrombosis and platelet activation. His innovative research has led to a groundbreaking discovery: intracellular ERO1α serves as a master regulator of platelet activation by modulating cytosolic calcium levels through the precise oxidation of disulfide bonds in STIM1 and SERCA2. These findings were published in Circulation Research (2023). Dr. Jha completed his PhD in Immunology at the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics in Hyderabad, India, under the mentorship of Dr. Sangita Mukhopadhyay.
His doctoral research uncovered critical insights into the molecular mechanisms of Mycobacterium tuberculosis pathogenesis, specifically revealing how the ESAT-6 protein’s interactions facilitate immune evasion in tuberculosis, an advancement that has strengthened our understanding of bacterial pathogenesis and host-pathogen interactions. Throughout his career, Dr. Jha has been widely recognized for his contributions. In 2022, he was honored with both the Philip W. Majerus, MD Fellowship Award and the ASH Abstract Achievement Award. He is also an active member of leading professional societies, including the American Society of Hematology and the Hemostasis and Thrombosis Research Society. With expertise that spans advanced molecular biology, protein biochemistry, and in vivo thrombosis models, his research has been featured in top-tier journals, contributing valuable knowledge to the fields of thrombosis and cardiovascular biology. Dr. Jha’s key interests are specializing in hematology, focusing on thrombosis and platelet activation.