Omanand Koul, Ph. D.
Associate Professor

Omanand Koul, Ph.D.

 

Omanand Koul 
Associate Professor

Omanand.Koul@umassmed.edu 781-642-0137

Dr. Omanand Koul is Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Nursing. He holds concomitant appointments as Research Associate Professor in Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at the UMass Medical School and as Biochemist at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center for Mental Retardation in Waltham, Massachusetts. During the summers of 1996 and 1998 he was a visiting professor in Physiology at the Claude Bernard University in Lyon, and Institute Michel Pacha at Tamaris, France. Dr. Koul’s research focuses on the pathophysiology of disorders that affect the nervous system, e.g. multiple sclerosis, autism, schizophrenia and fetal alcohol syndrome. He has also studied the effect of various drugs on brain chemistry. Dr. Koul is currently interested in identifying molecular biomarkers for early screening and diagnosis of neurological diseases.  

Education

2002 American Chemical Society course on   “Interpretation of Mass Spectra”.

1997 Howard Hughes/Boston University Summer Teacher Fellow in Microbiology 

1991 National Cancer Institute Summer Workshop Fellow, “Research Methods in Molecular Biology and Somatic Cell Genetics” Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, Denver, CO.

1974 Ph.D. Zoology,(Biochem of Aging):   Banaras Hindu University, India.

1968 M.Sc. Zoology (Genetics): Banaras Hindu University, India.

1966 B.Sc. (Biology, Chemistry): Jammu and Kashmir University, India.

Selected Publications

Greenfield EA, Reddy J, Lees A, Dyer CA, Koul O, Nguyen K, Bell S, Kassam N, Hinojoza J, Eaton MJ, Lees MB, Kuchroo VK, Sobel RA (2006) Monoclonal antibodies to distinct regions of human myelin proteolipid protein simultaneously recognize central nervous system myelin and neurons of many vertebrate species. J Neurosci Res . Feb 15; 83(3):415-31.

Oppenheim JJ, Dong HF, Plotz P, Caspi RR, Dykstra M, Pierce S, Martin R, Carlos C, Finn O, Koul O, Howard OM. (2005) Autoantigens act as tissue-specific chemoattractants. J Leukoc Biol . June; 77(6):854-61. Review.

McCaffery P, Koul O, Smith D, Napoli JL, Chen N, Ullman MD.(2004) Ethanol increases retinoic acid production in cerebellar astrocytes and in cerebellum. Brain Res Dev Brain Res . Nov 25;153(2):233-41

Crandall J, Sakai Y, Zhang J, Koul O, Mineur Y, Crusio WE, McCaffery P. (2004) 13-cis-retinoic acid suppresses hippocampal cell division and hippocampal-dependent learning in mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. Apr 6;101(14):5111-6..

Eisenhauer PB, Jacewicz MS, Conn KJ, Koul O, Wells JM, Fine RE, Newburg DS (2004). Escherichia coli Shiga toxin 1 and TNF-alpha induce cytokine release by humancerebral microvascular endothelial cells. Microb Pathog. Apr;36(4):189-9

Evans, Barbara., Evans, James., and Koul, Omanand. (2004) Metabolomics in Autism: IMFAR 2004, Sacramento, CA.(abstract)

Koul, Omanand.,   Evans, Barbara., Evans, James. (2004) Lipidomics in Autism: Alterations in white matter phospholipids:  IMFAR 2004, Sacramento, CA. (abstract)

McCaffery P, Evans J, Koul O, Volpert A, Reid K, Ullman MD.(2002). Retinoid quantification by HPLC/MS(n). J Lipid Res. Jul;43(7):1143-9.

Smith D, Wagner E, Koul O, McCaffery P, Drager UC.( 2001). Retinoic acid synthesis for the developing telencephalon. Cereb Cortex. Oct;11(10):894-905.

Borsellino G, Koul O, Placido R, Tramonti D, Luchetti S, Galgani S, Salvetti M, Gasperini C, Ristori G, Bonetti B, Bach S, Cipriani B, Battistini L.( 2000).Evidence for a role of gamma delta T cells in demyelinating diseases as determined by activation states and responses to lipid antigens. J Neuroimmunol.Jul 24;107(2):124-9.

Book Chapters:

Hauser G, Koul O, Leli U. (1985) Phospholipid metabolism in nervous tissues:modification of precursor incorporation and enzyme activities by cationicamphiphilic drugs. In: Phospholipids in the Nervous System: Biochemical andMolecular Pharmacology. Freysz L, Horrocks LA, Toffano G, eds, Padova, Italy: Liviana Press.

Koul, O. (2004) Myelin and Autism. in Neurobiology of Autism ( Ed. Bauman and Kemper). Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore, MD.

Grants:

2002-2005 Stanley Research Foundation: Hippocampal Cholinergic Neurostimulating Peptide in Schizophrenia .

2000-2001 Solving the Mystery of Autism Foundation: Neurochemistry of Autism.Laser Medical Corporation: Characterization of human Blood Components

1999-2000 National Multiple Sclerosis Society: CD1 Antigens in Multiple Sclerosis.

Research Interests:

  • Developmental alterations in the nervous system
  • Molecular Biomarkers
  • Systems Biology