Part of UT Health San Antonio

Part of UT Health San Antonio

You are here

Muralidharan Sargurupremraj, PhD

Institutes & Centers

Muralidharan Sargurupremraj, PhD

Assistant Professor/Research

Dr. Muralidharan Sargurupremraj, PhD, is a Genetic epidemiologist with training in Molecular genetics. His research focuses on studying the genetic underpinnings of pathological processes that affect small penetrating vessels [Cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD)]. These vascular brain injuries are often covert and widespread among middle-aged and older individuals, significantly contributing to the onset of stroke and dementia.

He is an active member of several large consortia of population-based cohorts (CHARGE, TOPMed) and collaborates with biobanks (UKBB, HUNT, EstBB), including those of non-European ancestry (Biobank Japan). Using causal inference models and longitudinal information from >150,000 individuals, his lab recently discussed converging evidence on white-matter hyperintensities, a highly prevalent and covert MRI marker of cSVD, as a leading vascular contributor to dementia risk, which could be targeted as a priority for dementia prevention.

Through integrative approaches utilizing multi-omics (transcriptomics, proteomics, epigenomics) data and causal inference models, Dr. Sargurupremraj's lab has led several studies, identifying and characterizing potential disease-causal genes for stroke and dementia. The findings from these studies have been published in major scientific journals including Nature, Nature Genetics, Nature Communications, JACC, Lancet Neurology, JAMA Network, and others. Notably, his lab has provided novel insight into the lifetime impact of genetic risk for cSVD by identifying the genetic overlap of the fine-mapped cSVD genes with imaging markers of brain maturation.

  • Professional Background

    Education

    • 2014 - PhD - Quantitative Genetics - Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany
    • 2009 - Master of Science - Molecular Genetics - University of Leicester, UK

    Training

    • 2020 - Postdoctoral fellowship - University of Bordeaux, L'Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM), France

  • Research & Grants

    Dr. Sargurupremraj's current research interests encompass three main areas, all related to stroke and Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD):

    • Utilizing multi-omics approaches and single-cell techniques to explore drug repurposing potential for cSVD and intermediary markers of Alzheimer's disease.
    • Investigating gene-environment interactions within an exposome framework to understand geographical and regional differences in disease onset.
    • Investigating the gene-regulatory function of evolutionary fixed mobile genetic elements (class of genetic units capable of autonomous translocation) and their implications in disease susceptibility.

    Grants

    • Principal Investigator on the Alzheimer's Association Research Grant (AARG) (2023-2026) – “Studying transposable elements abundance in AD brains”
    • Principal Investigator and recipient of the 2024 William and Ella Owens Medical Research Foundation grant (2024-2026); investigating “Genome-wide Gene-Environment Interactions: Air Pollution Exposure, Brain Structure, and Alzheimer's Disease”
    • Co-investigator on multiple other NIH/NIA R01 grants

  • Publications