Ashok Silwal | Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center

Immunotherapeutics and Biotechnology

Silwal_Ashok
  • Graduate Student / Research Assistant

Lab Phone: 325-696-0594
E-Mail: Ashok.Silwal@ttuhsc.edu
Mail Address: 1718 Pine Street, Suite 1302
Abilene, TX 79601

Biography

Ashok Silwal completed his Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) degree from Kathmandu University, Kathmandu, Nepal in 2015, and his Master of Science (MS) degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, Illinois in 2019. He joined the Graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences as a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) student in August of 2019, and is presently working in the laboratory of Dr. Maciej Markiewski with the Department of Immunotherapeutics and Biotechnology in Abilene.

Education:

  • MS: Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, Illinois, 2019
  • BPharm: Kathmandu University, Kathmandu, Nepal, 2015

Research Interests:

Innate Immunity, Complement Biology, Tumor Immunology, Cancer Progression and Metastasis, Microglia, Inflammation.

Publications:

   Before Admission to GPPS:

  • Silwal A, House A, Sandoval K, Vijeth S, Umbaugh D, Crider A, Mobayen S, Neumann W, Witt KA. Novel Somatostatin Receptor-4 Agonist SM-I-26 Mitigates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammatory Gene Expression in Microglia. Neurochem Res. 2022 Mar; 47(3):768-780.
  • Rajendra Gyawalk, Nira Paudel, Sahana Shrestha, and Ashok Silwal. Formulation and Evaluation of Antibacterial and Antioxidant Polyherbal Lotion. JIST 2016, 21(1):148-156.

   After Admission to GPPS:

  • Oladejo M, Nguyen HM, Silwal A, Reese B, Paulishak W, Markiewski MM, Wood LM. Listeria-based immunotherapy directed against CD105 exerts antiangiogenic and anti-tumor efficacy in renal cell carcinoma. Front Immunol. 2022 Nov 11; 13:1038807.
  • Reese B, Silwal A, Daugherity E, Daugherity M, Arabi M, Daly P, Paterson Y, Woolford L, Cristie A, Elias R, Brugarolas J, Wang T, Karbowniczek M, Markiewski MM. Complement as Prognostic Biomarker and Potential Therapeutic Target in Renal Cell Carcinoma. J Immunol. 2020 Dec 1;205(11):3218-3229. Epub 2020 Nov 6.
  • Ghouse SM, Vadrevu SK, Manne S, Reese B, Patel J, Patel B, Silwal A, Lodhi N, Paterson Y, Srivastava SK, Karbowniczek M, Markiewski MM. Therapeutic Targeting of Vasculature in the Pre-metastatic and Metastatic Niches Reduces Lung Metastasis. J Immunol. 2020 Feb 15;204(4):990-1000. Epub 2020 Jan 3.

Presentations:

   Before Admission to GPPS:

  • Silwal, A., Mobayen, S., Crider, A., Neumann, W., House, A., Umbaugh, D., Bhandari, S., Sandoval, K., Witt, K. “Novel Somatostatin Receptor Subtype-4 Agonist Mitigates Microglia Inflammatory Activation”. Experimental Biology, Orlando, FL; April 2019.

   After Admission to GPPS:

  • PODIUM PRESENTATON:  Ashok Silwal, Britney Reese, Niraj Lodhi, Magdalena Karbowniczek & Maciej Markiewski. "P53 codon 72 polymorphism modulates macrophage polarization". 35th Annual Student Research Week (SRW), TTUHSC Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS), Lubbock; Feb/Mar 2023.
  • Ashok Silwal, Britney Reese, Niraj Lodhi, Magdalena Karbowniczek, Maciej Markiewski. "TP53 codon 72 polymorphism modulates macrophage polarization through altered PI3K/Akt signaling pathways". American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) PharmSci 360, Boston, MA; October 2022.

Seminars:

  • 02/17/2023  "TP53 codon 72 polymorphism modulates reactive oxygen species-dependent cell signaling in macrophages"
  • 11/05/2021 "Role of Codon 72 Polymorphism of P53 in Immune Response Against Viral Infection" [Oral Qualifying Exam, public presentation counted as Seminar credit]
  • 04/09/2021 "Complement as Prognostic Biomarker and Potential Therapeutic Target in Renal Cell Carcinoma"

Awards/Scholarships:

   Before Admission to GPPS:

  • Research Grant for Graduate Student (RGGS), funded by the Graduate School of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE), “SSTR4 Agonist SMI-26 Effects on Microglial Inflammatory Activity”; Fall 2018.

   After Admission to GPPS:

  • Graduate Student or Postdoc Research Award, American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), DiscoverBMB, Seattle, WA; March 2023.
  • Travel Award, Cayman Chemical Company, American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) PharmSci 360, Boston, MA; October 2022.

Memberships:

  • Immunotherapeutics and Biotechnology Graduate Student Association (IBGSA), TTUHSC, 2019-present.
  • Selected into Pharmaceutical Honor Society, Beta Delta Chapter of Rho Chi Society, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE), Edwardsville, Illinois, March 2019-present.
  • American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET), 2017-present.
  • Nepal Pharmaceutical Association, 2015-present.