Prakash Kharel, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Assistant Professor
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
School of Medicine
University of Kansas Medical Center
pkharel@kumc.edu

Prakash Kharel, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Kansas Medical Center. His research focuses on exploring different aspects of RNA biology including structure-function and cellular stress response.

Dr. Kharel earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Kent State University under the mentorship of Dr. Soumitra Basu (now at Texas State University), where he investigated the role of RNA oxidation in neurodegeneration, and oligonucleotide-based targeting of nucleic acid secondary structures. His doctoral work established a molecular link between selective mRNA oxidation and demyelination; and contributed to the development of oligonucleotide-based approaches for targeting G-quadruplex (G4) structures in DNA and RNA. He completed his postdoctoral training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in the laboratories of Drs. Paul Anderson and Pavel Ivanov. There, he uncovered a novel role for RNA G4s (rG4s) in cellular stress responses and provided compelling evidence that rG4s function as biologically relevant regulatory elements in human cells.

At KU Medical Center, the Kharel Lab investigates how G4s and their interacting proteins regulate gene expression in health and disease. The laboratory also studies the roles of small RNAs in cellular stress response, disease pathogenesis and explores their potential as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. By integrating RNA biology, biochemistry, genomics, and nucleic acid therapeutics, the lab seeks to uncover fundamental molecular mechanisms underlying human disease and develop next-generation RNA-based therapies.

Nupur Bhatter, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow
nbhatter-at-kumc-dot-edu

Nupur earned her B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Calcutta, India, before completing her Ph.D. in Biochemistry at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. She subsequently joined the laboratories of Drs. Paul Anderson and Pavel Ivanov at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School as a postdoctoral fellow, where she investigated the molecular mechanisms and biological functions of tRNA-derived RNA fragments (tDRs) in human cells. In the Kharel Lab, Nupur studies the roles of tDRs in cellular stress responses and explores their mechanism of action and potential as diagnostic biomarkers for neurodegenerative and neuromuscular diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD).

Ruptanu Banerjee, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow

rbanerjee-at-kumc-dot-edu

Ruptanu earned his Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and holds a Master’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi. His doctoral research focused on optimizing mRNA synthesis and reducing double-stranded RNA byproducts generated during in vitro transcription, with important implications for RNA therapeutics. In the Kharel Lab, Ruptanu aims to investigate the genome-wide landscape of G4-G4BP interaction in health and disease. His research also explores the molecular mechanisms driving FSHD and examines the potential of small RNAs as diagnostic biomarkers for the disease.

Pooja Kharel, MS, IRSD trainee

Pooja completed her master’s degree in industrial pharmacy from Kathmandu University, Nepal. She has professional experience as an In-Process Quality Control and Assurance Officer at a WHO-GMP certified pharmaceutical company. Currently she is exploring RNA science as an International Research Skills Development trainee at KU Medical Center. In her leisure time, she enjoys cooking, traveling, and spending quality time with her kids.

Lab Alumnni

• Eric Pham, Undergraduate trainee, spring 2026
• Regan Miller, Undergraduate trainee, spring 2026
• Fabian Lopez, Research assistant, spring-summer 2026