Department
Department of Biotechnology
Experience
6 Years
Ph.D Thesis Supervised
2
Working
Postgraduate Thesis Supervised
6
Awarded/
Completed
2
Working
Publication
−- Upadhayay, P., Gupta, H., Sikka, R*. Circulating microRNAs as Diagnostic Biomarkers and Pathogenic Mediators in Type 2 Diabetic Retinopathy: A Systematic Review. (2026). Acta Diabetologica. (Accepted). Impact Factor: 2.9.
- Ranjha, R., Gupta, A., Singh, K., Sikka, R., Anvikar, A. R., Gupta, H., Bharti, P. K. (2026). Mechanistic insights into subclinical Plasmodium infections: Unveiling the silent drivers of malaria transmission. iScience, 29(6). Impact Factor: 4.1.
- Arora, K., Gupta, M., Gupta, H., Sikka, R*. (2026). MicroRNAs as biomarkers and therapeutic targets in pterygia: A systematic review with quantitative synthesis. Survey of Ophthalmology. (*Corresponding Author). Impact Factor: 5.9.
- Sikka, R*., Matharoo, K., and Bhanwer, AJS. Role of ADIPOQ Gene Variants in the Susceptibility to Diabetic Retinopathy in a North-West Indian Population. (Accepted). Research Journal of Biotechnology. (*Corresponding Author). Impact Factor: 0.2.
- Ahmad, A., Nema, S., Arora, K., Sikka, R., Singh, A., Krishna, S., Singh, M. P., Verma, A. K., Nitika, N., Anvikar, A. R., Gupta, H. (2025). Evaluation of GDH and HDP as novel serological biomarkers for Plasmodium falciparum malaria diagnosis across varying parasitemia and transmission settings in India. PLOS ONE, 20(10), e0334313. Impact Factor: 3.2.
- Gupta, A., Arora, K., Bhandari, S., Sikka, R., Wassmer, S. C., Bharti, P. K., Gupta, H. (2025). Potential of microRNAs as diagnostic markers for distinguishing malaria severity in samples from an Indian cohort. BMC Infectious Diseases, 25(1), 1065. Impact Factor: 3.0.
- Gupta, M., Arya, S., Agrawal, P., Gupta, H., Sikka, R*. (2024). Unravelling the molecular tapestry of pterygium: insights into genes for diagnostic and therapeutic innovations. Eye (Nature). DOI: 10.1038/s41433-024-03186-y. (*Corresponding Author). Impact Factor: 3.4.
- Upadhayay, P., Singh, N., Pandey, M., Gupta, H., Sikka, R*. (2024). Unveiling the link between lifestyle risk factors and diabetic retinopathy. International Journal of Diabetes in Developing Countries. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13410-024-01332-6. (*Corresponding Author). Impact Factor: 0.7.
- Sikka, R*., Raina, P., Soni, R., Gupta, H., Bhanwer, AJS. (2023). Genomic Profile of Diabetic Retinopathy in a North Indian Cohort. Molecular Biology Reports, 50(12), 9769-9778. (*Corresponding Author). Impact Factor: 2.8.
- Gupta, A., Skjefte, M., Muppidi, P., Sikka, R*., Pandey, M., Bharti, P. K., Gupta, H. (2023). Unravelling the influence of host genetic factors on malaria susceptibility in Asian populations. Acta Tropica, Volume 249. (*Corresponding Author). Impact Factor: 2.5.
- Gilyazova, I., Asadullina, D., Kagirova, E., Sikka, R., Mustafin, A., Ivanova, E., Bakhtiyarova, K., Gilyazova, G., Gupta, S., Khusnutdinova, E., Gupta, H., Pavlov, V. (2023). MiRNA-146a-A Key Player in Immunity and Diseases. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24, 12767. Impact Factor: 4.9.
- Soni, R., Soni, R., Sikka, R*. (2023). Autologous neurosensory retina transplantation for treating traumatic macular hole. Advanced Ophthalmology. (*Corresponding Author).
- Martiáñez-Vendrell, X., Skjefte, M., Sikka, R., Gupta, H. (2022). Factors Affecting the Performance of HRP2-Based Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Tests. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases, 7(10), 265. Impact Factor: 2.6.
- Sikka, R., Bharti, P., Gupta, H. (2022). microRNAs: An opportunity to overcome significant challenges in malaria detection and control. Current Research in Pharmacology and Drug Discovery, 3, 100115. Impact Factor: 5.54.
- Singh, G., Sharma, R., Raina, P., Kalotra, V., Sandhu, H. S., Sethi, I., Sharma, V., Sikka, R., Matharoo, K., Sokhi, J., Marwaha, A., Vig, V., Kapoor, R., Choudhary, M., Singh, V., Soneja, S., Sharma, S., Bhanwer, AJS. Association of genetic variants of ELMO1 gene with diabetic nephropathy in the North-Indian population. (Preprint Article). DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-121795/v1.
- Raina, P., Sikka, R., Gupta, H., Matharoo, K., Bali, S. K., Singh, V., Bhanwer, AJS. (2020). Association of eNOS and MCP-1 Genetic Variants with Diabetic Nephropathy in Type 2 Diabetes. Biochemical Genetics, 59, 966-996. Impact Factor: 1.6.
- Kaur, R., Matharoo, K., Raina, P*., Sikka, R*., Bhanwer, AJS. (2017). Interaction of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Gene Polymorphisms in T2D and CAD patients of Punjab (North-West India). International Journal of Diabetes in Developing Countries, 37, 286-297. (*Authors contributed equally to the manuscript). Impact Factor: 0.7.
- Sokhi, J., Sikka, R., Raina, P., Kaur, R., Matharoo, M., Arora, P., Bhanwer, AJS. (2016). Association of genetic variants in INS (rs689), INSR (rs1799816) and PP1G.G (rs1799999) with Type 2 diabetes (T2D): A case-control study in three ethnic groups from North-West India. Molecular Journal of Genetics and Genomics, 291, 205-216. Impact Factor: 2.1.
- Raina, P., Sikka, R., Kaur, R., Sokhi, J., Matharoo, K., Singh, V., Bhanwer, AJS. (2015). Association of transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β1) genetic variation with type 2 diabetes and end stage renal disease in two large population samples from North India. OMICS: A Journal of Integrative Biology, 19, 1-12. Impact Factor: 1.6.
- Sikka, R*., Raina, P*., Matharoo, K., Bandesh, K., Bhatia, R., Chakrabarti, S., Bhanwer, AJS. (2014). TNF-α (-308 G>A) and ADIPOQ (+45 T>G) gene polymorphisms in Type 2 diabetes and microvascular complications in the region of Punjab (North-West India). Current Eye Research, 39, 1042-1051. Impact Factor: 2.0.
- Sikka, R., Babu, I. R., Singh, G., Kaur, I., Chhablani, J., Bhanwer, AJS., Chakrabarti, S. (2017). Some insights on the genomics of diabetic retinopathy. Human Genomics Applications. Narendra Publishing House, Delhi.
- Matharoo, K., Singh, Y. P., Sokhi, J., Sharma, R., Raina, P., Kaur, R., Sikka, R., Bhanwer, AJS. (2017). Systematic Review: Type 2 Diabetes. Human Genomics Applications. Narendra Publishing House, Delhi.
Conferences / Seminar / Workshop
+Faculty Development Program (FDP) Attended
- Attended FDP on R Programming for budding data analyst from 3rd to 13th November 2025, organized by Research Foundation of India.
- Attended 3-weeks Online FDP Training on AI & Deep Learning in Healthcare Data Analysis from 20th December 2021 to 04th January 2023, organized by IIT Madras.
Conferences Attended
- Participated as a Delegate in the virtual “Bridging Genes and Communities: Advancing Genetic Diagnostics and Counseling for Tribal and Community Health” organized by Board of Genetic Counseling in India (BCGI) from 4th to 7th July 2025.
- Participated as a Delegate in the virtual 7th International Annual Conference – Board of Genetic Counseling in India (BCGI)-2022 on “Genetic Counseling across Various Medical Specialties” from 1st to 3rd July 2022.
- Attended virtual Ensembl REST API Course from 27th–30th July 2021.
- Attended virtual Ensembl Browser Course from 19th–30th July 2021.
- Participated and presented a poster in the Keystone Symposium on “Diabetes” held at Keystone, Colorado, USA, from 22nd–26th January 2017.
- Participated in EMQN and UK NEQAS for Molecular Genetics Meeting entitled “Next Generation Sequencing from 5` to 3` – the Full NGS Story” on 22nd May 2016 at ESHG Conference, Barcelona, Spain.
- Participated and presented a poster in the European Society of Human Genetics (ESHG-EMPAG-2016) from 21st–24th May 2016 at Barcelona, Spain.
- Participated and presented a poster in the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Indian Eye Research Group – ARVO India Chapter at LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, from 25th–26th July 2015.
- Participated and presented a poster in the 21st Annual Meeting of the Indian Eye Research Group – ARVO India Chapter at LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, from 26th–27th July 2014.
- Participated and presented a poster in the 4th International Conference on “Epithelial Development & Disease – New Frontiers & Therapies” at SOLS, Manipal University, Manipal, from 11th–13th April 2014.
- Participated in National Seminar on Genes and Genomics at the Department of Human Genetics, G.N.D.U., Amritsar, from 21st–22nd February 2014.
- Participated in the UGC-Sponsored National Seminar on Genetics of Mendelian and Complex Disorders at the Department of Human Genetics, G.N.D.U., Amritsar, on 18th September 2012.
- Participated and presented a poster in Indian Society of Human Genetics (ISHG)-2012 at Panjab University, Chandigarh, from 3rd–5th March 2012.
- Participated in the UGC-Sponsored National Seminar on Genomics of Complex Diseases at G.N.D.U., Amritsar, on 2nd March 2012.
- Participated in the National Symposium on New Biotechnology Tools for the Diagnosis of Tuberculosis, NBE Institute & Auroprobe Laboratories, Abupur, Ghaziabad, on 24th March 2011.
- Participated and presented a poster in the International Symposium on Genetics and Epigenetic Basis of Complex Diseases, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, from 5th–7th December 2009.
- Participated in the 5th International Symposium on Genetics, Health and Medicine held at G.N.D.U., Amritsar, from 17th–19th February 2008.
Workshops Attended
- Participated in an online workshop on Data Sciences & Machine Learning with R (4th Edition) organized by DECODE Life from 26th September 2022 to 22nd October 2022.
- Participated and presented a poster in the Joint IUBMB-RCB Workshop on Diabetes and Metabolic Syndromes at RCB, Gurgaon, from 24th–29th November 2014.
- Participated in a short-term course in Advanced Workshop on Statistics for Ph.D./Post-Doctoral/Faculty Members at Academic Staff College, G.N.D.U., Amritsar, from 10th–12th February 2014.
- Participated in a short-term course in Workshop on Statistics for Ph.D./Post-Doctoral/Faculty Members at Academic Staff College, G.N.D.U., Amritsar, from 27th–29th August 2013.
- Participated in NIBMG Winter School “Genetic Dissection of a Complex Disease: Analytical Approach” at NIBMG, Kalyani, from 3rd–10th January 2012.
- Participated in the 3rd Asian Workshop in Genomics and Community Medicine at Guru Ram Rai Medical Institute, Dehradun, from 19th–25th November 2011.
Invited Talks
- Webinar organized by the Department of Biology, Swami Premanand Mahavidyalaya, Mukerian, Punjab (India), June 28th, 2020 (Link: Click Here).
Subjects Taught
+Scientific Affiliation
- Life Member, Indian Society of Human Genetics.
Professional Roles
- Editorial Board Member (Ophthalmology): Scientific Reports.
- Peer Reviewer: Journal of Diabetes (Wiley Online Library), PLOS ONE, Molecular Vision, and Scientific Reports.
- 2022 – Present: Member, Research Promotion Cell at GLA University, Mathura.
- Ethical Committee Member: Institutional Bio-safety Committee (IBSC).
Awards
- Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Global Health Travel Award to attend the Keystone Symposium on “Diabetes and Obesity” held at Keystone, Colorado, USA, from January 22–26, 2017.
- Young Scientist (Travel and Registration Fellowship) Award by the Science and Engineering Research Board, Government of India, to participate and present a poster at the European Society of Human Genetics (ESHG) Conference, Barcelona, Spain, from May 21–24, 2016.
- Selected for Indian Council of Medical Research Senior Research Fellowship (2016).
- Selected for Basic Scientific Research Fellowship for meritorious students (UGC, India), 2015.
- IERG Meeting Travel Grant (2015) for a poster presentation during the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Indian Eye Research Group–ARVO India Chapter at LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, from July 25–26, 2015.
- Best Poster Presentation Award for a poster presentation during the Joint IUBMB-RCB Workshop on Diabetes and Metabolic Syndromes at RCB, Gurgaon, from November 24–29, 2014.
- Punjab State Council for Science and Technology Fellowship, Chandigarh, Punjab, 2009.
- SAF Madanjeet Singh Scholarship from South-Asia Foundation, UNESCO, 2007.
Research Interest
+- GLA University Internal Seed Money Grant Title: Targeting Lifestyle Risk Factors in Diabetic Retinopathy Patients in the Brij Region; Role: Principal Investigator.
Funded Research Projects
+- Theory: Genetics, Immunology, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Genomics and Proteomics
- Practical: Molecular Biology, Genetics, Immunology, Genomics and Proteomics, and Cell Biology
Others
+My research focuses on microRNA-mediated gene regulation and its applications in developing novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. I am particularly interested in identifying miRNA-based biomarkers, elucidating gene regulatory networks, and exploring RNA-based therapeutics for ocular disorders such as pterygium and diabetic retinopathy.
My research team investigates the molecular, genetic, and environmental factors contributing to the development and progression of these diseases, with the aim of discovering clinically relevant biomarkers for early diagnosis, prognosis, and risk assessment. By integrating genomics, bioinformatics, recombinant DNA technology, and molecular biology approaches, we strive to advance the development of innovative microRNA-based diagnostic tools and targeted therapeutic interventions.
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17km Stone, NH-19, Mathura-Delhi Road, P.O.
Chaumuhan, Mathura-281 406, (U.P.) INDIA