About us

The people behind SAN

Meet Dr. Muthuraju, follow his research journey across five countries, and see who leads SAN.

Dr. MuthurajuResearch JourneyLeadership & Team
SM Dr. Sangu Muthuraju

Sangu Muthuraju, PhD

Neuroscientist | Research Consultant | Mentor

Instructor in Radiology

Education
Ph.D. Neuroscience, Bharathiar University
M.Phil. Zoology, Bharathidasan University
M.Sc. & B.Sc. Zoology, Madurai Kamaraj University

About

Bridging research and real-world impact

Dr. Sangu Muthuraju is a translational neuroscientist with more than 15 years of experience in CNS drug discovery, neuropharmacology, behavioral neuroscience and multimodal neuroimaging. He is currently an Instructor in Radiology in Houston, where he uses PET/MRI to study neuroinflammation and synaptic biomarkers in neurological disorders.

His work covers memory and hypoxia, pain circuits, traumatic brain injury, fear and anxiety, stress and addiction, and Alzheimer's disease imaging. As a former Senior Lecturer, he has taught Master's-level neuroscience and supervised PhD and Master's students to completion. Through SAN he now shares that experience with students worldwide.

15+Years in neuroscience
40Peer-reviewed publications
5Countries worked in
15+Graduate students supervised

Core expertise

Translational & CNS Drug Discovery

Target engagement & biomarker validation · Mechanism-of-action studies · Preclinical efficacy & safety · CNS pharmacology & neuropsychopharmacology

Molecular Neuroimaging

PET/CT/MRI in rodents and humans · Astrocytic, synaptic (SV2A) and neuroinflammatory PET tracers · Quantitative analysis & tracer kinetics (PMOD)

In Vivo Models & Behavior

Traumatic brain injury (fluid percussion) · Stress, addiction, fear & anxiety · Hypoxia & hyperoxia · Morris water maze, elevated plus maze, fear-potentiated startle, IntelliCage

Experimental Techniques

Stereotactic surgery (mouse & rat) · Auditory evoked potentials · Two-photon calcium imaging · Live-slice preparation · Microdissection

Molecular & Cellular Biology

RT-PCR, Western blot · Immunohistochemistry & immunofluorescence · Confocal microscopy · Primary neuronal & astrocyte cultures

Leadership, Teaching & Mentoring

Principal Investigator on university and national grants (Malaysia) · Co-investigator on international projects · Taught Cell & Molecular Biology and Neurobiology (MSc, Universiti Sains Malaysia) · External PhD thesis examiner

Selected publications

  1. Presynaptic modulation of spinal nociceptive transmission by GDNFSalio C, Ferrini F, Muthuraju S, Merighi A · Journal of Neuroscience, 2014
  2. Differential expression of presynaptic Munc13-1 and Munc13-2 in mouse hippocampus following ethanol drinkingGhosh A, Muthuraju S, et al. · Neuroscience, 2022
  3. TLR4 antagonist LPS-RS on stress-induced voluntary ethanol preference and drinking behaviourChuang HG, … Muthuraju S (senior author) · European Neuropsychopharmacology, 2021
  4. The role of neuroinflammation in cellular damage in neurodegenerative diseasesMuthuraju S, Zakaria R, Karuppan MKM, Al-Rahbi B · BioMed Research International, 2020
  5. Dual role of dopamine D2-like receptors in the mediation of conditioned and unconditioned fearBrandão ML, de Oliveira AR, Muthuraju S, et al. · FEBS Letters, 2015
  6. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors enhance cognitive function following hypobaric hypoxiaMuthuraju S, et al. · Behavioural Brain Research, 2009

See more publications on PubMed →

Recognition & service

  • Keynote Speaker, Neuroscience and Brain Disorders 2019
  • Best Oral Presentation Award, Indian Association of Biomedical Scientists, 2007
  • IBRO travel grant, International Winter Neuroscience Conference, Austria, 2010
  • FAPESP-funded postdoctoral research, University of São Paulo, Brazil
  • External PhD examiner for four doctoral theses in India
  • Member, International Brain Research Organization, Indian Academy of Neurosciences, Malaysian Society of Neuroscience
  • Presented at the Society for Neuroscience meeting (USA) and conferences in Japan, Slovenia, Austria, Brazil, China and India
Research interests: Neuroinflammation & synaptic dysfunctionPET/MRI biomarkersAlzheimer's disease imagingStress, pain & addictionFear & anxiety circuits

5 countries · 15+ years

From India to Houston: a real research journey

Dr. Muthuraju has walked the path many of our students want to take, across four continents. Tap any stop to see what he worked on and what it taught him.

Our people

Leadership & governance

SAN is led by its founders and guided by a Board of Directors.

Executive leadership

Board of Directors

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