Rate My Professor Dhananjie Chandrasekera

Dr. Dhananjie Chandrasekera is a research academic in the Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, at the University of Otago. He completed his Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Otago with a thesis titled 'The role of pericardial fluid exosomes in diabetic heart disease,' following a Master of Science degree investigating 'Understanding the proapoptotic role of microRNA-532 in the diabetic heart.' His doctoral work was supported by the University of Otago Doctoral Scholarship. Chandrasekera's career has been centered at the University of Otago, where he contributes to the HeartOtago research group under the leadership of Professor Rajesh Katare, Head of the Department of Physiology.

Chandrasekera's research specializes in the molecular mechanisms of diabetic heart disease, encompassing exosomal microRNAs, epigenetic regulation, and vascular repair processes in the context of diabetes-induced cardiac pathology. He is the lead author of the review 'Exosomal microRNAs in diabetic heart disease,' published in Cardiovascular Diabetology in 2022, which elucidates the biogenesis and function of exosomes, their alterations in cardiovascular disease, and their specific roles in diabetic cardiomyopathy through dysregulated miRNA cargo, highlighting potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Other key publications include 'METTL3 Regulates Angiogenesis by Modulating let-7e-5p and miR-18a-5p Expression in Endothelial Cells' in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology (2021), demonstrating how METTL3-mediated m6A RNA methylation promotes angiogenesis via specific miRNAs; 'Dysregulation of ghrelin in diabetes impairs the vascular reparative actions of endothelial progenitor cells' in Scientific Reports (2020); and 'Diabetes induces dysregulation of microRNAs associated with stem cell survival, proliferation and differentiation' in Diabetologia (2021). In 2024-2025, he edited multiple chapters in 'Cardiomyocytes: Methods and Protocols,' providing protocols for cardiomyocyte protein extraction, endothelial cell isolation from human internal mammary artery, cationic liposome formulation for miRNA delivery, human atrial trabeculae preparation, and sympathetic nerve traffic quantification to the heart. His publications have garnered over 215 citations on Google Scholar, underscoring his contributions to advancing knowledge in diabetic cardiomyopathy and related fields.