Prerana Sharma

About

I am a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of South Florida, with a strong passion for bioscience, education, and collaborative innovation.
My scientific journey included research and academic experiences at Tufts Medical Center and the L. V. Prasad Eye Institute, where I worked on host–pathogen interactions and corneal disease biology.
Beyond research, I am passionate about mentorship, teaching, and fostering scientific curiosity among students and trainees. I enjoy working in interdisciplinary environments that encourage innovation, problem-solving, and continuous learning.
Outside the lab, I enjoy writing, reading, hiking, and exploring emerging technologies shaping the future of science.

Employment

• University of South Florida Postdoctoral Researcher
  2025 - Present
• Tufts Medical Center Postdoctoral Researcher
  2023 - 2025

Education

• University of Hyderabad PhD

Projects & Funding

Projects & funding information is unavailable.

Publications (7)

• Streptococcus pneumoniae exerts oxidative stress, subverts antioxidant signaling and autophagy in human corneal epithelial cells that is alleviated by tert-Butylhydroquinone.
  Medical microbiology and immunology 2022 DOI: 10.1007/s00430-022-00731-y
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• A rationally designed synthetic antimicrobial peptide against Pseudomonas-associated corneal keratitis: Structure-function correlation.
  Biophysical chemistry 2022 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2022.106802
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• Recombinant IL ‐22 promotes protection in a murine model of Aspergillus flavus keratitis and mediates host immune responses in human corneal epithelial cells
  Cellular Microbiology 2021 DOI: 10.1111/cmi.13367
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• Alternative Therapeutic Interventions: Antimicrobial Peptides and Small Molecules to Treat Microbial Keratitis.
  Frontiers in chemistry 2021 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2021.694998
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• Attenuation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection by INP0341, a salicylidene acylhydrazide, in a murine model of keratitis.
  Virulence 2020 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2020.1776979
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• Differential expression of antimicrobial peptides in streptococcus pneumoniae keratitis and STAT3-dependent expression of LL-37 by streptococcus pneumoniae in human corneal epithelial cells
  Pathogens 2019 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens8010031
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• Differential expression of antimicrobial peptides in corneal infection and regulation of antimicrobial peptides and reactive oxygen species by type III secretion system of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
  Pathogens and Disease 2018 DOI: 10.1093/femspd/fty001
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