Kamalesh Kumari

I, Kamalesh Kumari, am a developmental cell biologist and biophysicist with a longstanding interest in membrane remodeling during intracellular trafficking. I received my Ph.D. in Cell and Developmental Biology from the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS-TIFR), Bangalore, where I investigated the role of lipid signaling in endocytic membrane trafficking. I then pursued postdoctoral research at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, in the labs of Prof. Ben-Zion Shilo and Dr. Ori Avinoam, where I received interdisciplinary training in cell biology, biophysics, and advanced imaging. In 2025, I began as an independent investigator and Ramalingaswami Fellow at Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence (SNIoE). My research focuses on how secretory epithelial tissues maintain membrane homeostasis under the high demands of exocrine secretion. Organs such as the pancreas, lungs, and salivary glands secrete critical substances—including surfactants, enzymes, and mucus—via large, micron-scale vesicles that fuse with the apical plasma membrane. Traditionally, this was thought to occur through full-collapse exocytosis, which would risk uncontrolled membrane expansion. During my postdoctoral work, I discovered a novel and conserved mode of exocytosis—Membrane Crumpling-Mediated Exocytosis (Mem-CruX). In this mechanism, vesicular membranes undergo progressive crumpling and mechanical sequestration upon fusion, allowing complete cargo release without increasing surface area. This finding provides a fundamental shift in our understanding of vesicle trafficking and epithelial surface homeostasis. My expertise spans cell biology, membrane biophysics, developmental genetics, and advanced microscopy. I have developed and implemented 2D/3D correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM) approaches and live imaging-based biophysical tools to study membrane dynamics in tissues and ex vivo systems, using Drosophila, mouse exocrine tissues, and mammalian cell cultures. Our young and multidisciplinary group at SNIoE, focuses on understanding the fundamental mechanisms of membrane remodeling through the Mem-CruX paradigm. We also aim to investigate how disruption of this mechanism contributes to secretory dysfunction in the lung and pancreas, particularly in inflammatory and metabolic disorders. Through this work, we strive to bridge fundamental membrane biology with translational research addressing critical clinical challenges in secretory pathophysiology.