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I am a researcher and stem cell scientist working in the field of leukemia and bone marrow transplantation at the SKAN Research Institute. My research interests focus on understanding hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) biology and the role of the bone marrow microenvironment (BMM) in regulating normal hematopoiesis, as well as its dysregulation in pathological conditions such as leukemia and aging.

I earned my Ph.D. in Biotechnology from the National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS), India, affiliated with the University of Pune. I subsequently completed postdoctoral training at INSERM, France, and at The Ohio State University and the University of Utah, USA. During my postdoctoral research, I investigated the molecular mechanisms regulating HSC function, leukemogenesis, and stem cell–microenvironment interactions.

Currently, at the SKAN Research Institute, my research focuses on elucidating the role of the bone marrow microenvironment in normal hematopoiesis and defining the dynamic niche alterations that occur during malignant, non-malignant and neuro-immune disorders, with the goal of identifying novel targets for therapeutic intervention.

Research Focus

  1. Altered Bone Marrow Niche in Leukemia and Blood Disorders:
    We investigate structural and functional alterations in the bone marrow niche during leukemia and other hematological disorders to identify niche-driven mechanisms that promote disease progression and to develop strategies for restoring normal hematopoietic support.
  2. Role of Extracellular Vesicles in Hematopoiesis and Leukemia:
    Our lab studies the role of extracellular vesicles, including microvesicles and exosomes, in regulating hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) fate and function. We focus on elucidating the molecular cargo transferred via extracellular vesicles and how this intercellular communication contributes to leukemogenesis and disruptions in normal hematopoiesis.
  3. Rejuvenation of Aged Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs):
    We explore molecular and cellular interventions to rejuvenate aged hematopoietic stem cells and restore their regenerative capacity, with implications for improving immune function during aging and enhancing responses to therapeutic interventions.
  4. Impact of Maternal and Fetal Stressors on Lifelong Hematopoiesis:
    We examine how maternal stress signals influence fetal hematopoietic development and long-term immune programming. Understanding these maternal–fetal interactions is critical for identifying early-life determinants of susceptibility to hematopoietic and immune disorders.
  5. Hematopoiesis and the Bone Marrow Niche in Neuro-Immune Disorders:
    We investigate how dysregulation of hematopoiesis and alterations in the bone marrow niche contribute to the onset and progression of neuro-immune disorders. By dissecting niche–immune interactions, we aim to identify novel cellular and molecular targets that modulate immune dysregulation and disease progression.

Publications

  1. Papaioannou, D., Urs, A.P., Buisson, R., Petri, A., Liu, M., Woodward, L., Kulkarni, R., Weislämle, X., Ivashkiv, O., Nicolet, D. and Goda, C., 2026. circPCMTD1: A protein-coding circular RNA that regulates DNA damage response in BCR/ABL1-positive leukemias. Blood Journal, pp.blood-2025031129.
  2. Kulkarni, R., Bustos, Y., Rudich, A., Karunasiri, M., Urs, A., Balcioglu, O., Li, W., Chidester, S., Rodgers, K., Garfinkle, E. and Patel, A., 2025. Epithelial growth factor like-7 (EGFL7) regulates hematopoiesis stem cell (HSC) activation via AP-1 suppression. Blood, 146, p.209.
  3. Rodgers, K., Mifflin, K., Kigerl, K., Hall, J., Kulkarni, R., Garfinkle, E., Asghari, E., Wang, C., Lai, W., Guan, Z. and Karunasiri, M., 2025. Disrupted DNA repair and oxidative stress responses underlie hematopoietic stem cell failure after spinal cord injury. Blood,146, p.3204.
  4. Rondina, M., Banerjee, M., Kulkarni, R., Goda, C., Balcioglu, O., Chidester, S., Bustos, Y. and Dorrance, A., 2025. Preserving stemness: Targeting interferon-sensitive genes to mitigate inflammatory hematopoietic stress. Experimental Hematology, 151, p.105235.
  5. Kulkarni, R., Goda, C., Rudich, A., Karunasiri, M., Urs, A.P., Bustos, Y., Balcioglu, O., Li, W., Chidester, S., Rodgers, K.A. and Garfinkle, E.A., 2026. Regulation of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) proliferation by Epithelial Growth Factor Like-7 (EGFL7). bioRxiv, pp.2025-01.
  6. Goda, C., Kulkarni, R., Bustos, Y., Li, W., Rudich, A., Balcioglu, O., Chidester, S., Urs, A.P., Karunasiri, M., Al-Marrawi, Y. and Korn, E., 2025. Cellular taxonomy of the preleukemic bone marrow niche of acute myeloid leukemia. Leukemia, 39(1), pp.51-63. (co-first author)
  7. Rodgers, K.A., Garfinkle, E.A., Kigerl, K.A., Adib, E.A., Mifflin, K.A., Hall, J., Kulkarni, R., Wang, C., Goda, C., Dias, A.C.R. and Guan, Z., 2025. Transcriptional and epigenetic repression of hematopoietic stem cells underlies bone marrow failure after spinal cord injury. bioRxiv, pp.2025-10.
  8. Zhao, J., Cui, Y., Zhou, H., Zhou, D., Che, Z., Zhang, N., Yun, Q., Machado-Neto, J.A., Damiani, D., Al-Kzayer, L.A.F.Y. and Kulkarni, R., 2024. FLT3 mutation-related immune checkpoint molecule absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2) contributes to immune infiltration in pediatric and adult acute myeloid leukemia: evidence from bioinformatics analysis. Translational Cancer Research, 13(11), p.6255.
  9. Urs, A.P., Goda, C. and Kulkarni, R., 2024. Remodeling of the bone marrow microenvironment during acute myeloid leukemia progression. Annals of Translational Medicine, 12(4), p.63. (co-first author)
  10. Goda, C., Kolovich, S., Rudich, A., Karunasiri, M., Kulkarni, R., Rajgolikar, G., Neidemire-Colley, L., Singh, S., Sircar, A., Ranganathan, P. and Garzon, R., 2023. Epidermal growth factor-like 7 is a novel therapeutic target in mantle cell lymphoma. Experimental Hematology, 123, pp.28-33.
  11. Barroca, V., Henry, E., Dechamps, N., Renou, L., Chaintreuil, P., Kulkarni, R., Devanand, S., Jacquel, A., Robert, G., Auberger, P. and Pflumio, F., 2022. REDD1 is a gatekeeper of murine hematopoietic stem cell functions during stress responses. Leukemia, 36(8), pp.2140-2143.
  12. Kulkarni, R., 2022. Early growth response factor 1 in aging hematopoietic stem cells and leukemia. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 10, p.925761.
  13. Dorrance, A.M., Moutuou, M.M., Goda, C., Sell, N.E., Kalyan, S., Karunasiri, M., Kulkarni, R., Goulard, M., Kolovich, S., Rudich, A. and Naumann, E., 2022. Modulating endothelial cells with EGFL7 to diminish aGVHD after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in mice. Blood Advances, 6(7), pp.2403-2408.
  14. Bill, M., Goda, C., Pepe, F., Ozer, H.G., McNeil, B., Zhang, X., Karunasiri, M., Kulkarni, R., Kalyan, S., Papaioannou, D. and Ferenchak, G., 2021. Targeting BRD4 in acute myeloid leukemia with partial tandem duplication of the MLL gene. haematologica, 106(9), p.2527.
  15. Shinde, P., Kuhikar, R., Kulkarni, R., Khan, N., Limaye, L. and Kale, V., 2021. Curcumin restores the engraftment capacity of aged hematopoietic stem cells and also reduces PD‐1 expression on cytotoxic T cells. Journal of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, 15(4), pp.388-400. (co-first author)
  16. Kulkarni, R. and Kale, V., 2020. Physiological cues involved in the regulation of adhesion mechanisms in hematopoietic stem cell fate decision. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 8, p.611.
  17. Kulkarni, R., Bajaj, M. and Kale, V., 2018. Role of Autophagy in Aging of Hematopoietic Stem Cells and Their Niche: Relevance in Clinical Transplantations and Regenerative Medicine. In Autophagy in Health and Disease: Potential Therapeutic Approaches (pp. 31-45). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
  18. Kulkarni, R., Bajaj, M. and Kale, V., 2018. Induction and detection of autophagy in aged hematopoietic stem cells by exposing them to microvesicles secreted by HSC-supportive mesenchymal stromal cells. In Autophagy in Differentiation and Tissue Maintenance: Methods and Protocols (pp. 21-34). New York, NY: Springer New York.
  19. Kulkarni, R., Bajaj, M., Ghode, S., Jalnapurkar, S., Limaye, L. and Kale, V., 2018. Intercellular transfer of microvesicles from young mesenchymal stromal cells rejuvenates aged murine hematopoietic stem cells. Stem Cells, 36(3), pp.420-433.
  20. Ghode, S., Bajaj, M., Kulkarni, R., Limaye, L., Shouche, Y. and Kale, V., 2017. Neuropilin-1 is an important niche component and exerts context-dependent effects on hematopoietic stem cells. Stem Cells and Development, 26(1), pp.35-48.
  21. Bajaj, M., Kulkarni, R., Ghode, S., Limaye, L. and Kale, V., 2016. Irradiation-induced secretion of BMP4 by marrow cells causes marrow adipogenesis post-myelosuppression. Stem cell research, 17(3), pp.646-653.
  22. Bajaj, M., Ghode, S., Kulkarni, R., Limaye, L. and Kale, V., 2015. Simvastatin improves hematopoietic stem cell engraftment by preventing irradiation-induced marrow adipogenesis and radio-protecting the niche cells. Haematologica, 100(8), p.e323.
  23. Nagarkar, B., Kulkarni, R., Bhondave, P., Kasote, D., Kulkarni, O., Harsulkar, A. and Jagtap, S., 2013. Comparative hepatoprotective potential of Tinospora cordifolia, Tinospora sinensis and Neem-guduchi. British Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, 3(4), p.906.

Additional Information

Grants

  1. Outstanding Author 2024: In 2024, many ATM authors make outstanding contributions to our journal. Their articles published with us have received very well feedback in the field and stimulate a lot of discussions and new insights among the peers. [Link]
  2. Young Investigator Award (YIA) 2019: Rohan Kulkarni, Ph.D., has been named the recipient of the 2019 STEM CELLS Young Investigator Award (YIA). The YIA is awarded annually to a young scientist whose paper is judged to be of worldwide significance by a global jury. [Link]
  3. EMBL Corporate Partnership Programme Travel Grant 2016
  4. Department of Biotechnology, Government of India Travel Grant 2016

Press Releases

  1. Rohan Kulkarni named winner of STEM CELLS Young Investigator Award [Link]
  2. Indian scientists develop mechanism to rejuvenate aged stem cells [Link]
  3. Building a Strong Research Path [Link]
  4. Interviews with Outstanding Authors (2024) [Link]

Professional Profiles

Google Scholar link: google scholar

Team Members

Collaborations