The Monthly Researcher Spotlight is our section highlighting the exciting work of the UK Biobank Research Analysis Platform user community. If you would like to be featured, email ukbiobankrap@dnanexus.com.
This was simultaneously published in the October 2024 UK Biobank RAP Newsletter. You can sign up for future installments here.
This month's Spotlight features Dr. Abhishek Mahesh Appaji, a researcher investigating biomarkers for psychiatric disorders.
Dr. Abhishek Mahesh Appaji
Associate Professor
Department of Medical Electronics Engineering, B.M.S. College of Engineering
What are the focus and discovery highlights of your research?
My research focuses on retina as a biomarker for psychiatric disorders. I am working on various image processing and AI algorithms to find the relation between retina and brain of subjects with Psychiatric disorders.
What are some of the key questions that you are looking to answer using UK Biobank data?
How are psychiatric disorders like Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder affecting the retina and its functionalities? Are there any correlation between changes in retinal vasculature and changes in brain vasculature in patients with Psychiatric disorders?
How has the UK Biobank Research Analysis Platform (UKB-RAP) helped you perform your research?
The UKB-RAP helps me to access the UK Biobank database and also helps in making demand intensive computation easier.
Any helpful tips or guides that would be useful for new users onboarding onto UKB-RAP?
The UKB-RAP is like the ocean; the deeper you go the more insights and research you can do. The Help Center and overview documentation helped me get started. Do apply for the UK Biobank Global Research Access Fund. Being one of the early beneficiaries of the grant, I feel it's an immense opportunity for me to explore such a huge database being from LMIC.
