Lab meeting with the Ladher Lab

Can you briefly introduce your lab?

My name is Raj Ladher at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) in Bangalore, India. I am interested in how developmental programmes subvert cellular processes to shape and specialise tissues, and we use the inner ear as our model system. We look at the inner ear from induction (what the signals are, what changes does induction elicit), differentiation (how sensory precursors are picked out) and morphogenesis of the cochlea and vestibular systems, and of the individual hair cells.

Lab website: https://www.otography.in/

Can you give us a lab roll call?

Raj: I have a lab of the most amazing students – they’re listed from oldest to newest here.

Nishant is looking at hair cell regeneration in the chick cochlea.

Varsha is investigating epithelial fusion during the closure of the otic vesicle.

Surjit is looking at how the birth order of neuroblasts affects where they end up in the inner ear ganglion.

Anubhav is investigating the morphogenesis of the cochlea and how planar polarity is generated.

Raman is working on non-canonical functions of protocadherin-15 in polarity generation.

Mona is working on the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in development.

Sukanya is looking at the downstream roles of Sox2 in the cochlea.

Neelanjana is looking at the signalling pathways involved for sensory fate specification.

Fenil is interested in understanding the molecular processes by which stereocilia acquire their shape.

Rridhi is looking at how inner ear progenitors acquire polarity.

Palak is investigating sensory cell differentiation.

Shivangi investigates how the otic placode thickens and what that means for lineage commitment.

We also have some interns who join our lab to do, for example, their Masters dissertation with us. Sardha, from IISER Mohali, is currently completing her MSc project on actin polymerisation in hair cells with us.

Favourite technique, and why?

Raj: I did my PhD on Xenopus mesoderm induction (with Jim Smith), and “grew up” doing the original organoid experiment – animal caps. Those kinds of classic embryological-type experiments have lots of mileage. I like heterotopic grafts (grafting pieces of tissue from one region of the embryo to another) and love quail-chick chimaeras.

Apart from your own research, what are you most excited about in developmental and stem cell biology?

Raj: Shape interests me, particularly of the face. I am interested in how natural variation tweaks mechanisms that would result in different morphologies of the face.

How do you approach managing your group and all the different tasks required in your job?

Raj: Labs in India run on students, and I have been amazingly fortunate with the students I have. They are amazing – creative, ambitious and fearless.  Managing really means making sure that I am accessible or that I can point them to experts who can help them. We have regular lab meetings, and my office is in the lab, and my door is always open. It is also important to ensure they can attend conferences, workshops and courses that help them become better scientists. We have many interns from other institutes come through, giving the lab a chance to be mentors themselves. This holds enormous value, and my lab members are better researchers because of it. 

What is the best thing about where you work?

Raj: I have great colleagues doing this fabulous range of topics, so it broadens my horizons about biology. We have 7 cafes on campus, and many places to sit and chat. The campus is gorgeous.

Varsha: The exposure to science at different scales, the facilities that we have access to use and the community.

Anubhav: The place thrives on the support of interdisciplinary exchange of ideas. These discussions over coffee give a fresh perspective on work as well as the outside world.

Raman: The chance to meet people from different culture and discussing the food interests with them and in the meantime science as well.

Neelanjana: The opportunity to discuss our work in progress with the community and the scope of collaborations between various labs on campus is one of the best things about this campus.

Fenil: Clean air, green cover, a bustling cafeteria.

Rridhi: The exposure to different kinds of aspects of biology and how any student can discuss science with anyone on campus.

Palak: The exposure and freedom to explore new projects. Although, it does have its ups and downs. However, the satisfaction of starting something new, making progress, and learning and evolving along the way is incomparable. Over the past two years, I have seen my perspective changing. And, I indeed consider it as a big growth. It’s great to learn from my seniors and gain insights into their journey and how they all have overcome these phases. It gives me hope and motivation to keep on trying and making new mistakes.

What is there to do outside of work?

Raj: There are places to eat and drink, old bazaars and markets to explore, and there’s a pretty decent second-hand book selection in town. Bangalore is surrounded by the Western Ghats, so there are wildlife, rainforests and jungles around us. It is also a wine-growing region, and the wine grown about an hour from the campus is actually very good.

Varsha: There are extracurricular clubs on campus, including movie and book clubs, dance and music clubs, concerts and dance shows arranged by the institute regularly. We also have a very good gym and sports facility.

Anubhav: The campus is at the intersection of the tall building, serving nice coffee and beer and hills, giving you a scenic drive, trek, and wines.

Raman: I like to play all the sports, especially cricket, badminton and sometimes swimming. I also watch different sports. And I love watching movies.

Neelanjana: There are various talks and exhibitions organised by the Archives in NCBS about history of science and its influence on general society which are always interesting to hear. Being a very green campus, a quick walk around is very refreshing to experience. Also taking clicks from the SLC terrace during sunset time.

Fenil: Outside of lab, I love to attend talks, concerts, and playing sports.

Rridhi: There are groups on campus that organise treks, stargazing, observing and photographing birds/butterflies/fireflies.

Palak: There are many things that you can do outside of the lab. But what I like the most is chilling in my room while watching some show, dancing to random songs, making mandalas (it brings so much serenity), going for night walks, exercising or probably having a small catch up session with my friends. It’s fun to hang out with them and listen to their gossip or have game nights with them.

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