Pranav Shivakumar

Dr. Pranav Shivakumar is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He serves as Director of the Biliary Atresia Research and Cure Center within the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition. His academic journey includes a Ph.D. in Technology from the University Institute of Chemical Technology, University of Mumbai, India, and post-doctoral training at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

• Education: Diploma & B.Pharm in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Karnataka University, India; M.Pharm & Ph.D. in Technology from University Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai.
• Professional: Post-doctoral fellowship in Pediatric Hepatology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital; Faculty at University of Cincinnati College of Medicine; Currently at UT Southwestern.

Dr. Shivakumar’s research investigates how innate and adaptive immune systems cause bile duct injury, inflammation, and atresia. His work uses neonatal mouse models and organoids from mouse/patient liver tissue to study epithelial injury, duct inflammation, and liver fibrosis. He also explores therapeutic strategies to promote native liver survival in biliary atresia patients.

His recent publications focus on molecular mechanisms in biliary atresia, including roles of NLRP3/IL-1R1, TNFα/TNFR2, CXCR2 signaling, and proteomic biomarkers like MMP-7. He has contributed to understanding immunological pathways, organoid development, and microbiome interactions in liver disease.

Scientific awards include Junior and Senior Scholarships from the Government of India during his Ph.D. studies. He mentors post-doctoral fellows, clinical trainees, and medical students, though specific student names are not listed in the source material.