Sharmistha Mitra

Sharmistha Mitra, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Department of Biochemistry at UT Southwestern Medical Center. She is also an investigator at the Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute. Her research focuses on ubiquitin biology's role in glycogen metabolism-related neurological and neuromuscular diseases, including Lafora disease and amylopectinosis. Dr. Mitra earned a Bachelor's in Zoology from the University of Calcutta, followed by a B.Sc. in Biological Sciences from the University of New Hampshire, and a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Virginia Tech.

Her lab investigates ubiquitination pathways' impact on glycogen biology, aiming to develop therapies like gene therapy for metabolic disorders. Research themes include protein aggregation mechanisms, therapeutic target identification, and disease modeling. Key contributions include studies on Laforin-Malin complexes, RBCK1 deficiency, and CRISPR-based interventions in mouse models.

Dr. Mitra has published extensively in molecular medicine and biochemistry, with notable work on polyglucosan body diseases and ubiquitin ligase dysfunction. Her work bridges basic science and translational research, addressing unmet clinical needs in neurodegenerative disorders. The Mitra Lab actively recruits researchers to advance understanding of glycogen-related pathologies.