Dr. Pendyala's Laboratory
The Pendyala lab is actively engaged in areas spanning addiction, maternal-fetal medicine, infectious diseases, environmental toxins and the role of biopsychosocial factors in health disparities.
Lab Personnel
Gurudutt Pendyala, PhD
Robert Lieberman Endowed Professor of Anesthesiology
Associate Professor
Research Faculty
Victoria Schaal
Research Technologist II
Elizabeth Stone
Research Technologist I
Tousif Ahmed Hediyal, PhD
Postdoctural Research Assistant
Pranavi Athota
Undergraduate Researcher
Jeremy Amaya
High School Researcher
Josef Crenshaw
Undergraduate Researcher
Murali Devanaboyina
Undergraduate Researcher
Amir Elrefaie
Undergraduate Researcher
Sree Kolli
Undergrad Researcher
Kashish Poore, BS
Medical Student Researcher
Omar Shukri, MD
Clinical Researcher
Ria Vootla
Undergraduate Researcher
- Neuroinflammation associated with long-term use of psychostimulant drugs (methamphetamine, nicotine) at the synapse
- Prenatal drug exposure and synaptic development
- Application of novel anti-inflammatory drugs to attenuate inflammation at the synapse
- Sex differences and drug abuse
- Molecular mechanisms of microRNAs at the synapse
- Role of extracellular vesicles in drug addiction and HIV infection
- Rodent animal models
- Cell and Molecular biology
- Biochemical Isolation of Synapses
- In vitro primary (neuronal, glial) and mixed cultures
- High throughput “Omics” approaches (Genomics, Transcriptomics, Proteomic)
NIH/NIDA R01DA059177-01
Award Period: 08/01/2023-07/31/2028
Title: “Strategies to define and mitigate the placental and fetal alterations caused by maternal oxycodone exposure”
Role: Principal Investigator (Other PI: Lynda Harris, UNMC)
Total Costs: $4,325,365
NIH/NIDA R21DA064461
Award Period: 07/01/2025-06/30/2027
Title: “Mechanisms underlying polysubstance use post social defeat in HIV+ adolescents”
Role: Principal Investigator
Total Costs: $438,950 – JIT submitted - Notice of Award Pending
NIH/NIDA R21DA058588
Award Period: 05/01/2023-04/30/2026
Title: “Mechanisms underlying prescription opioid use post social defeat in HIV+ adolescents”
Role: Principal Investigator
Total Costs: $455,275
NIH/NIDA R21ES034956
Award Period: 08/01/2023-07/31/2026
Title: “Brain derived extracellular vesicles mediated neurotoxicity of deltamethrin”
Role: Principal Investigator (Other PI: Fernanda Laezza, UTMB)
Total Costs: $446,063
NIH/NIDA R01DA056906
Award Period: 09/01/2022-07/31/2027
Title: “Cerebral organoid and iPSC derived microglia: Modeling HIV and Methamphetamine co-morbidity”
Role: Co-Investigator (PI: Yelamanchili, UNMC/Jiang, Rutgers)
Total Costs: $2,597,528
Rural Drug Addiction Research Center- University of Nebraska Lincoln
Award Period: 07/01/2025-06/30/2027
Title: “Therapeutic efficacy of dietary palmitoleate to mitigate fetal alterations in a model of maternal opioid exposure”
Role: MPI (PI: Natarajan)
Total Costs: $50,000
Collaboration Initiative (2025-2026 RFA)-Team Seed Grants – Nebraska Foundation
Award Period: 08/01/2025-07/31/2026
Title: “Impact of Biopsychosocial Psychotherapy Intervention on Maternal Life-Course Trauma and the Gut Microbiome”
Role: MPI and Research Mentor (PI’s: Blount & Moore)
Total Costs: $100,000
Collaboration Initiative (2025-2026 RFA)-Team Seed Grants – Nebraska Foundation
Award Period: 08/01/2025-07/31/2026
Title: “The effects of perinatal oxycodone exposure on skeletal muscle development”
Role: MPI and Research Mentor (PI: Vechetti)
Total Costs: $100,000
Lieberman Endowment, Nebraska University Foundation
Select Publications
Neurobehavioral characterization of perinatal oxycodone exposed offspring in early adolescence
Sedation with midazolam in the NICU: implications on neurodevelopment
Increased risks of maternal mental health conditions following the COVID-19 pandemic
Microglia remodeling in the visual thalamus of the DBA/2J mouse model of glaucoma
Collaborators
Steven J Lisco, MD, FCCM, FCCP
Myrna Newland, MD, Endowed Professor of Anesthesiology
Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, UNMC College of Medicine
Chief Academic Officer, Nebraska Medicine
Lab Alumni
Pranavi Athota
Undergraduate Researcher
Reeyan Bhakat
Undergraduate Researcher
Joe Crenshaw
High School Researcher
Murali Devanaboyina
High School Researcher
Gabriel Gallegos, MD
Clinical Faculty
Sid Gillella
High School Researcher
Rahul Guda
High School Researcher
Gisela-Meza Guzman
High School Researcher
Yvette Incontro
High School Researcher
Sawyer Johnson
High School Researcher
Hanuma Karnati, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Murali Kuracha, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Sneh Koul, MS
Research Technologist
Mackenzie Laurila, DO
Clinical Faculty
Nate Lombardo
Medical Student
Daniel Meyer
Undergraduate Researcher
Luke Meyer
High School Researcher
Maireen Miravite, MD
Clinical Faculty
Colton Roessner
Medical Student
Samarth Sanketh
High School Researcher
Alex Schmitz
Medical Student
Vamsi Singu
High School Researcher
Kunal Sualy, MD
Clinical Faculty
Sneham Tiwari, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Ria Vootla
High School Researcher
Nate Zaroban
Medical Student
