Dr. Debarun Roy (Roy Lab)

Principal Investigator | (DeBaRUn) – Development, Bioengineering & Reproduction Unit

Research Scientist | Subhash Mukhopadhyay Centre for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine (SMC-SCBRM).

Assistant Professor III | School of Life Science and Biotechnology- Stem Cell Biology

Adamas University, Kolkata.

Email: debarun.roy1@adamasuniversity.ac.in

Research interests:

As part of DeBaRUn (Development, Bioengineering & Reproduction Unit) Lab’s research, we seek to understand the male germline development or in simple terms, how fertile sperm cells are born. We emphasize on the questions related to how male gametes develop in fetal gonad, how they remain quiescent during pre-puberty, and how they both self-renew and differentiate to obtain the mature, fertile form in adulthood across diverse patient populations. Answering these questions will provide us with criteria for selecting the epigenetically and physiologically fittest cells for In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) that are tailored to each individual patient. We apply single-cell genomics, microfluidic engineering, biochemical and embryological testing, and machine learning to track germline lineages and develop patient-specific, noninvasive biomarker panels for selecting fertile sperm to improve ART outcomes.

Our core expertise includes:

  • Single-cell transcriptomics of spermatogenesis: Profiling stage-specific gene expression and transcriptional regulation (including RNA Polymerase II pausing) during mammalian male germ cell development.
  • Germ cell biology & transplantation: Analysis of fetal and adult germline lineage progression and cell population dynamics.
  • Sperm guidance & selection mechanisms: Specialized in sperm thermotaxis, the role of opsins (rhodopsin/melanopsin) in thermos-sensory signaling, and the development of microfluidic devices for functional sperm selection.
  • Non-coding RNA (ncRNA) biomarker discovery: Investigating the roles of miRNAs, piRNAs, tRNA fragments, and long non-coding RNAs in sperm competence and early embryogenesis.

Selected Publications

  1. Roy, D., Levi, K., Kiss, V., Nevo, R., & Eisenbach, M. (2020). Rhodopsin and melanopsin coexist in mammalian sperm cells and activate different signaling pathways for thermotaxis. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 112.
  2. Kaye, E.G., …, Roy, D., …, & Reddi, P.P. (2024). RNA polymerase II pausing is essential during spermatogenesis for appropriate gene expression and completion of meiosis. Nature Communications, 15(1), 848.
  3. Brandis, A.*, Roy, D.*, Das, I., Mordechai, S., & Eisenbach, M. (2024). Uncommon opsin’s retinal isomer is involved in mammalian sperm thermotaxis. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 10699. (Joint first author)
  4. Roy, D., Dey, S., Majumder, G.C., & Bhattacharyya, D. (2015). Role of epididymal anti sticking factor in sperm capacitation. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 463(4), 948-953.
  5. Roy, D., Dey, S., Majumder, G.C. et al. Occurrence of novel Cu2+-dependent sialic acid-specific lectin, on the outer surface of mature caprine spermatozoa. Glycoconj J 31, 281–288 (2014).

Recent Presentation

  1. “Temporospatial asynchrony in marmoset male germline development.” Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Conference: Germ Cells, October 2024.

Vision

Our goal is to create a research program with a focus on sperm biology, germline genomics, and clinical embryology that develops diagnostic tools and clinical protocols to enhance the success in Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) and honor the legacy of Dr. Subhash Mukhopadhyay.

Please contact Dr. Roy directly by email for more information.