Dr. Aaron Chapla

As a basic science faculty in the Department of Endocrinology at Christian Medical College, Vellore, Dr. Aaron Chapla leads the Molecular Endocrinology Laboratory (MEL). He joined CMC as a student in Medical Biochemistry in 2003 and has worked as a tutor in biochemistry, in-charge of the clinical biochemistry laboratory (CMC Ditchpally, AP), and as a research officer in the Department of Haematology (CMC, Vellore). With this diverse experience, he joined Endocrinology in 2011 to set up the Molecular Endocrinology Laboratory, including the NGS facility, from its foundational aspects.

In CMC, along with Dr. Nihal, Dr. Chapla is responsible for all monogenic diabetes genetic testing, receiving samples from across India and neighboring countries for both research into monogenic diabetes and the translation of its research findings into diagnostic services. MEL also provides a facility for integrated research and NGS-based diagnostic genetic testing within the institute and collaborates with various institutes across India.

As an ICMR DHR – International fellow, Dr. Chapla completed his post-doctoral studies at Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School, where he worked on generating MODY-iPSCs to study mutation-specific gene signatures at various stages of beta cell differentiation. His research interests include monogenic diabetes, congenital hyperinsulinism, lipodystrophy, insulin resistance, and applying next-generation sequencing technology for cost-effective and improved diagnostic services.