Biography
Shashaanka Ashili is a scientist entrepreneur. He was the founding CEO of CureScience™, which started formal operations in 2020 coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic. He steered the organization during the uncertainties brought about by COVID-19, successfully forming teams, initiating projects, and fostering both national and international partnerships. He concurrently led the Appomics TM (wearables and apps) initiative at CureScience TM and continues to lead the initiative as a Consultant Scientist.
​
A passionate supporter of patient empowerment, Dr. Ashili laid the foundation for numerous patient-centric activities at CureScience TM including establishing an institutional repository of disease-oriented articles that are written for non-scientific patients. He is currently focused on personalized and precision medicine within Longevity and Quality of Life segments. As an interdisciplinary scientist with an eye towards commercialization, Dr. Ashili is evangelizing improving science and healthcare access in Asia, primarily in India. During COVID-19, he partnered with premier Institute in India (IITG) under “Scientists Beyond Borders” initiative in launching affordable medical devices.
​
An alumnus of National Institute of Technology (NIT) Warangal, Dr. Ashili completed his MS in Electrical Engineering from Wright State University in 2003 with a focus on Chip design (VLSI) and Embedded systems. In 2007, he earned his Ph.D. in Optical Science from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. His explored optical transport and coupling within meso- and microscopic structures. Subsequently, in 2008, he completed Fellowship in surgical innovation from the University of Missouri, Columbia, under the guidance of the president of SAGES at that time. He dedicated over four years to academic research at the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, as part of a P50 NIH, NHGRI CEGS grant aimed at comprehending cellular heterogeneity through single cell analysis.
​
Additionally, Dr.Ashili was an early adopter of iBeacons and tirelessly pursued the development of a commercially viable solution, ultimately patenting it for a specific application in the connected car domain. Using this technology, he launched Smart Drivinc in 2015, a startup with a focus on improving loyalty and loss ratios. Smart Drivinc was a Global Insurance Accelerator company and also the finalist of ACORD Insurance Innovation Challenge (AIIC-2016).
Publications
1. Lin, F., Lin, E., Anekoji, M., Ichim, T. E., Hu, J., Marincola, F. M., Jones, L., Kesari, S., & Ashili, S. (2023, November 18). Advancing personalized medicine in brain cancer: exploring the role of mRNA vaccines. Journal of Translational Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-023-04724-0
​
2. Manikkath, J., Manikkath, A., Lad, H., Vora, L. K., Mudgal, J., Shenoy, R. R., Radhakrishnan, R., & Ashili, S. (2024 January 10). Nanoparticle-mediated active and passive drug targeting in oral squamous cell carcinoma: Current trends and advances. Nanomedicine. https://doi.org/10.2217/nnm-2023-0247
​
3. Dhas, Y., Arshad, N., Biswas, N., Jones, L., & Ashili, S. (2023, September 20). MicroRNA-21 Silencing in Diabetic Nephropathy: Insights on Therapeutic Strategies. Biomedicines. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines11092583
​
4. Darji, J., Biswas, N., Jones, L., & Ashili, S. (2023, August 24). Handling missing data in the time-series data from wearables. IntechOpen eBooks. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.1002536
​
5. Datta, S., Lin, F., Jones, L., Pingle, S. C., Kesari, S., & Ashili, S. (2023, July 1). Traumatic brain injury and immunological outcomes: the double-edged killer. Future Science OA. https://doi.org/10.2144/fsoa-2023-0037
6. Biswas, N., Chakrabarti, S., Jones, L., & Ashili, S. (2023, June 1). Smart wearables addressing gait disorders: A review. Materials Today Communications. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtcomm.2023.106250
7. Kesari, S., Wang, R., Juarez, T., Ashili, S., Patro, C. P. K., Carrillo, J. A. O., Nguyen, M., Truong, J., Levy, J., Sommer, J., Freed, D. M., Xiu, J., Takasumi, Y., Bouffet, R., & Gill, J. (2023, May 5). Activity of pemetrexed in pre-clinical chordoma models and humans. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-34404-4
8. Pingle, S. C., Lin, F., Anekoji, M. S., Patro, C. P. K., Datta, S., Jones, L., Kesari, S., & Ashili, S. (2023, April 1). Exploring the role of cerebrospinal fluid as analyte in neurologic disorders. Future Science OA. https://doi.org/10.2144/fsoa-2023-0006
9. Biswas, N., Chakrabarti, S., Padul, V., Jones, L., & Ashili, S. (2023, February 9). Designing neoantigen cancer vaccines, trials, and outcomes. Frontiers in Immunology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1105420
10. Chakrabarti, S., Biswas, N., Karnani, K., Padul, V., Jones, L., Kesari, S., & Ashili, S. (2023, January 28). Binned Data Provide Better Imputation of Missing Time Series Data from Wearables. Sensors. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23031454
11. Patro, C. P. K., Biswas, N., Pingle, S. C., Li, F., Anekoji, M., Jones, L., Kesari, S., Wang, F., & Ashili, S. (2022, December 26). MTAP loss: a possible therapeutic approach for glioblastoma. Journal of Translational Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-022-03823-8
​
12. Chakrabarti, S., Biswas, N., Jones, L., & Ashili, S. (2022, September 26). Role of smartwatches in Diabetes patient care. Lupine Publishers. https://doi.org/10.32474/ADO.2022.04.000185
13. Chakrabarti, S., Biswas, N., Jones, L.D., Kesari, S., & Ashili, S. (2022, August 31) Smart consumer wearables as digital diagnostic tools: A review. Diagnostics. https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics12092110
14. Sunny, J.S., Patro, C.P.K., Karnani, K., Pingle, S.C., Lin, F., Anekoji, M., Jones, L.D., Kesari, S., & Ashili, S. (2022, January 19) Anomaly detection framework for wearables data: A perspective review on data concepts, data analysis algorithms and prospects. Sensors. https://doi.org/10.3390/s22030756
15. Lin, F., Ichim, TE., Pingle, S., Jones, LD., Kesari, S., & Ashili, S. (2020, October 26) Mesenchymal stem cells as living anti-inflammatory therapy for COVID-19 related acute respiratory distress syndrome. World J Stem Cells. http://doi.org/10.4252/wjsc.v12.i10.1067
16. Kelbauskas, L., Ashili, S.P., Lee, K.B., et al. (2018, March 12) Simultaneous multiparameter cellular energy metabolism profiling of small populations of cells. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-22599-w
17. Kelbauskas, L., Ashili, S., Zeng, J., et al. (2017, 16 March) Platform for combined analysis of functional and biomolecular phenotypes of the same cell. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep44636
18. Kelbauskas, L., Ashili, S., Zeng, J., Mohammadreza, A., Lee, K., Derkach, D., Ueberroth, B., Gao, W., Paulson, T., Wang, H., Tian, Y., Smith, D., Reid, B., Meldrum, D. (2016, July 15) Single-cell analysis of functional heterogeneity dynamics in premalignant progression revealed by combined interrogation of functional and transcriptional phenotypes. Cancer Research. https://doi.org/10.1158/1538-7445.AM2016-LB-027
19. The Physical Sciences - Oncology Centers Network. (2013, April 26) A physical sciences network characterization of non-tumorigenic and metastatic cells. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep01449
20. Song, G., Ashili, S., et al. (2013, December 19) Multiple sensor arrays for single cell metabolic analysis. IEEE Xplore. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICSENS.2013.6688453
21. Zhu, H., Zhou, X., Su, F., Tian, Y., Ashili, S., Holl, M., Meldrum, D. (2012, August 6) Micro-patterning and characterization of PHEMA-co-PAM-based optical chemical sensors for lab-on-a-chip applications. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2012.07.101
​
22. Kelbauskas, L., Ashili, S., Houkal, J., Smith, D., Mohammadreza, A., et al. (2012, April 5) Method for physiologic phenotype characterization at the single-cell level in non-interacting and interacting cells. Journal of Biomedical Optics. https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JBO.17.3.037008
​
23. Torres-García, W., Ashili, S., Kelbauskas, L., Johnson, R., Zhang, W., Runger, G., & Meldrumb, D. (2012, March) A statistical framework for multipara meter analysis at the single-cell level. Molecular Biosystem. https://doi.org/10.1039/C2MB05429A
​
24. Ashili, S., Kelbauskas, L., Houkal, J., Smith, D., Tian, Y., Youngbull, C., Zhu, H., Anis, Y., Hupp, H., Lee, K., Kumar, A., Vela, J., Shabilla, A., Johnson, R., Holl, M., & Meldrum, D. (2011, February 14) Automated platform for multiparameter stimulus response studies of metabolic activity at the single-cell level. SPIE Digital Library. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.875438
​
25. Ashili, S., Kelbauskas, L., Houkal, J., Smith, D., Mohammadreza, A., Lee, K., Kumar, A., Anis, Y., Paulson, T., Youngbull, C., Tian, Y., Johnson, R., Holl, M., & Meldrum, D. (2011, February 11) A novel method for multiparameter physiological phenotype characterization at the single-cell level. SPIE Digital Library. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.875483
​
26. Astratov, V., & Ashili, S. (2007) Percolation of light through whispering gallery modes in 3D lattices of coupled microspheres. Optics Express. https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.15.017351
​
27. Astratov, V., Ashili, S., & Yang, S. (2007, August 27) Optical transport phenomena in coupled spherical cavities. 9th International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICTON.2007.4296247
​
28. Astratov, V., Ashili, S., & Kapitonov, A. (2007, January) Optical properties of mesoscopic systems of coupled microspheres. PIERS. https://doi.org/10.2529/PIERS060908001922
​
29. Astratov, V., Ashili, S., & Kapitonov, A. (2006) Observation of light propagation via whispering gallery modes in 3-D networks of coupled spherical cavities. Optica Publishing Group. https://doi.org/10.1364/FIO.2006.FTuB6
​
30. Ashili, S., Astratov, V., & Sykes, E. (2006) The effects of inter-cavity separation on optical coupling in dielectric bispheres. Optica Publishing Group. https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.14.009460
​
31. Astratov, V., Ashili, S., Kapitonov, A., & Kanaev, A. (2006 November 20) Integrated circuits of coupled mircospheres for optoelectronics applications. International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICTON.2006.248244
​
32. Astratov, V., Kanaev, A., Ashili, S., & Cai, W. (2005) Circuits of microspheres for applications in integrated optoelectronics and controllable optical delay lines. Optica Publishing Group. https://doi.org/10.1364/FIO.2005.FTuQ1
​
33. Astratov, V., Kanaev, A., Ashili, S., Franchak, J., & Cai, W. (2005) Optical delay lines formed by circuits of spherical cavities with coupled whispering gallery modes. Optica Publishing Group. https://doi.org/10.1364/IP.2005.IThD2
​
34. Sykes, E., Ashili, S., Kanaev, A., & Astratov, V. (2005) Encapsulated microsphere arrays for applications in photonic circuits. Optica Publishing Group. https://doi.org/10.1364/IP.2005.IThD3
​
35. Astratov, V., Franchak, J., & Ashili, S. (2004, December 6) Optical coupling and transport phenomena in chains of spherical dielectric microresonators with size disorder. Applied Physics Letters. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1832737
​
36. Astratov, V., Franchak, J., Ashili, S., Kanaev, A., Cai, W., & Deng, S. (2004) Optical coupling and transport phenomena in long chains of slightly disordered spherical microresonators. Optica Publishing Group. https://doi.org/10.1364/FIO.2004.FWB1
​
37. Astratov, V., Franchak, J., Ashili, S., Cai, W., & Hasan, M. (2004) Resonant optical circuits based on coupling between whispering gallery modes in dielectric microresonators. Optica Publishing Group. https://doi.org/10.1364/IQEC.2004.IThI1