Research Associate (Postdoctoral Fellow)
University of Cambridge, UK
Advisor: Professor Robin J. M. Franklin, FRS
Molecular neuroscience · RNA biology · computational biology · functional genomics
Tanay Ghosh, PhD, FLS
I am a molecular neuroscientist, RNA biologist and computational biologist studying how non-coding and retrotransposon-derived RNAs shape gene-regulatory mechanisms in the nervous system, combining computational discovery with experimental validation.
My research spans oligodendrocyte biology, ageing, neurodegeneration, evolution and computational tool development. I explore functional genomics and systems biology approaches. I am increasingly interested in applying deep-learning methods to biological discovery and disease biology.
Academic background
FRM (Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale) Postdoctoral Fellow
INSERM, Sorbonne University, Paris, France
Advisor: Dr Matthias Groszer
PhD in Biotechnology
Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), India
Advisors: Professor Beena Pillai and Professor Samir K. Brahmachari
Research vision
Discovering regulatory principles hidden in RNA
I work at the interface of computational and experimental biology to identify regulatory mechanisms that are difficult to see using conventional gene-by-gene approaches. A central theme of my research is that non-coding and retrotransposon-derived RNAs can be functional components of gene-regulatory systems rather than transcriptional noise.
RNA regulatory biology · Systems robustness
Mechanistic studies of non-coding RNAs and retrotransposon-derived RNAs, including how RNA interacts with transcriptional machinery to control cell fate and differentiation.
Computational biology & functional genomics
Transcriptomics, single-cell analysis, gene-network approaches and data-driven discovery of regulatory switches, followed by experimental validation. I am also developing a growing interest in deep learning as a tool for extracting biological structure from complex datasets.
Evolution & disease
Using evolutionary analysis to understand the origin of biological mechanisms and asking how their dysregulation contributes to ageing and neurological disease.
Selected work
Research highlights
Cell · 2024
A retroviral link to vertebrate myelination
Discovered a non-coding RNA derived from a retrotransposon of retroviral origin that is essential for transcription of key myelin genes through interaction with the transcription factor SOX10, linking retroviral endogenization to the evolutionary emergence of vertebrate myelin.
View publication →eLife · 2026
BCL11A restores differentiation potential to aged OPCs
Identified BCL11A as a master regulatory switch in oligodendrocyte lineage progression and showed that restoring its age-related decline can reinstate differentiation capacity in aged oligodendrocyte progenitor cells.
View publication →Cell Reports · 2014
Robustness in cortical neurogenesis
Discovered a microRNA–cyclin D1 regulatory network that buffers fluctuations in gene expression and helps maintain appropriate progenitor fate decisions during cortical neurogenesis.
View publication →Publications
Ghosh T*, Baror R, Zhao C, Sharma A, Goldman N, Franklin RJM* (2026). The transcription factor BCL11A restores differentiation potential to aged oligodendrocyte progenitor cells. eLife 15:RP110038. DOI
Sole first author; co-communicating author.
Ghosh T*, Almeida RG, Zhao C, Mannioui A, Martin E, Fleet A, Chen CZ, Assinck P, Ellams S, Gonzalez GA, Graham SC, Rowitch DH, Stott K, Adams I, Zalc B, Goldman N, Lyons DA, Franklin RJM* (2024). A retroviral link to vertebrate myelination through retrotransposon-RNA-mediated control of myelin gene expression. Cell 187(4):814-830.e23. DOI
Sole first author; co-communicating author.
Ghosh T, Aprea J, Nardelli J, Engel H, Selinger C, Mombereau C, Lemonnier T, Moutkine I, Schwendimann L, Dori M, Irinopoulou T, Henrion-Caude A, Benecke AG, Arnold SJ, Gressens P, Calegari F, Groszer M (2014). MicroRNAs establish robustness and adaptability of a critical gene network to regulate progenitor fate decisions during cortical neurogenesis. Cell Reports 7(6):1779-1788. DOI
Sole first author.
Ghosh T, Soni K, Scaria V, Halimani M, Bhattacharjee C, Pillai B (2008). MicroRNA-mediated up-regulation of an alternatively polyadenylated variant of the mouse cytoplasmic β-actin gene. Nucleic Acids Research 36(19):6318-6332. DOI
Sole first author.
Ghosh T, Pandey N, Maitra A, Brahmachari SK, Pillai B (2007). A role for voltage-dependent anion channel Vdac1 in polyglutamine-mediated neuronal cell death. PLoS ONE 2(11):e1170. DOI
Sole first author.
Neumann B, Segel M, Ghosh T#, Zhao C, Tourlomousis P, Young A, Förster S, Sharma A, Chen Zi-Yu, Cubillos JF, Rawji KS, Chalut KJ, Franklin RJM (2021). Myc determines the functional age state of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells. Nature Aging 1(9):826-837. DOI
Second author.
Rawji KS, Young AMH, Ghosh T, Michaels NJ, Mirzaei R, Kappen J, Kolehmainen KL, Alaeiilkhchi N, Lozinski B, Mishra MK, Pu A, Tang W, Zein S, Kaushik DK, Keough MB, Plemel JR, Calvert F, Knights AJ, Gaffney DJ, Tetzlaff W, Franklin RJM, Yong VW (2020). Niacin-mediated rejuvenation of macrophage/microglia enhances remyelination of the aging central nervous system. Acta Neuropathologica 139(5):893-909. DOI
de la Fuente AG, Queiroz RML, Ghosh T, McMurran CE, Cubillos JF, Bergles DE, Fitzgerald DC, Jones CA, Lilley KS, Glover CP, Franklin RJM (2020). Changes in the Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cell Proteome with Ageing. Molecular & Cellular Proteomics 19(8):1281-1302. DOI
Gapp K, van Steenwyk G, Germain PL, Matsushima W, Rudolph KLM, Manuella F, Roszkowski M, Vernaz G, Ghosh T, Pelczar P, Mansuy IM, Miska EA (2020). Alterations in sperm long RNA contribute to the epigenetic inheritance of the effects of postnatal trauma. Molecular Psychiatry 25(9):2162-2174. DOI
Lv X, Ren SQ, Zhang XJ, Shen Z, Ghosh T, Xianyu A, Gao P, Li Z, Lin S, Yu Y, Zhang Q, Groszer M, Shi SH (2019). TBR2 coordinates neurogenesis expansion and precise microcircuit organization via Protocadherin 19 in the mammalian cortex. Nature Communications 10(1):3946. DOI
Hirose T, Cabrera-Socorro A, Chitayat D, Lemonnier T, Féraud O, Cifuentes-Diaz C, Gervasi N, Mombereau C, Ghosh T, Stoica L, Bacha JDA, Yamada H, Lauterbach MA, Guillon M, Kaneko K, Norris JW, Siriwardena K, Blasér S, Teillon J, Mendoza-Londono R, Russeau M, Hadoux J, Ito S, Corvol P, Matheus MG, Holden KR, Takei K, Emiliani V, Bennaceur-Griscelli A, Schwartz CE, Nguyen G, Groszer M (2019). ATP6AP2 variant impairs CNS development and neuronal survival to cause fulminant neurodegeneration. Journal of Clinical Investigation 129(5):2145-2162. DOI
Medvedeva VP, Rieger MA, Vieth B, Mombereau C, Ziegenhain C, Ghosh T, Cressant A, Enard W, Granon S, Dougherty JD, Groszer M (2019). Altered social behavior in mice carrying a cortical Foxp2 deletion. Human Molecular Genetics 28(5):701-717. DOI
Roshan R, Choudhary A, Bhambri A, Bakshi B, Ghosh T, Pillai B (2017). microRNA dysregulation in polyglutamine toxicity of TATA-box binding protein is mediated through STAT1 in mouse neuronal cells. Journal of Neuroinflammation 14(1):155. DOI
Aprea J, Prenninger S, Dori M, Ghosh T#, Monasor LS, Wessendorf E, Zocher S, Massalini S, Alexopoulou D, Lesche M, Dahl A, Groszer M, Hiller M, Calegari F (2013). Transcriptome sequencing during mouse brain development identifies long non-coding RNAs functionally involved in neurogenic commitment. EMBO Journal 32(24):3145-3160. DOI
Third author.
Roshan R, Ghosh T, Gadgil M, Pillai B (2012). Regulation of BACE1 by miR-29a/b in a cellular model of Spinocerebellar Ataxia 17. RNA Biology 9(6):891-899. DOI
Roshan R, Ghosh T, Scaria V, Pillai B (2009). MicroRNAs: novel therapeutic targets in neurodegenerative diseases. Drug Discovery Today 14(23-24):1123-1129. DOI
Kainthan RK, Gnanamani M, Ganguli M, Ghosh T, Brooks DE, Maiti S, Kizhakkedathu JN (2006). Blood compatibility of novel water soluble hyperbranched polyglycerol-based multivalent cationic polymers and their interaction with DNA. Biomaterials 27(31):5377-5390. DOI
Software
gSWITCH
A biologist-friendly web application for identifying key switch genes across time-dependent, variable-dependent or lineage progression gene-expression data.
Leadership · teaching · engagement
Building science through people
Scientific leadership
Led project development, computational and experimental strategy, collaborations, and mentoring of junior scientists.
Teaching & mentoring
Supervised professional scientists, Master's and undergraduate researchers, and taught computational and biological concepts from PCA to systems robustness.
Public engagement
Research communicated through invited talks, patient engagement, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, media interviews and a BBC Two documentary feature. I also delivered a research talk to People with Parkinson’s (PwPs) through the Edinburgh Research Interest Group (ERIG).
Current direction
From biological observation to general mechanism
My goal is to build an independent research programme that combines RNA biology, computational biology, quantitative genomics and mechanistic experimentation to uncover regulatory principles relevant to nervous-system function, ageing and disease. My growing interest lies in applying deep-learning methods to understand biological complexity and inform RNA-based therapeutics.
Research in the media
News & media highlights
2026
BBC Two — Evolution
The BBC Two documentary series Evolution, presented by Chris Packham, featured its take on my study’s central finding—the retroviral evolutionary origin of myelin.
2024
Cell press release interview
Interview for the Cell press release accompanying my paper in Cell.
Read the feature →2024
Deutschlandfunk
Interview with German public radio Deutschlandfunk about my Cell paper and the evolutionary origin of myelin.
Listen / read →2024
Sci.News
Coverage of the RetroMyelin study and its implications for vertebrate myelin evolution.
Read the article →Entrepreneurial initiative (Translation & innovation)
Retro-AI — an early-stage initiative exploring AI-enabled discovery of regulatory RNAs and RNA-based therapeutic opportunities in neurodegenerative disease.
Professional memberships
2024
Fellow of the Linnean Society of London (FLS)
Elected Fellow.
2024
Member of the Royal Society of Biology (MRSB)
Elected Member.
Contact
Research, collaboration & academic opportunities
Cambridge, United Kingdom