Qualifications:

Research priorities:

• Use of genome editing tools to produce more productive and healthier farm animals
 
• Application of animal cloning technology for faster multiplication and conservation of farm animals
 
• Genomic reprogramming in cloned embryos and stem cells
 
• Molecular reproduction in oocytes, sperm, and embryos

Teaching:

Technologies developed:

• Handmade cloning in buffaloes (Produced more than 20 cloned buffaloes).
 
• Large scale application of buffalo cloning (seven clones produced from a single breeding bull).
 
• Translation of buffalo cloning technology in the field.
 
• Establishment of a somatic cell bio-bank of elite buffaloes.
 
• Production of transgenic embryo production in buffalo.
 
• Establishment of embryonic stem cells from cloned, IVF, and parthenogenetic embryos.

Award and recognition: 

• NAAS-associates 2020
 
• NADS(I)-associate 2020
 
• NASI-Young Scientist Platinum Jubilee Awards-2019
 
• Innovative young biotechnologist-2018 by Department of Biotechnology, GoI.
 
• SERB overseas postdoctoral fellowship-award 2015-16 (Completed at Institute of farm animal genetics, Germany, March-2018)
 
• DST-SERB young scientist award-2015
 
• Jawaharlal Nehru award for outstanding doctoral thesis research in agricultural and allied sciences-2015 by Indian Council of Agricultural Research
 
• Best Ph.D. thesis award (2014) given by ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Karnal, Haryana
 
• Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD), Ottawa Canada
 
• S. S. Guraya Young Scientist Award by Indian Society for the Study of Reproduction & Fertility (ISSRF) University of Rajasthan, Jaipur
 
• CSIR-JRF-NET, 2009, New Delhi
 
• ICAR-NET 2011, New Delhi
 
• DBT-JRF, 2010, New Delhi
  

Research papers ( top 15 publications):

• Selokar NL, Sharma P, Saini M, Sheoran S, Rajendran R, Kumar D, Sharma RK, Motiani RK, Kumar P, Jerome A, Khanna S, Yadav PS. 2019. Successful cloning of a superior buffalo bull. Sci Rep. 9(1):11366.
 
• Selokar NL, Saini M, Palta P, Chauhan M, Manik R and Singla SK. 2014. Hope for restoration of dead valuable bulls through cloning using donor somatic cells isolated from cryopreserved semen. PLOS ONE 9(3): e90755.
 
• Saini M, Selokar NL, Rajendran R, Kumar D, Kumar P, Yadav PS. 2019. Isolation and culture of epithelial cells from stored buffalo semen and their use for the production of cloned embryos. Reprod Fertil Dev., 31(10):1581-1588.
 
• Dalal J, Chandolia RK, Pawaria S, Kumar A, Kumar D, Selokar NL, Andonissamy J, Yadav PS, Kumar P. 2020. Low-density lipoproteins protect sperm during cryopreservation in buffalo: Unraveling mechanism of action. Mol Reprod Dev., 87(12):1231-1244.
 
• Saini M, Sheoran S, Vijayalakshmy K, Rajendran R, Kumar D, Kumar P, Sharma RK, Kumar R, Mohnaty TK, Selokar NL, Yadav PS. 2020. Semen parameters and fertility potency of a cloned water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) bull produced from a semen-derived epithelial cell. PLoS One. 15(8):e0237766.
 
• Selokar NL, Shah R., Saha AP, Muzaffer M, Saini M, Chauhan MS, Manik RS, Palta P and Singla SK. 2012. Effect of post-fusion holding time, orientation and position of somatic cell-cytoplasts during electrofusion on the development of handmade cloned embryos in buffalo (bubalus bubalis). Theriogenology 78(4):930-6.
 
• Kumar D, Anand T, Vijayalakshmy K, Sharma P, Rajendran R, Selokar NL, Yadav PS, Kumar D. 2019. Transposon mediated reprogramming of buffalo fetal fibroblasts to induced pluripotent stem cells in feeder free culture conditions. Res Vet Sci.,123:252-260.
 
• Selokar NL, George A, Saha A P, Sharma R, Muzaffer M, Shah RA,  Palta P, Chauhan MS, Manik RS and Singla SK. 2011. Production of interspecies handmade cloned embryos by nuclear transfer of cattle, goat and rat fibroblasts to buffalo (bubalus bubalis) oocytes. Anim. Reprod Sci.123 (3-4):279-82.
 
• Selokar NL, Sharma P, Krishna A, Kumar D, Kumar D, Saini M, Sharma A, Vijayalakshmy K and Singh PS. 2018. Establishment of a somatic cell bank for indian buffalo breeds and assessing the suitability of the cryopreserved cells for somatic cell nuclear transfer. Cellular Reprogramming, 20(3):157-63.
 
• Kumar D, Sharma P, Vijayalakshmy K, Selokar NL, Kumar P, Rajendran R, Yadav PS. 2018. Generation of venus fluorochrome expressing transgenic handmade cloned buffalo embryos using sleeping beauty transposon. Tissue Cell. 51:49-55.
 
• Saini M, Selokar NL, Agrawal H, Singla SK, Chauhan MS, Manik RS and Palta P. 2014. Treatment of buffalo (bubalus bubalis) donor cells with trichostatin a and 5-aza-2’-deoxycytidine alters their growth characteristic, gene expression and epigenetic status and improves the in-vitro developmental competence, quality and epigenetic status of cloned embryos. Reproduction Fertility and Development, 28(6):824-37.
 
• Saini M, Selokar NL, Agrawal H, Singla SK, Chauhan MS, Manik RS and Palta P. 2014. Low Oxygen tension improves developmental competence and reduces apoptosis in hand-made cloned buffalo (bubalus bubalis) embryos. Livestock Science, 172, 106-109.
 
• Sirisha K, Selokar NL, Saini M, Palta P, Manik R, Chauhan M and Singla SK. 2013. Cryopreservation of zona-free cloned buffalo (bubalus bubalis) embryos: slow freezing vs open-pulled straw vitrification. Reprod Domest Anim. 48(4):538-544.
 
• Muzaffer M, Selokar NL, Zandi M, Singh MK, Shah R, Chauhan MS, Palta P, Madan P, Singla SK and Manik RS. 2012. Equivalency of buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) embryonic stem cells derived from fertilized, parthenogenetic and handmade cloned embryo. Cellular Reprogramming, 14(3): 267-279.
 
• Selokar NL, Saini M, Agrawal H, Palta P, Chauhan MS, Manik R and Singla SK. 2015. Down regulation of DNA methyltransferase 1 in zona-free cloned buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) embryos by small interfering RNA improves in vitro development but does not alter DNA methylation level. Cellular Reprogramming, 17(2):89-94.

Review Articles

• Selokar NL. 2018. Cloning of breeding buffalo bulls in India: Initiatives & challenges. Indian J. Med. Res. 148, 120-124.
 
• Selokar NL, Saini M, Palta P, Chauhan MS, Manik RS, Singla SK. 2018. Cloning of Buffalo, a Highly Valued Livestock Species of South and Southeast Asia: Any Achievements? Cellular Reprograming, 20 (2):89-98.
 
• Saini M, Selokar NL, Palta P, Chauhan MS, Manik RS, Singla SK. 2018. An update: Reproductive handmade cloning of water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis). Anim. Reprod. Sci.; 197:1-9.
 
• Saini M and Selokar NL. 2018. Approaches used to improve epigenetic reprogramming in buffalo cloned embryos. Indian J. Med. Res. 148, 115-119.
 
• Selokar NL. 2018. CRISPR-Cas: the molecular scissors for genetic disease surgeries? Current Science, 115, 3.