Monica Peter

I currently hold the position of Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at Christian Medical College, Vellore, where I am actively engaged in both undergraduate and postgraduate education.

My research experience is centered on iron metabolism and oxidative stress, particularly as they relate to female reproductive health. I have investigated the roles of iron and oxidative stress in infertility and endometriosis, resulting in a peer-reviewed publication. Earlier in my career, I also explored the contribution of Helicobacter pylori infection to iron deficiency anemia.

In addition, I am involved in the development and application of experimental models for acute pancreatitis, focusing on systemic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction.

At present, I serve as a Co-Investigator on funded research projects that investigate the role of iron in wound healing. My responsibilities encompass study planning, biochemical analyses, interpretation of results, and the preparation of manuscripts.

My research interests revolve around elucidating the biochemical mechanisms underlying various disease processes through the integration of clinical data and experimental models, with a strong emphasis on translational relevance.

RESEARCH GRANTS HELD

Principal Investigator

Project title: Impact of simvastatin on systemic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction in a mouse model of severe acute pancreatitis.
Project title: Oxidative stress and iron levels in follicular fluid of infertile women with endometrioma undergoing ART. Funding agency: CMC Fluid Research Funds
MD Dissertation (2018- 2020) Title of study: Does Helicobacter pylori infection affect iron- related parameters in blood? Guide: Dr. Molly Jacob
Title of project (June- September 2020): Determination of gender-specific 99th percentile cut-off for high-sensitive troponin T in a tertiary care hospital. Guide: Dr. Molly Jacob

Co-investigator

Ongoing extramural:

ICMR – Investigator Initiated Projects – Intermediate Grant for the project titled, "Iron supplementation during pregnancy and the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus - a randomized, parallel-group, double-blinded clinical trial" (2024 - 2028) (PI: Dr. Joe Varghese)
Core Research Grant (CRG) awarded by Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) for the project "Effect of iron on pancreatic beta cell function and glucose tolerance in pregnancy (Iron and GDM)" - 2023-2025. (PI: Dr. Joe Varghese)

Ongoing intramural:

Christian Medical College Fluid Research Grant for the project "Effect of iron on insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity during pregnancy in mice". (PI: Dr. Joe Varghese)
Christian Medical College Fluid Research Grant for the project: Estimation of serum non-transferrin bound iron (NTBI) levels by an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) based assay: assay validation and NTBI estimation in cohorts of beta-thalassemia major patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation. (PI: Dr. Padmanaban V)
Christian Medical College Fluid Research Grant for the project: The bacterial microbiome in pressure ulcers: a descriptive study (2021 – 2023). Principal Investigator: Dr. Jane Elizabeth Sajan.
Christian Medical College Fluid Research Grant for the project “Role of iron in wound healing”. (PI: Dr. Joe Varghese)
Christian Medical College Fluid Research Grant for the project “Effect of hepatic steatosis on iron homeostasis in the liver”. (PI: Dr. Joe Varghese)
Christian Medical College Fluid Research Grant for the project “Effect of iron on pancreatic islet function in a mouse model of dietary iron overload”. (PI: Dr. Joe Varghese)
Christian Medical College Fluid Research Grant for the project “Screening of antidotes for hepatotoxicity caused by yellow phosphorus”. (PI: Dr. Padmanaban V)

PUBLICATIONS

Peter, M., Venkatesan, P., Nellickal, A.J. et al. Impact of endometrioma on iron levels and oxidative stress in the follicular fluid in women with endometriosis: a cross-sectional study. Sci Rep 15, 43416 (2025).
Venkatesan, Padmanaban, Monica Peter, and Joe Varghese. "Genetic evidence against causal effects of haemoglobin and iron parameters on the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus: A two-sample Mendelian randomization study." International Journal of Diabetes in Developing Countries (2025): 1-7.
Peter, M., Balaji, M., Varghese, J., Marconi, S., Sudhakar, Y., Jebasingh, F. and Venkatesan, P., 2025. Effect of short-term (4 weeks) low-calorie diet induced weight loss on beta-cell function in overweight normoglycemic subjects: A quasi-experimental pre-post interventional study. Metabolism Open, p.100378.
Ramasamy, J., Peter, M., John, N.M., Varghese, J.J., Prem, S., Varghese, J., Mani, T., Simon, E.G. and Jacob, M., 2025. The presence of a H. pylori infection blunted the upregulation of iron-related duodenal proteins in response to anemia. The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, p.110048.
Peter, M., Roshin, J.E., Varghese, J. and Venkatesan, P., 2025. Dietary factors that influence iron deficiency anemia in India. Indian Journal of Public Health, 69(1), pp.100-103.
Monica Peter, Arunachalam Vijaya Bhaskar, Videeta Avinash Kamble, Gaikwad Abhishek Lazaras, Pamela Christudoss, Joe Varghese, Padmanaban Venkatesan. Determination of Reference Interval for Homocysteine, Magnesium, and Uric Acid from Tertiary Care Hospital Data by the Bhattacharya Method. Current Medical Issues 22(2):68-71, Apr-Jun 2024.
Varghese, J., Peter, M. and Kamath, M.S., 2021. Oogenesis arrest prior to birth: a trade-off between possible evolutionary advantages and age-related Oocyte dysfunction?. Fertility & Reproduction, 3(03), pp.55-57.

AWARDS

ICMR MD thesis grant for the thesis titled, “Does H. Pylori infection affect iron-related parameters in blood?

First prize in the National PG quiz conducted by Association of Medical Biochemists of India (AMBI) in November 2020 during AMBI-ON 2020.

First prize: oral presentation under the basic sciences category held during the CMC Annual Research Day 2024

Second prize: oral presentation under the medical education (faculty) held during the CMC Annual Research Day 2025

PRESENTATIONS IN CONFERENCE:

National Conference of the Association of Medical Biochemists of India (AMBI)
Virtual Conference, November 2020
Does Helicobacter pylori infection affect iron-related parameters in blood?

Annual Conference of AMBI – Bengaluru, July 2022
The iron content in pressure ulcers: comparison between the wound bed and wound edge

Vellore Endocrinology International Congress – CMC Vellore, January 2025
Haemoglobin and gestational diabetes mellitus: triangulating evidence from observational and Mendelian randomisation studies

CMC Annual Research Day

Oral and poster presentations in 2021-2025

Annual Conference of AMBI – Coimbatore, December 2025
Elevated iron in pressure ulcers is localised to macrophages within the wound bed

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