Dr. Premi started his research career during his PhD at National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India where he investigated genotoxicity of natural radioactivity. He pioneered in establishing a buffering effect of chromosomal alterations in offsetting the genotoxic effects of natural radioactivity. Dr. Premi’s research on Y chromosome is base for several ongoing projects in the host laboratory.

These findingsmotivated Dr. Premi to study the genotoxic stress from solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation at Yale University School of Medicine in the department of Therapeutic Radiology. He discovered carcinogenic role of melanin which is otherwise believed to be a potent shield against harmful effects of the UV radiation. As an Associate Research Scientist at Yale Cancer Center, Dr. Premi developed adductSeq, a unique next-generation-sequencing based method to detect DNA damage at 1 bp resolution and identified hyperhotspots for UV-induced DNA damage. These hyperhotspots could be used as a dosimeter to assess a person’s history of UV exposure.

As an Assistant Professor in the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Dr. Premi’s lab is interested in investigating the contradictory role of skin-pigmentation in skin-carcinogenesis. The idea is to re-sensitize the drug resistant melanomas to the targeted therapies and immunotherapies by modulating the melanin-chemiexcitation pathway. Overall, Dr. Premi is an established and distinguished researcher in the field of skin tumor igenesis, carcinogenicity of the skin pigmentary system, and photocarcinogenesis.

• Skin Cancer
• Specifically Melanoma
• Photobiology
• Biology of Skin Pigmentation

• Srivastava J, Yadav VK, Phadatare PR, Inamdar NA, Young MM, Fang B, Pulido ADM, Bacchiocchi A, Halaban R, Tsai KY, Smalley KS, Koomen JM, Rodriguez PC, and Premi S. Submitted to Cancer Research (AACR), Under Revision.
• Srivastava J, Young MM, Yadav VK, Phadatare PR, Meyer TA, Chaudhuri RK, and Premi S. The role of Acetyl zingerone and its derivatives in inhibiting UV-induced, incident and delayed cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers. Antioxidants, (MDPI, Basel), January 2023, in press.
• Angelé-Martínez C, Goncalves LCP, Premi S, Augusto FA, Palmatier, MA, Amar SK, and Brash DE. Triplet-Energy Quenching Functions of Antioxidant Molecules. Antioxidants (MDPI, Basel), February 2022, 11;11(2);357. PMID;35204239.
• Goncalves L, Angele-Martinez C, Premi S, Palmatier M, Fernanda P, Di Amascio P, Bastos E, and Brash D. ACS Chemical Biology, accepted, February 2023.
• Premi S. Qin Y, Ahmad N. Editorial: Mechanisms of resistance to the targeted therapy and immunotherapy in cutaneous melanoma. Frontiers in Oncology, Skin Cancer, August 2022,12:1016901. PMID: 26110949.
• Ramos LD, Gomes TMV, Quintilano SAP, Premi S, Stevani CV, and Bechara EJH. Biological Schiff bases may generate reactive triplet carbonyls and singlet oxygen: A model study. Free Radical Biology and Medicine, Aug 2022, 191:97-104. Online ahead of print. PMID: 36049617.
• Lawrence KP, Delinasios G, Premi S, Young AR, and Cooke MS. Perspectives on Dark Cyclobutane Pyrimidine Dimers-Rise of the Dark Dimers. Photochemistry and Photobiology, October 2021, Online Ahead of Print. PMID:34706095.
• Amente S, Scala G, Majello B, Azmoun S, Tempest HG, Premi S, and Cooke MS. Genome-wide Mapping of Genomic DNA Damage: Methods and Implications. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, November 2021, 78(21-22);6745-6762. PMID:34463773.
• Premi S. Role of melanin chemiexcitation in melanoma progression and drug resistance. Frontiers in Oncology, Skin Cancer. August 06, 2020, Volume 10, article 1305. PMID: 32850409.
• Premi S. Carcinogenicity of “Photoprotective” Skin-Pigments. Acta Scientific Cancer Biology (ISSN: 2582-4473). Volume 4 Issue 8 August 2020.
• Premi S, Han L, Mehta S, Knight J, Zhao D, Palmatier M, Kornacker K, and Brash D. Genomic sites hypersensitive to ultraviolet light. Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), 2019, 2019 Nov 26;116(48):24196-24205. PMID: 31723047.
• Sun J, Wang L, Bao H, Premi S, Das U, Chapman ER and Roy S. Functional cooperation of α-synuclein and VAMP2 in synaptic vesicle recycling. Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), 2019. PMID: 31110017.
• Chaudhuri RK, Meyer t, Bojanowski K, Premi S, and Brash D. Acetyl Zingerone: An efficacious multifunctional ingredient for continued protection against on-going DNA damage in melanocytes after sun exposure ends. International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2019. PMID: 31538664.
• Premi S*, Brash DE. Unanticipated role of melanin in causing carcinogenic cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers**. Molecular & Cellular Oncology; 2016, Vol. 3, NO. 1, e1033588 (3 pages). * Corresponding author. **Invited article. PMID: 27308551 (4).
• Premi S and Brash DE*. Chemical excitation of electrons: A dark path to melanoma. DNA Repair (Elsevier), 2016, 44, 169-177. PMID: 27262612 (5).
• Premi S, Wallisch S, Mano CM, Weiner A, Bacchiocchi A, Wakamatsu K, Bechara EJH, Halaban R, Douki T and Brash DE*. Chemiexcitation of Melanin Derivatives Induces DNA Photoproducts Long after UV Exposure. Science; 2015; Feb: 347: 842-847. PMID: 25700512 (117).
• Muthusamy V, Premi S, Soper C, Platt J, Bosenberg M*. The hematopoietic stem cell regulatory gene latexin has tumor-suppressive properties in malignant melanoma. Journal of Investigative Dermatology; 2013; 133(7):1827-33. PMID: 23364479 (25).
• Zhang R, Premi S, Kilic SS, Bacchiocchi A, Halaban R, Brash DE*. Clonal growth of human melanocytes using cell-free extracellular matrix. Pigment Cell and Melanoma Research; 2013; 26(6):925-7. PMID: 24034857 (2).
• Premi S, Srivastava J, Epplen JT, Ali S*. AZFc region of the Y chromosome shows singular structural organization. Chromosome Research; 2010; 18(4):419-30. PMID: 20373140 (6).
• Srivastava J, Premi S, Kumar S, Ali S*. Expressional dynamics of minisatellite 33.15 tagged spermatozoal transcriptome in Bubalus bubalis. BMC Genomics; 2009; 10:303 PMID: 19583837 (13).
• Premi S, Srivastava J, Chandy SP, Ali S*. Unique signatures of natural background radiation on human Y chromosomes from Kerala, India. PLoS One; 2009; 4(2):e4541. PMID: 19242544 (15).
• Premi S, Srivastava J, Panneer G, Ali S*. Startling mosaicism of the Y-chromosome and tandem duplication of the SRY and DAZ genes in patients with Turner Syndrome. PLoS One; 2008; 3(11):e3796. PMID: 19030103 (23).
• Srivastava J, Premi S, Kumar S, Ali S*. Organization and differential expression of the GACA/GATA tagged somatic and spermatozoal transcriptomes in Buffalo Bubalus bubalis. BMC Genomics; 2008; 20(9):132. PMID: 18366692 (17).
• Srivastava J, Premi S, Kumar S, Parwez I, Ali S*. Characterization of Smoc-1 uncovers two transcript variants showing differential tissue and age specific expression in Bubalus bubalis. BMC Genomics; 2007; 28(8):436. PMID: 18042303 (12).
• Premi S, Srivastava J, Chandy SP, Ali S*. AZFc somatic microdeletions and copy number polymorphism of the DAZ genes in human males exposed to natural background radiation. Human Genetics (Springer); 2007; 121(3-4):337-46. PMID: 17308897 (30).
• Srivastava J, Premi S, Garg LC, Ali S*. Organizational and expressional uniqueness of a testis-specific mRNA transcript of protooncogene c-kit receptor in water buffalo Bubalus bubalis. DNA and Cell Biology; 2006; 25(9):501-13. PMID: 16989573 (12).
• Pathak D, Premi S, Srivastava J, Chandy SP, Ali S*. Genomic instability of the DYZ1 repeat in patients with Y chromosome anomalies and males exposed to natural background radiation. DNA Research; 2006; 13(3):103-9. PMID: 16980714 Select item 16629593 (19).
• Pathak D, Srivastava J, Premi S, Tiwari M, Garg LC, Kumar S, Ali S*. Chromosomal localization copy number assessment, and transcriptional status of BamHI repeat fractions in water buffalo Bubalus bubalis. DNA and Cell Biology; 2006; 25(4):206-14. PMID: 16629593 (14).
• Premi S, Srivastava J, Chandy SP, Ahmad J, Ali S*. Tandem duplication and copy number polymorphism of the SRY gene in patients with sex chromosome anomalies and males exposed to natural background radiation. Molecular Human Reproduction; 2006; 12(2):113-21. PMID: 16510537 (30).
• Srivastava J, Premi S, Pathak D, Kumar S and Ali, S*. Development of Molecular Markers for Characterization of Stem Cell Lineage. Proceedings Indian National Science Academy (PINSA) 2006; 72: 83-89 (0).
• Srivastava J, Premi S, Pathak D, Ahsan Z, Tiwari M, Garg LC, Ali S*. Transcriptional status of known and novel genes tagged with consensus of 33.15 repeat loci employing minisatellite-associated sequence amplification (MASA) and real-time PCR in water buffalo, Bubalus bubalis. DNA and Cell Biology; 2006; 25(1):31-48. PMID: 16405399 (21).

• Premi S. Edited a book titled “Biotechnological Applications in Human Health’, Springer, 2020.
• Premi S*, Srivastava J, and Ali S. Genomics of the Human Y Chromosome: Applications and Implications. Book: Genome Analysis and Human Health. Springer Press ISBN: 978-981-10-4297. Chapter 7, page 133-151. * Corresponding author, Book Chapter.

• https://loop.frontiersin.org/people/971234