Dr Alpa J Dherai (Ph.D, FADLM)
Biography
Dr. Alpa J. Dherai is a Consultant Biochemist at P.D. Hinduja Hospital & Medical Research Centre, with more than two decades of experience in Clinical Chemistry and Biochemical Genetics. With a career rooted in research, diagnostics, and translational science, Dr. Dherai has dedicated her work to advancing the diagnosis and management of inherited metabolic disorders and inflammatory bowel diseases through the development of biochemical tests.
Her core interest focuses on inborn errors of metabolism (IEM), inflammatory bowel disease and therapeutic drug monitoring, with a strong emphasis on developing and optimizing assays in India for rare clinical conditions. Dr. Dherai has made significant contributions in designing and validating esoteric tests using techniques such as enzyme assays, ELISA, HPLC, GC-MS, and dried blood spot testing. These advancements have enhanced the early detection and accurate diagnosis of complex disorders like aminoacidopathies, organic acidemias, lysosomal storage diseases, neurotransmitter defects, congenital disorders of glycosylation and also allowed therapeutic drug monitoring of several drugs for various patients.
Dr. Dherai has contributed in bridging the gap between laboratory research and diagnostic application and has successfully executed several Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) funded projects and other national initiatives, including the Nationwide High risk screening program for aminoacidopathies and organic academias. Her contributions have been pivotal in establishing one of the few NABL-accredited Biochemical Genetics referral laboratories in India during her tenure at Sandor Proteomics Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad.
Trained at premier biochemical genetics laboratories in Europe and the United States, Dr. Dherai is a recipient of the John Lawrence Fellowship and a Travel and Training Fellowship from the European Research Network for the Diagnosis of Inborn Errors of Metabolism (ERNDIM). She is also an appointed technical assessor in Biochemistry and Biochemical Genetics for the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).
In academia, she serves as a recognized guide for M.Sc. and Ph.D. students in Applied Biology at the University of Mumbai and has authored over 42 peer-reviewed publications. She is also the Fellow of the Academy of Diagnostics and Laboratory Medicine (FADLM). Her interest areas also include studies on pharmacogenetics and biomarker development for infectious and inflammatory conditions.
Dr. Dherai also contributes to the scientific community by participating as Joint treasurer of the Indian Society of Inborn Errors of Metabolism (ISIEM) and Vice-President of the Academic wing of Association of Clinical Biochemists and Microbiologists (ACBM) and member of multiple professional societies, including the Society for the Study of Inborn Errors of Metabolism (SSIEM), Association of Clinical Biochemists of India (ACBI), Indian Society of and the Society of Indian Association of Medical Genetics (SIAMG).
Dr. Alpa Dherai’s work exemplifies a relentless pursuit of excellence in clinical diagnostics and patient-centered research, with a lasting impact on public health, particularly in the domain of rare genetic disease diagnosis in India.
