Immunopaedia Ambassadors – Asia
Our Ambassadors from across the Asian continent.
What is your name?
Maryam Sadat Seyedmehdi
What is your current position?
M.Sc. Student of Genetics
Which institute and country do you work in?
Shahid Beheshti University, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Technology, Iran
What is your home country?
Iran
What are your research interests?
Cancer Genetics, Inborn Errors of Immunity, Bioinformatics
Tell us about yourself and your research interests:
As a master’s student in Genetics with a background in Medical Laboratory Sciences, I have developed a deep passion for immunology and multidisciplinary research. My academic journey has instilled in me a strong desire to contribute to the field of immunology and advance our understanding of the relationship between genetics and the immune system’s role in health and disease. In addition to my academic pursuits, I am an active member of the gender equality in science community in Iran. Through our collective efforts, we have endeavoured to raise awareness about gender disparities in science and advocate for greater inclusivity and diversity within the scientific community. Leveraging social media platforms such as Instagram and Castbox, we have successfully engaged a broad and educated audience, shedding light on the challenges and triumphs of scientific research in Iran.
What are your online profiles?
LinkedIn – Maryam Seyedmehdi
Instagram – @genderequalityinscience
Linkedin – Maryam Seyedmehdi
ORCID Profile: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-6095-1391
Immunology Keywords:
Inborn Errors of Immunity, Cancer Immunology, Bioinformatics
What is your name?
Marjan Sadat Seyedmehdi
What is your current position?
M.Sc. Student of Medical Immunology
Which institute and country do you work in?
Department of Immunology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
What is your home country?
Iran
What are your research interests?
Immunodeficiency, Inborn Errors of Immunity, Immunotherapy
Tell us about yourself and your research interests:
Have you ever wondered how our bodies fight off invisible invaders? That’s what keeps me up at night! I’m Marjan Sadat Seyedmehdi, a master’s student in medical immunology with growing fascination for the field. My interest in immunology began with a personal experience with seasonal allergies, sparking my curiosity as a child to learn about the body’s immune response. Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, I even became more fascinated by how our bodies fight illnesses. So when it came to choosing a master’s specialization, immunology felt like a perfect fit! I have recently started my thesis in the amazing field of “Primary Immunodeficiency” in Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. I’m on a mission to become a champion for kids with rare immune disorders, standing alongside them for a better future, hopefully. Since joining the immunology program, I’ve had the privilege of learning from amazing professors. Their passion for science is contagious, so I always find myself eager to share what I learn with my family, translating those complex terms into easy-to-understand bits. After all, knowledge is a superpower meant for everyone! I’m excited to share my passion for immunology as an Immunopedia Ambassador.
What are your online profiles?
LinkedIn – Marjaan Seyedmehd
Instagram – @genderequalityinscience
Immunology Keywords:
Inborn Errors of Immunity, Cancer Immunology, Bioinformatics
What is your name?
ATM Badruzzaman
What is your current position?
PhD Student
Which institute and country do you work in?
National Institute of Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology, National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan
What is your home country?
Bangladesh
What are your research interests?
Infectious Diseases, Vaccinology, Immunology
Tell us about yourself and your research interests:
I am a Bangladeshi national currently enrolled in the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) program in Molecular Medicine. I am fortunate to be part of a joint initiative between the Department of Life Sciences at the National Central University (NCU) and the National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) in Taiwan. My research focuses on the development of a seasonal influenza vaccine using Virus-Like Particles (VLPs) produced through the baculovirus expression system. This innovative approach holds great promise for enhancing the effectiveness of influenza vaccines. Looking ahead, my aspiration is to play a significant role in advancing vaccine development and exploring novel approaches in the field. Additionally, I am keenly interested in advocating for government actions and policies aimed at addressing medical and health challenges.
What are your online profiles?
LinkedIn – ATM Badruzzaman
ResearchGate – ATM Badruzzaman
Google Scholar – ATM Badruzzaman
Immunology Keywords:
Virus, RNA, antibody
What is your name?
Krishnapriya Vinod
What is your current position?
PhD Student
Which institute and country do you work in?
Department of Biology, Ashoka University, Haryana, India
What is your home country?
India
What are your research interests?
Human Immunology, Vaccine development, Viral diseases
Tell us about yourself and your research interests:
I am Krishnapriya Vinod, a native of Kerala, India. I hold a master’s degree in Zoology and am currently pursuing my PhD at Ashoka University, Delhi NCR, India. Under the guidance of Dr. Rama Akondy, I am a member of the Human Immunology lab, where our research centers on vaccine-induced immune memory and human T cell differentiation. My primary focus lies in understanding naïve cytotoxic T cells and understanding the factors that maintain their ‘quiescent’ state. This passion was ignited by my interest in studying immune responses, particularly in the aftermath of various emergent viral outbreaks in Kerala.
What are your online profiles?
LinkedIn – Krishnapriya Vinod
ResearchGate – Krishnapriya Vinod
Immunology Keywords:
Vaccines, viral diseases, emerging infections
What is your name?
Somenath Dutta
What is your current position?
Doctoral Fellow
Which institute and country do you work in?
Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Pusan National University, South Korea
What is your home country?
India
What are your research interests?
Precision Medicine, Genomics, Vaccine Design
Tell us about yourself and your research interests:
I am Somenath Dutta, a doctoral fellow at Pusan National University specializing in computational biology and high-performance computing. With a Master’s degree in Bioinformatics and a Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology, my research focuses on drug design, next-generation sequencing, and the application of machine learning techniques to tackle complex biological challenges. Throughout my academic journey, I have gained valuable experience from different research institutes and I have actively participated and presented in over 50 national and international conferences, contributing to the field of computational biology. I have developed expertise in computational drug design for Protein and RNA-based systems, as well as in Vaccine Design and Omics Study. Currently, I am deeply interested in cancer biology and remain committed to continuous professional development and staying abreast of the latest trends and best practices in research. My current focus lies in integrating machine learning with computational medicinal chemistry, transcriptomics, and genomics tools. By leveraging these cutting-edge technologies, I aspire to revolutionize basic and translational research, ultimately leading to advancements in Precision Medicine. I want my research papers to be like a meeting point – problems can be solved with opportunities for future generations. I want my work to connect people, in different streams of interest, I aspire to: harmonized and moderate Science with morality.
What are your online profiles?
LinkedIn – Somenath Dutta
Website – https://sduttamedicine.me
Immunology Keywords:
Cancer Immunotherapy, Epitope, Antibody,
What is your name?
Shubham Kumar
What is your current position?
Ph.D. student
Which institute and country do you work in?
Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad, India
What is your home country?
India
What are your research interests?
T-cell immunology, Innate immune system, cancer biology
Tell us about yourself and your research interests:
I am inspiring immunologist, and my dream is to setup my own lab and do research for the betterment of human society. I become fascinated about immunology during my bachelors. My journey in the field of immunology begins when I become DBT-Ramachandran fellow in 2019-2021 to pursue my masters. I completed my masters from prestigious institute Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad. My early research was focused to study the effect of Dengue virus (DENV-2) on Neutrophils and investigated how this DENV-2 induced neutrophils might affect T-cell response. There, we discovered that DENV-2 can alter the morphology, phenotypic, and functioning of neutrophils. These DENV-2 induced neutrophils can cause sub-optimal T-cell response which can cause severe dengue infection. My research has greatly benefited me in understanding both innate and adaptive immune systems. My future research objectives are to investigate the T-cell response against various disease and what are the factors which can cause skewed T-cell response. I also enjoy reading comic books and novels and playing chess. I love science fiction, and Star Wars and Star Trek are two of my favorite series.
What are your online profiles?
LinkedIn – Shubham Kumar
Twitter – @SHUBHAM38420581
Immunology Keywords:
T-cell immunology, Innate immune system, cancer biology
What is your name?
Najat Ahmed
What is your current position?
Assistant Professor
Which institute and country do you work in?
Medical Laboratory Department in Erbil Technical Health College, Iraq
What is your home country?
Iraq
What are your research interests?
Autoimmune disease, Tumor Immunology, Molecular Immunology
Tell us about yourself and your research interests:
I completed high school in Erbil, then Bachelor and Master degree in Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT) at Baghdad- Iraq 2003 and 2007 respectively. I received my PhD in Bio-science from the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Malaysia in 2014. I am now Head of Medical Laboratory Department in Erbil Technical Health College. I have 30 years experience in medical laboratories and clinical Immunology. My main areas of research interest are autoimmune diseases and clinical chemistry. Other Research Areas: Autoimmune disease including Antibodies that related to diabetes, Anti-H Pylori Abs that causes molecular mimicry (Anti-H Pylori induced thrombocytopenia, Anti-H Pylori induced infertility through killing or deactivate sperms among male and females), pseudothrombocytopenia induced by in vitro hypersensitivity by using EDTA.
What are your online profiles?
ResearchGate – Najat Ahmed Berwary
Immunology Keywords:
Auto Ab, Diabetics, Autoimmune disease
What is your name?
Abdullah Almahdi
What is your current position?
Professor and Deputy Dean Faculty of Medicine
Which institute and country do you work in?
Microbiology and immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Lincoln University, Malaysia
What is your home country?
Yemen
What are your research interests?
Immunology, Antibiotics Production and Multidrug resistant microbes
Tell us about yourself and your research interests:
My research and teaching work focus on Cellular and Molecular Biology, Genetics, Enzymology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Biophysics, Biotechnology, Bioinformatics, Structural Biology and Immunology. Such as “Comparison of Common Human Respiratory Viruses (IFVA, IFVB, HRSV, HBOV, HMPV) Among Hospitalized Children aged ≤ 6 years in Haikou City (Hainan island, China)” and “Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B Virus with core antibodies positive among blood donors in 48 Modern Hospital – Sana’a – Yemen”. Dr. Abdullah Y. Al-Mahdi, I am a Professor and the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Postgraduates Coordinators and Head of Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Lincoln University College (LUC), Malaysia. I was the former Vice Dean Faculty of Science and Former Head Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Sana’a, Yemen. Before that I was the Former Vice Dean Faculty of Medicine, British University Yemen (BUY). I am the current President of Yemen Chemical Safety and Security Organization (YCSSO) and the General Secretary of Yemen Microbiology Society (YMS). I am a Member of the American Society of Microbiology (ASM and a Member of Yemeni Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical, Biological and Toxic Weapons since 2010.
What are your online profiles?
LinkedIn – Abdullah Almahdi
ResearchGate – Abdullah Almahdi
Immunology Keywords:
Immunosuppressive Drug, Obesity and Vaccination effect, Immunology detection of Oncogene
What is your name?
Ugur Musabak
What is your current position?
Professor
Which institute and country do you work in?
Baskent University School of Medicine, Division of Immunology And Allergy, Türkiye
What is your home country?
Türkiye
What are your research interests?
Primary immunodeficiencies, transplantation immunology, rheumatology
Tell us about yourself and your research interests:
Uğur Muşabak was graduated from Gülhane Military Medical Academy (GMMA) Faculty of Medicine in 1991. Between 1994-1998, he received Internal Medicine Specialization training at Ankara GMMA. He completed his Immunology subspecialty training in 2002, and in the same year, he was appointed as a specialist at the GMMA Immunology Department. He received the title of Associate Professor in 2006. He became a Professor in August 2012. In September 2017, he founded the Department of Immunology and Allergy Diseases at Başkent University Faculty of Medicine and was appointed as the Head of the Department. He is also chief of Tissue Typing Laboratory in the same center. Professor Uğur Musabak’s main areas of interest are primary and secondary immunodeficiencies, autoimmunity, allergy, and transplantation immunology.
What are your online profiles?
Google Scholar – Ugur Musabak
Immunology Keywords:
Primary immunodeficiencies, transplantation immunology, rheumatology
What is your name?
Manzoor Ahmad Mir
What is your current position?
Senior Assistant Professor, Head of Department
Which institute and country do you work in?
Department of Bioresources, University of Kashmir, India
What is your home country?
India
What are your research interests?
Immunology, Cancer Biology, Immunology of Microbes
Tell us about yourself and your research interests:
Dr. Manzoor Ahmad Mir worked jointly for his Ph. D at Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi and CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology Chandigarh in the field of Immunopathology. His basic research interests include, molecular immunology and Immunobiology of microbes (MTB). His Ph D research title was “Role of co-stimulation in the survival of intracellular pathogens”. He has published more than 50 high-impact research papers and book chapters, in recognition of which he has received several awards and Royalties from international publishing houses. Dr. Manzoor has authored more than 15 books with international publishers like Elsevier USA and Nova Science Publisher USA, Bentham Sciences, IGI Global, Springer-Nature. He is on the editorial board and Reviewer of some prestigious journals like DOVE medical press, Springer Plus, Cancer Biomarkers, Frontiers, Plos etc. Dr Manzoor was awarded Teachers Associate Research Excellence Fellowship (TARE) by DST Govt of India. Dr Manzoor has developed Massive Open Online Course (MOOCs) in Immunology course and Endocrinology course for UG students sanctioned by UGC-Consortium for Educational Communication (CEC) SWAYAM Ministry of HRD Govt of India. He has research and teaching experience of 15 years. He currently teaches Cancer Biology, and Immunology at the Department of Bioresources, School of Biological Sciences, University of Kashmir. He is presently heading the Department of Bioresources, University of Kashmir.
What are your online profiles?
LinkedIn – Dr Manzoor Mir
ResearchGate – Manzoor Ahmad Mir
Immunology Keywords:
Breast cancer, Infectious Biology, Cancer Immunology
What is your name?
Shahzad Shoukat
What is your current position?
Master Graduate Student and Researcher
Which institute and country do you work in?
Faculty of Postgraduate, Department of Immunology, Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia
What is your home country?
Pakistan
What are your research interests?
Microbiology, Immunology, Public Health
Tell us about yourself and your research interests:
I am a Master Graduate student in Immunology and have my undergraduate in Microbiology. My master research project was about the “comparison of d-dimer levels using a coagulometer with an immuno-nephelometer in covid-19 patients”. My research had two objectives which were divided into main and specific objectives. The main objective of my research was to determine the levels of D-Dimer in Covid-19 patients using CS2500 and Architect i1000 analyzers, while the specific objective of my research was to compare the two machines which i-e CS2500 and Architect i1000 in measuring the D-Dimer Levels in Covid-19 Patients. For this research, I had collected my data from RSUD. Dr. SOETOMO hospital, East Jawa Province, Indonesia. By pursuing my Master’s degree in Immunology, I was most intrigued by the work done by other Professors, Researchers, and Graduate Students in the Department of Immunology, Post Graduate School which really motivates me for implementing my ideas about the novel researches. My research experience during the bachelor’s program made me strongly interested in Microbiology and Immunology. Department of Immunology, Post Graduate School, Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) gave me an opportunity of pursuing further knowledge in this field to help people with inflammatory diseases.
What are your online profiles?
LinkedIn – Shahzad Shoukat
Google Scholar – Shahzad Shoukat
Twitter – @Shahzad_Micro
Immunology Keywords:
Clinical Immunology, Microbiology & Immunology, Innate Immunity
What is your name?
Gaurang Telang
What is your current position?
Research & Creative Associate, Part-time PhD student
Which institute and country do you work in?
Logical Life Science Pvt Ltd, India, Amity University Mumbai, India
What is your home country?
India
What are your research interests?
T cells, Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, Cytokines and chemokines in tumor microenvironment, Mesenchymal stem cells
Tell us about yourself and your research interests:
I am an experienced and detail-oriented scientist in the field of immunology and stem cell research. I hold a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Biotechnology, and currently, I am a part-time PhD student. Since completing my undergraduate dissertation, I have honed my skills in multi-color flow cytometry and data analysis. My expertise extends to working with Dental Pulp Stem cells, where I have successfully performed in vitro differentiation of stem cells into the osteoblastic lineage. Currently, I’m working on T cell subsets, optimizing protocols for T cell activation and proliferation in vitro using artificial antigen presentation. I have also worked on monocyte-dendritic cell differentiation in vitro, following CD14 sorting. Beyond my scientific expertise, I have also made significant contributions to scientific publications by creating complex scientific illustrations and graphics for research. My attention to detail and creative flair is evident in my work, which has been well-received by peers in the field. Currently, I am working on Tregs, MSCs, and assay development in immunogenicity of biologics and biosimilars. I’m a proactive researcher who strives to bring new insights into the field and enjoys collaborating with other scientists. My passion for science and my drive to make meaningful contributions in the field make me a valuable asset to any research team.
What are your online profiles?
LinkedIn – Gaurang Telang
ResearchGate – Gaurang Telang
ORCID – Gaurang Telang
Immunology Keywords:
Immunosenescence, T cell exhaustion, Cancer Immunology, Flow Cytometry, T Cell Activation, Mesenchymal stem cells
What is your name?
Narjes Sadat Farizani Gohari
What is your current position?
Medical student
Which institute and country do you work in?
Shahid Sadoughi University in Yazd, Iran
What is your home country?
Kerman, Iran
What are your research interests?
Cancer , stem cell , immunology
Tell us about yourself and your research interests:
I am currently a medical student at Shahid Sadoughi University in Yazd, and I have experience working in the fields of cancer and stem cell immunology. I am the NHT Ambassador to Usern as an international researcher in Ukraine and am also a member of the USERN Corona and Immunology research team (at USERN Yazd).
Immunology Keywords:
Autoimmune , cytotoxin , inflammation
What is your name?
Sukrat Sinha
What is your current position?
Assistant Prof, Department of Zoology
Which institute and country do you work in?
Nehru Gram Bharati (Deemed to be) University, Prayagraj, U.P, India-225105
What is your home country?
India
What are your research interests?
Immunology, Signaling and molecular biology of infectious diseases including Pandemics like COVID-19
Tell us about yourself and your research interests:
Currently I am working as an Assistant Professor in Nehru Gram Bharati University, Allahabad, India and working on the problems arose through COVID-19 along with Kala Azar. I have also recently completed Department of Science and Technology sponsored project on ” Role of IFN-gamma in T cell proliferation during visceral leishmaniasis” at Centre of Biotechnology, University of Allahabad, Allahabad, India. I worked as a Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellow at Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta with Prof. Mary Galinski in collaboration with Dr. John Barnwell for a period of one year from Feb 2014-Jan 2015. I had been carrying out mRNA FISH studies on Schizont Infected Cell Agglutination variant antigen (SICAvars) of Plasmodium parasite. Our group has been involved in elucidating host pathogen interaction of malaria parasite by following omics approaches.
I had completed my PhD on the topic “Role of adhesion molecules in immunity enhancement against Visceral leishmaniasis infection” with a special focus on CD2 adhesion molecule from University of Allahabad and Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna a pioneer Institute working in the area of Visceral Leishmaniasis infection. During my masters project, I had an experience of working in the area of neuroscience as well where I have worked on the ” Modulation of Na/K ATPase activity of rat brain synaptosome by Norepinepherine and Serotonin”.
I have published around 15 papers in peer reviewed journals, 25 Papers presented in international/ national conferences, 2 books and a book chapter. Besides I have been awarded in Essay writing competitions organized by UNICEF, Competition success review magazine, School and University. I am an efficient scientific communicator as well.
What are your online profiles?
LinkedIn
Immunology Keywords:
Vaccines, Immunotherapy, Infectious diseases
What is your name?
Gurpreet Kaur
What is your current position?
National Post Doctoral Fellow (NPDF-SERB)
Which institute and country do you work in?
Indian Institute of Technology Ropar, Rupnagar, Punjab, India
What is your home country?
India
What are your research interests?
Immunology of Infectious Diseases, Vaccine development, Biotherapeutics
Tell us about yourself and your research interests:
In my most recent position, I am employed as a Post-doctoral fellow at IIT-Ropar (May 2018- present). I am immensely interested in vaccine development towards infectious diseases. Vaccines are the best prophylactic measure, which has eliminated many diseases like polio, measles and small pox. During my PhD, adjuvant effects of IL22 were studied alongwith antigen GroEL as potential vaccine candidate molecules against Salmonella and other microbial infections. My work shows the potential of co- administration of IL22 and GroEL/ fusion construct as recombinant proteins/DNA vaccine constructs in enhancing the immune responses and protective efficacy, circumventing the need of any adjuvant in vaccine development for infectious diseases. In my postdoctoral work, I am working towards development of an improved BCG vaccine i.e., a recombinant BCG vaccine expressing memory enhancing cytokines. Failure to induce a long-lasting protective immunity is the main shortcoming of most of current vaccines. In addition to cognate immune interactions, other distinct signals are required during the induction of sustenance of immune response for instance, signaling through multiple Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and cytokines to shape and skew immune response toward a stable and desired one. Nevertheless, there are tremendous differences in natural infection and vaccine induced immune response. Consequently, it is important to study microbial and immune signals of utmost importance during course of infection and vaccination that are required for development of long-lasting immunological memory and influences the outcome of disease. This may lead to a better understanding for the development of effective vaccines against dreadful diseases, mainly intracellular pathogens.
What are your online profiles?
LinkedIn
Immunology Keywords:
T cells/B cells, Cytokines and Immune Regulation, Immunological memory
What is your name?
Ashutosh Tiwari
What is your current position?
MSc Candidate
Which institute and country do you work in?
Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya (A Central University), Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, Country India
What is your home country?
India
What are your research interests?
Tumor immunogenicity, Stem cells immunotherapy, Immunopathogenesis.
Tell us about yourself and your research interests:
I am a student and innovator based in Guru Ghasidas University India, I have participated in many national and international competitions, recently I have been awarded grants from the National Innovation Foundation (DST India) and ICMR-CiBioD Chandigarh, to develop solutions that can stop the spread of COVID-19 and we have also filed patents for the same. I started my journey as an undergraduate student at Guru Ghasidas University and encountered Immunology as a course in my curriculum. From there I developed a keen interest in the subject and elaborated my knowledge and learned fundamental concepts of immunology. I am fascinated by Stem Cells and its ability to differentiate into various cell types. My research interest mainly focuses on stem cells and its application in organ transplantation by understanding the immunological complications faced.
What are your online profiles?
LinkedIn
Immunology Keywords:
Transplantation Immunology, Stem cells immunotherapy, Immunopathogenesis
What is your name?
Sabiha Anis
What is your current position?
Consultant Immunologist & Section Head
Which institute and country do you work in?
The Indus Hospital (TIH), Pakistan
What is your home country?
Pakistan
What are your research interests?
Immunodeficiency, Inflammatory diseases, Transplant Immunology
Tell us about yourself and your research interests:
My past research work has been mostly about autoimmune and inflammatory disorders and infections leading to disordered immunity enhancing rejections in recent transplant recipients. I did a project to elucidate T and B cell disorder in FSGS patients using flowcytometric analysis. I am especially interested in immune cell function assays and is planning to setup the facility here at Indus where I have recently joined.
Previously I was working at Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT), Karachi, Pakistan
What are your online profiles?
ResearchGate and Semantic Scholar
Immunology Keywords:
Immunodeficiencies, Autoimmunity & Inflammation, Allergy
What is your name?
Diwakar Rathour
What is your current position?
Senior Research Fellow
Which institute and country do you work in?
National Institute of Immunology India
What is your home country?
India (Firozabad, U.P.)
What are your research interests?
Infection Biology, Basic immunology
Tell us about yourself and your research interests:
I am currently working in the National Institute of Immunology India as Senior Research Fellow. I did my master from St.Johns College Agra and M.phil from School of life science, Khandari Campus, DR.Bhimrao Ambedakar University Agra. Since 3 Year, I am interesting in the field of immunology. My early carrier work done in the National JALMA institute of leprosy and Other Mycobacterium disease Agra. This involved the Study of TCR mediated Proximal and Distal T cell signalling events in the Blood and peripheral fluid of TB pleurisy patients. We examined the level of Intracellular Calcium, ZAP70, Erk1/2, P-38 that is essential in the T cell proliferation and regulation. I am currently studying to determine whether CD40 signaling contributes to the maintenance of the memory and plasma cells.
What are your online profiles?
LinkedIn –Diwakar Rathour
Researchgate –Diwakar Rathour
Immunology Keywords:
T cell, B cell, Cell Signaling
What is your name?
Dimpu Gogoi
What is your current position?
Scientist
Which institute and country do you work in?
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)- National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health (NIRRH), Mumbai, India
What is your home country?
India
What are your research interests?
Immunology of chronic diseases, Immunotolerance and T cell biology
Tell us about yourself and your research interests:
I am working as a Scientist at ICMR-NIRRH, Mumbai, India. I started my journey in the field of immunology after enrolling for a doctorate degree at ACTREC-HBNI, India, which resulted in elucidating the importance of notch signal in regulating effector functions of γδ T cells. During my overseas postdoctoral fellowship at Institut Pasteur, France, I studied the involvement of T cells in conferring protection against Plasmodium mediated neuropathogenesis during chronic Toxoplasma gondii infection. I received INSPIRE Faculty award to work as an independent investigator to examine the role of exhaustion markers in γδ T cells and its possible involvement in regulating the severity of chronic pathogenic infections such as P. vivax-malaria and hepatitis B. Currently, I am interested in understanding the fine tuning of T cell responses that keep pathogens in check without causing any significant damage to self in chronic infectious diseases.
What are your online profiles?
LinkedIn – Dimpu Gogoi
Researchgate – Dimpu Gogoi
Immunology Keywords:
T cells, Immune exhaustion and Chronic diseases
What is your name?
Babita Balakrishnan
What is your current position?
Reviewer
Which institute and country do you work in?
Previous Affiliation: Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, India
What is your home country?
India
What are your research interests?
Osteoimmunology, Transplantation Immunology
Tell us about yourself and your research interests:
My primary research area of interest is Immunology. Both my doctoral and post doctoral experiences have helped me widen my understanding of the immune system. As a researcher, I strongly believe in taking research from bench-to-bedside. My post doctoral work from IISc, Bengaluru involved the investigation of role of Glycodelin, a natural immunosuppressor, in averting graft versus host reaction. We developed an allograft nude mouse model for this study and the Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes (CTLs) mediated killing of donor graft was clearly evident in this model. The transplanted graft survived successfully as glycodelin was able to downregulate the factors which regulate the cytotoxicity of CTLs and thus helped in the management of graft rejection.
My doctoral work from D. G. Ruparel College and ACTREC, Mumbai highlighted the potential of marine mollusc as an anti-osteoporotic agent and also identified its role in regulating lymphocyte-bone interaction. The extract was also able to control the increased T cell expression and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines followed by ovariectomy. This work was awarded with Young Scientist Award at the 9th International Marine Biotechnology Conference, China and also bagged best poster award at Immunocon, NIMHANS, Bengaluru.
As a lecturer, I have conducted lectures and practicals in immunology for undergraduates and postgraduates. As a researcher, I would like to be actively involved in studying and unravelling the intricacies of the immune system and make myself adept in Immunology.
What are your online profiles?
LinkedIn – Babita Balakrishnan
Researchgate – Babita Balakrishnan
Immunology Keywords:
Transplantion Immunology, Osteoimmunology, immunosuppression
What is your name?
Rushikesh Sudam Patil
What is your current position?
Post-Doctoral Fellow “INSPIRE Faculty” supported by Department of Science and Technology, Govt of India
Which institute and country do you work in?
Department of Immunology, Advanced Centre for Treatment Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC)- Tata Memorial Centre, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, India
What is your home country?
India
What are your research interests?
Gamma delta T cells, T cell metabolism and Cancer
Tell us about yourself and your research interests:
I completed my PhD in 2016 under the mentorship of Prof S.V. Chiplunkar from ACTREC-Tata Memorial Centre, Navi Mumbai. The research work focused on understanding the immune dysfunctions in pathogenesis of gallbladder cancer patients in India. Highlight of the study was to show that the IL17 secreting γδ-T lymphocytes (Tγδ17) induce angiogenesis and are associated with poor survival of Gallbladder cancer patients. This work received “Dr. G P Talwar young scientist award” from Indian Immunology Society. I then commenced a post-doctoral fellowship to investigate the role of exhaustion of T lymphocytes infiltrating the tumor environment of colon cancer patients, a project headed by Dr. S.V. Chiplunkar, in collaboration with ‘Bristol Meyer Squibb’, Bangalore. Recently I received an “INSPIRE Faculty award” to work at ACTREC-Tata Memorial Centre, Navi Mumbai. This is a competitive research grant given by Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India to young investigators to pursue independent research. This grant was awarded for a project ‘Understanding the metabolic pathways regulating the functions of γδ-T cells in cancer’ which was selected after a stringent review process.
I am keen to investigate the metabolic regulation of T cells in inflammatory environment. ‘How antigenic stimulation rewires the metabolic need of gamma delta T cells and vice versa in tumor environment’ and ‘does the alterations in the metabolic preferences contribute to T cell exhaustion in tumor environment’ are the questions I am presently perusing. I am actively involved in teaching basic immunology to undergraduate students and I participate in the Immunology hands-on training workshops organised by ‘Mumbai Immunology Group’.
What are your online profiles?
Researchgate: Rushikesh Patil
Immunology Keywords:
Inflammation, T cells, Metabolism, immune exhaustion
