Dr. Srikanta Kumar Rath, Scientist, Genotoxicity Laboratory, Central Drug Research Institute. Dr Rath has contributed significantly to the field of molecular toxicology and understanding of disease genomics by developing  assays for genotoxicity using oligonucleotides and real-time approaches. He has built a tremendous understanding of SNPs in different DNA repair genes in several subpopulations of India and  an understanding of gene expression profile of Anti malarials. Dr Rath was one of the key implementors in the creation of Indian Genome Variation Consortium database (IGVdb). Dr Rath’s vision is to develop models to understand toxicity and disease effects. Dr Rath is making efforts to study toxicity and human disease parallely and to make the convergence at some point which will be useful in future for diagnosis.

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Name: Kaustuv Sanyal

My Area of Interest: comparative genomics, Genetics & Epigenetics of centromeres

My Favourite Quote: “There are many paths to top of the mountain but view is always the same”

I am a: Assistant Professor (Faculty Fellow)

Short Profile:

Question and Answers :

What are your future goals? Where do you see your research going?:
From decades of reserach on centromeres on various organisms, it seems that several key questions are still unanswered. It is clear that in many organisms, centromeres are not merely specified by the DNA sequence itself. The most basic question how centromere is specified by the chromatin state, if so, and propgated through many generations is still a mystery. Our ongoing reserach is centred around to get an answer to this interesting problem of biology.
My reserach, over the years, identifies centromeres of two pathogenic yeasts, Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis. Interstingly, in both these species, no common conserved sequences are present in all the centromeres of each species. We also demonstrated that the centromere formation is epigenetically regulated in C. albicans. More recently, we have discovered that the centromeres are probably the most rapidly evolving loci. we are trying to understand the genetic and epigenetic factors that control centromere formation and whether rapid change in centromere sequence may be acting as a driving force for speciation. We believe, our research will uncover many important questions of centromere formation to be specific and chromsome segregation in general and in turn help understanding many diseases associated with improper chromosome segregation such as cancers.

Technologies seem to changing faster than ever, how do you adapt to that? What are the current technologies you are using?:
Being a young investigator, I welcome technological advancement and I am happy to adapt to it. We use various modern techniques such as microarray, mass-spectrometry etc. We also plan to start techniques that help quick sequencing and CGH. In addition, we use various modern sequence analysis tools specifically developed for analyzing noncoding sequences.

In the broader picture, where do you see the application for your cutting-edge research?:
With the advancement of technology, availability of genome sequences of more and more organisms, I assume we can crack the puzzle how centromere specificity is achieved. This information will help us to understand the process of chromosome segregation. Since chromosome missgregation leads to many diseases, such as cancers and Down syndrome, understaning this process will greatly help in controlling such diseases.

Fast forward to 2020. What’s your vision of Genomics in 2020?:
Genomics is the key to go forward fast. I am a direct beneficiary of genome sequencing because it helps me in identifying centromeres in a much faster way than any classical approach. It is clear that we need to know how centromeres evolve by knowing where the centromeres are formed on various organisms. Genome sequence projects help me to do it faster. I also agree that only sequence of a DNA does not help, there must be a proper mix of genomics and genetics. We are doing both to achieve our goals by 2020.

Name: Reimar Krieg

My Area of Interest: applied chemistry, development of low molecular probes for life sciences

My Favourite Quote: Even as rational acting scientist give fee rein to your imagination

I am a: scientist working at the interface of chemistry and life science

Short Profile:
(please see nomination submission)

Question and Answers :

What are your future goals? Where do you see your research going?:
development of novel molecular probes and improved/novel specific detection and targeting principles
making contributions from the chemist’s point of view to interdisciplinry community as future/luck will have it

Technologies seem to changing faster than ever, how do you adapt to that? What are the current technologies you are using?:
Staiing tuned for more follow-up. Classical and modern techniques of chemical synthesis and structure analysis (especially NMR and MS-techniques), transmission microscopy and especially confocal laser fluorescence microscopy, tissue engineering

In the broader picture, where do you see the application for your cutting-edge research?:
In life sciences: improved targeting approaches which provide enhanced detection sensitivity, specificity, optical resolution and equipment compatibility at the cutting site beween molecular recognition at the molecular level and macroscopic visualization

Fast forward to 2020. What’s your vision of Genomics in 2020?:
new levels especially in computational genomics, system biology and cheminformatics
first prototypes of self-assemblying molecular devices (”nanobots”) for medical applications?

Name: Sandeep Chand Chaudhary

My Area of Interest: Chemoprevention and Molecular carcinogenesis

My Favourite Quote: “your nutritions decides how many years you live without disease; cancer”

I am a: Research scholar

Short Profile:

What are your future goals? Where do you see your research going?:
Chemoprevention represents a relatively new and promising strategy whereby the use of natural or synthetic agents the process of carcinogenesis can be slowed, reversed or completely halted. Because of increasing incidence of such cancers due to various environmental carcinogens. A wide range of compounds, both synthetic and naturally occurring has been shown to possess cancer chemopreventive effects. since all the chmopreventive agents and their molecular targets are well clear. A number of molecular pathway altered synergically as a effect of plant derived drug. This kind of study will provide a plateform their efficacy in the human population. Many of these agents are present in daily diet.
Here, a brief line “Your diet can change your life as onset of cancer”

Technologies seem to changing faster than ever, how do you adapt to that? What are the current technologies you are using?:
Modern Technologies providing better direction to the ongoing research. It has been always useful to researchers when it is new or getting old. Particularly in sense of adaptation of technique, is interest of using new technologies and applying to my research field. Presently, I using techniques PCR, Western blot and involvement of reacktive oxygen species(ROS)to look after inhibtion of cancer in vivo.

In the broader picture, where do you see the application for your cutting-edge research?:
myself providing the effective use of plant derived agent from (fruits and vegetables) to kill the occurance of cancer and molecular picture of inhibition of carcinogenesis.

Fast forward to 2020. What’s your vision of Genomics in 2020?:
Provide the multiple way to study the functions and much more targets for use human welfare…………….

Name: Yoshiharu Y. Yamamoto

My Area of Interest: plant promoters, environmental responses, intergenomic interaction

My Favourite Quote: Desire to be a teacher is everyone’s illness.

I am a: research associate

Short Profile:
I used to study environmental adaptation of higher plants. When I tried microarray analysis in 2001, the established methods for de novo detection of cis-regulatory elements were not practical. Such a situation moved me to general promoter analysis. With my developed method, many promoter constituting sequences can be extracted, and it does not require much experimental information.
- ppdb, a plant promoter database
   Yamamoto YY, Obokata J. (2008) Nucleic Acids Res 36, D977-D981.
- Differentiation of core promoter architecture between plants and mammals revealed by       LDSS  analysis
 Yamamoto YY*, Ichida H, Abe T, Suzuki Y, Sugano S, Obokata J. Nucleic Acids Res (2007)35,   6219-6226.
-Identification of plant promoter constituents by analysis of local dstribution of short  sequences
  Yamamoto YY*, Ichida H, Matsui M, Obokata J, Sakurai T, Satou M, Seki M, Shinozaki K, Abe T  (2007) BMC Genomics 8:67.
-Gene trapping of the Arabidopsis genome with a firefly luciferase reporter
  Yamamoto YY, Tsuhara Y, Gohda K, Suzuki K, Matsui M. (2003). Plant J 35, 273-283.

What are your future goals? Where do you see your research going?:
I would like to know evolutional paths for promoter acquisition and maturation after gene transfer from organellar genomes to the nuclear genome.

Technologies seem to changing faster than ever, how do you adapt to that? What are the current technologies you are using?:
Open mind for wide knowledge and concentration on works. I am using next-generation sequencers.

In the broader picture, where do you see the application for your cutting-edge research?:
Genome interpretation and genome annotation.

Fast forward to 2020. What’s your vision of Genomics in 2020?:
Major problems regarding macro and micro evolution might have good answers. Synthetic biology might be a major research area, like current chemistry.