Dr. Ananda M. Chakrabarty serves as Senior Science Advisor of Amrita Therapeutics Limited. Dr. Chakrabarty is a Amrita’s Senior Science Mentor and Global Domain Expert relating to how bacterial proteins effectively combat cancers, parasites, and viruses in the human body. Dr. Chakrabarty serves as a Distinguished University Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, and advises senior officials in the U.S. and abroad on policies relating to biotechnology and related technology transfer. He is a Consultant to the United Nations. In 1980, Dr. Chakrabarty’s genetically modified Pseudomonas bacteria became the first genetically-engineered organism to gain a patent, as a result of the Supreme Court decision in Diamond vs. Chakrabarty. Dr. Chakrabarty undertook pioneering biotechnology research into the therapeutic potential for protein products of bacteria, both at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and on behalf of CDG Therapeutics, a U.S. biotechnology start-up company engaged in clinical cancer research. Dr. Chakrabarty has led path-breaking research into the therapeutic qualities of protein products of bacteria. His work includes recent studies with water-soluble products of pathogenic bacteria demonstrating significant promise for cancer therapies, effective against HIV/AIDS, malaria and perhaps even tuberculosis. Dr. Chakrabarty was a part of the Advisory Committee that resulted in creation of the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) in Trieste, Italy and rejoined the ICGEB Advisory Board. Dr. Chakrabarty has numerous publications and has received many notable awards for his contributions to biotechnology, including Padma Shri in 2007, one of the Indian Government’s highest civilian honors.

Cell Biology, Microbiology, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Cancer Cells, Biotechnology, Oncology, Cancer Biology, Cancer Therapy, Pseudomonas, Malaria, Cystic Fibrosis, Genetic Engineering, Infectious Diseases, Cancer Chemotherapy, Mutation

2006-present: Adjunct Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine 1996-present: Director, WM Keck Center for Transgene Research, University of Notre Dame 1983-present: Kleiderer/Pezold Professor of Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame 1979-2002: Dean, College of Science, University of Notre Dame 1977-1983: Professor, University of Notre Dame 1974-1977: Associate Professor, University of Notre Dame 1970-1974: Assistant Professor, University of Notre Dame 1968-1970: NIH Postdoctoral Fellow, Duke University 1968: Ph.D. in Biochemistry, University of Iowa 1964: B.S. University of Scranton

My laboratory studies the structure, function and activation of proteins that participate in blood coagulation and blood clot dissolution. The in vivo mechanisms of the roles of these proteins in these processes are being addressed through in vivo targeted gene-replacement approaches and corresponding in vitro structure-function studies on these genes and proteins are being studied by the most modern biophysical techniques, e.g., X-ray crystallography, NMR, etc. Most of these proteins exist in an inactive state in plasma and thus must be activated to enzymes to exhibit their functional properties. The molecular events involved in the activation and analysis of the concomitant structural changes that occur in the protein are investigated by modern biochemical techniques. Major tools of the laboratory involve cloning, mutagenesis and expression of variant recombinant proteins and individual protein domains, immunochemical studies of the proteins, as well as physical and chemical analysis of their solution structures. The properties of the proteins are then related to their functions. One project receiving attention involves the structure-function relationships of small gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla)-containing peptides from marine cone snails that target the brain NMDA receptor. These peptides inhibit the flow of calcium into neuronal cells, this latter event being responsible for the neuropathology associated with stroke, epilepsy, Alzheimer's Disease, ALS, etc. The biochemical, pharmacological and neurobiological mechanisms of the actions of these peptides are under study. Peptide synthesis, receptor binding, molecular biological and electrophysiological tools are currently employed in this work. To determine the biological functions of genes encoding coagulation and clot-dissolving proteins in hemostasis, cancer, inflammation, bacterial invasion, wound healing, embryonic implantation and development, metastases, and atherosclerosis, gene deletion and other gene targeting experiments are being performed in mice, in conjunction with phenotyping of these animals. Such studies are expected to provide important information on the development and progression of these disease states.

Girish N. Vyas, Ph.D. (Univ. of Bombay, 1965), F.R.C.Path. (London, 2012), completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Case-WRU in Cleveland, Ohio in 1967. Then he joined UCSF School of Medicine as a Lecturer in Hematology and Immunology Unit of the Department of Medicine. He moved to Department of Laboratory Medicine as an Assistant Professor and served as Director of Blood Bank at UCSF Medical Center from 1969-89. During his sabbatical leave in 1972-73 he worked as a visiting scientist at Weizmann Institute in Israel and Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Australia. In 1980 he got an American Fulbright Senior Scholar Award to work with Pierre Tiollais on molecular biology of HBV at the Pasteur Institute, Paris. During his four decades of faculty service at UCSF he trained 18 graduate and 46 postdoctoral scholars. His seminal contributions to our current knowledge about IgA deficiency and anaphylactic transfusion reactions, HBsAg structure, HBV vaccine and immune globulins in perinatal prevention of mother to child transmission of infection, screening and elimination of transfusion-transmitted HBV, HCV, HIV to enhance transfusion safety, and sustained commitment to immune prevention of HIV/AIDS. These contributions earned him the honor as a "Pioneer and Pathfinder in Transfusion Medicine" in 2008. He has edited 12 books and monographs and published 225 original papers. He has served on several committees of NAS-NRC, NIH, CDC, FDA, WHO, AABB, ASH, and UNDP and as the Editor-in-Chief of Biological. Currently he is an Emeritus Professor of Laboratory Medicine at UCSF and full-time CEO of TheraBiol, Inc., a start-up biotech company launched in 2012 for R&D of antibodies for prevention and treatment of persistent infections, HIV being the first target.

Virology, Immunology, Transfusion Medicine, Pathology

Luciene Airy Nagashima had her MD and PhD in Microbiology at the State University of Londrina, Brazil. Her research was focused in immune response to fungal infection, especially with experimental infection with Arthrographis kalrae and its hemolytic factors. She is currently working as an industrial biotechnology analyst in the Institute of Technology of Parana (Brazil), with the production of antigens for the diagnosis of bovine brucellosis, tuberculosis and enzootic bovine leukosis.

Microbiology,Industrial biotechnology,Tuberculosis,Fungal infection

Dr. W.C. Yam is Clinical Bacteriologist and Honorary Associate Professor in Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, University Pathology Building, Queen Mary Hospital Compound, Pukfulam Road, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China. His research interest includes Molecular epidemiology and pathogenesis and drug resistance mechanism of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

Molecular epidemiology and pathogenesis and drug resistance mechanism of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Human Immunodeficiency Virus.