Department of Bioengineering

BE Seminar: Cell and Gene Therapy Manufacturing: Bridging the Skillset Gap by Training the Next Generation Workforce
2024-12-13 11:00 - 12:00 (Asia/Kolkata) | IDR Building – G12: Classroom 3
Speaker: Dr. Shalu Suri
Co-Director of Engineering Workforce Development (EWD) NSF Engineering Research Center for Cell Manufacturing Technologies (CMaT) Georgia Tech, USA.
Date: 13th December
Time: 11.00 AM
Venue: IDR Classroom – 3: G12
Title: Cell and Gene Therapy Manufacturing: Bridging the Skillset Gap by Training the Next Generation Workforce
Abstract: With the approval of the multiple cell and gene therapies by the FDA in the past few years and the tremendous promise of emerging biopharmaceutical drugs – biomanufacturing, especially the transformative areas of cell and gene-therapy manufacturing, has rapidly become one of the most dynamic and rapidly growing sectors of the biotech and pharma industry in the United States, and around the world. However, the growth of the field can only be realized by the successful development of a well-trained workforce. The lack of an adequately trained workforce has already been identified as a major barrier hindering the growth of biomanufacturing and biotherapies today and this situation will only worsen as the field continues to expand. Cell Manufacturing Technologies (CMaT), the NSF funded multi-institute Engineering Research Center in the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech, is the first and only comprehensive multi-institute center in the world focused on developing transformative tools, technologies, and processes for scalable, quality-driven biomanufacturing of cell therapies, and preparing adequately trained workforce. Dr. Suri was recruited as Associate Director of Engineering Workforce Development (EWD) pillar of NSF CMaT ERC by Georgia Tech and Emory Medicine in Jan 2020 from Cornell University to spearhead the creation of this well-trained and diverse biomanufacturing workforce that could nurture this nascent industry and thus reduce the skillset gap. In the last 4+ years, Dr. Suri has spearheaded multiple high-impact workforce development efforts. Of particular importance is the virtual professional training program entitled “Workforce Development in Biomanufacturing – Training in Cell and Gene Therapy” developed in collaboration with International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy (ISCT) which has trained 300+ professionals globally. In addition, she has also led the development of a week-long hands-on Cell manufacturing training program in partnership with ISCT. Dr. Suri has championed multiple efforts at K-12 and 2-year college levels towards workforce training. She collaborates with instructors from a number of 2-year technical colleges on cell manufacturing curriculum development and its integration into their curriculum to address the shortage of entry level trained workers. In her talk she will provide a broad overview of the field and highlight the work the center has done in the last 7 years to move this field forward.
About the Speaker: Dr. Shalu Suri is the Co-director of Engineering workforce Development (EWD) pillar of NSF Engineering Research Center for Cell Manufacturing Technologies (CMaT) at Georgia Tech. She joined CMaT in 2020 as the Associate Director and became the Co-director in 2022. Prior to joining GT, she was a lecturer in BME at Cornell University where she was instrumental in designing and teaching multiple UG and graduate classes for which she received Cornell’s Teaching Excellence Award. At CMaT, she spearheads multiple high-impact efforts across academic levels (K12-industry) towards curriculum development, professional education, and preparing future cell manufacturing workforce. She has received multiple honors including GT’s 2024 Outstanding Professional Education Award for her contributions to the field of professional education and GT’s 2023 Student Recognition of Excellence in Teaching CIOS Honor Roll. She serves on the National Advisory Council of NSF-InnovATEBIO biotechnology education center. She received her undergraduate degree from Kanpur University and her MS from Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (India), and her PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. She received her postdoctoral training from Georgia Tech.

BE Seminar: Mesoscale Epithelial Mechanobiology and Cellular Interfaces
2024-12-16 16:00 - 17:00
Speaker: Dr. Jacopo Di Russo
Group Leader
Institute of Molecular and Cellular Anatomy, RWTH Aachen University
& Leibniz-Institute for Interactive Materials, Aachen Germany.
Title: Mesoscale Epithelial Mechanobiology and Cellular Interfaces
Abstract: Mechanical properties regulate tissue functions at a multicellular length scale or mesoscale. These properties depend on the interaction of cells with their interfaces, hence on the balance between intercellular tension and the extracellular matrix (ECM) adhesion forces.
Dr. Jacopo Di Russo’s group aims to dissect the role of cell-ECM and cell-cell communication in epithelial mechanobiology, starting from the medically relevant retinal epithelium. In contrast to the experimental investigation of traditional biological sciences, his laboratory uses cross-disciplinary approaches combining synthetic hydrogels with stem cell-based models. They particularly develop and adapt biohybrid systems where cells interact with hydrogels that are designed to control cell-cell or cell-ECM adhesion. Synthetic material allows the unique reduction of the degree of freedom in the cellular/tissue system, thus helping us to reveal phenotypical tissue plasticity and molecular function.
The talk will first give an overview of published work1,2 on understanding how ECM physical (elasticity) and biochemical cues (receptor density) impact epithelial system properties, namely stress heterogeneity and intercellular force coordination. The talk will also show that these properties are not only in vitro observations but play pivotal roles in controlling the vision. A density gradient of ECM characterises the contractility of the retinal epithelium in vivo and modulates its efficiency in supporting photoreceptor cells’ homeostasis. Furthermore, Dr. Jacopo will show data from the ongoing work which addresses different aspects of the mechanobiology of tissue ageing. They optimised a phototunable hydrogel as substrates for epithelia to model ECM local remodelling on demand. Moreover, we developed microgels used as phototunable phantom cells to simulate age-related tissue mechanical anisotropy. Altogether, They can dissect the relationship between tissue mechanics and function by controlling the temporal and spatial properties of cellular interfaces.
About the Speaker: Dr. Jacopo Di Russo studied cell biology in Florence (Italy) for then joining the laboratory of Prof. Lydia Sorokin in Muenster (Germany) as Marie Curie Fellow. There he studied how extracellular matrix influences physiological responses. In 2015 he joined the laboratory of Prof. Joachim Spatz at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg (Germany) deepening his knowledge on cell adhesion at biophysical levels. Since 2019 he is an independent group leader at the Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research of the RWTH Aachen. Jacopo Di Russo’s research aims to understand the interplay of extracellular matrix biochemical and physical information in controlling epithelial mechanobiology.
Date: 16th December
Time: 4.00 PM
Venue: IDR Classroom – 05: G21

BE Seminar, Pooled Microscopy-Based CRISPR Screens by Dr. Krishna Choudhary
2025-03-10 16:00 - 17:00 | IDR Building – G12: Classroom 3
Speaker: Dr. Krishna Choudhary
Postdoctoral Scholar, University of California, San Francisco.
Date:10th March
Time: 4.00 PM
Venue: TCS Smart X Building, Classroom 03 – (G F – 12)
Title: Pooled Microscopy-Based CRISPR Screens
Abstract: Pooled CRISPR screens have revolutionized the process of identifying genetic targets for drug development. Traditional CRISPR screens typically focus on a single phenotype, such as cell death. While this has provided valuable insights into gene essentiality and resistance to cell death, it has generally failed to uncover functional information for most of the genome. Pooled screening lacks the richness of data achievable through microscopy-based phenotypic screens.
Arrayed microscopy-based screens offer more detailed insights into cancer cell states, such as cell morphology and subcellular protein localization. However, the challenges associated with executing large-scale arrayed screens and analyzing the resulting images have limited the scalability and accessibility of high-content microscopy-based CRISPR screens.
In this talk, He will present an integrated wet lab and computational platform for pooled microscopy-based CRISPR screens. His technology uses epitope combinations attached to a fluorescent protein to barcode CRISPR guide identities. Combined with multiplexed immunofluorescence microscopy, which enables the simultaneous quantification of multiple phenotypic markers and CRISPR guide identities at the single-cell level, this platform allows for the pooling of CRISPR perturbations. By reducing the cost and manual labor requirements, his work will democratize the use of microscopy-based CRISPR screens, accelerating therapeutic target discovery and drug development.
About the Speaker: Dr.Krishna is a bioengineer and data scientist with expertise in developing high-throughput technologies that bridge wet lab biology and data science. His published work spans a range of biological systems, from microbes and RNA viruses to yeast, neurological disorders, and cardiovascular disease models. He actively collaborates with diverse biomedical researchers to drive innovations that may translate into impactful therapies and diagnostics for human health.
Dr. Krishna earned his BTech and MTech in Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology from IIT Delhi (2013). He then completed his Ph.D. at the University of California, Davis in 2019, where his research focused on developing statistical methods for the analysis of high-throughput sequencing-based RNA structurome profiling data. Following his PhD, Krishna worked as a bioinformatician/statistician at the Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, where he gained experience with diverse sequencing-based assays and single-cell technologies. In 2021, he began postdoctoral training at the University of California San Francisco, where he expanded his research skill set in the wet lab, gaining expertise in synthetic biology, CRISPR technologies, and high-content microscopy.
In the future, Dr. Krishna aims to continue exploring the genetic basis of complex diseases, with a focus on developing precision therapies and novel diagnostic tools. His interdisciplinary training in both computational and experimental approaches positions him to make meaningful contributions to the field of bioengineering and data-driven healthcare innovation.

BE Seminar: Dynamical Complexity in Microbial Matter by Dr. Praneet Prakash
2025-03-12 16:00 - 17:00 | IDR Building – G12: Classroom 3
Speaker: Dr. Praneet Prakash,
Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Cambridge, UK.
Date: 12th, March
Time: 4.00 PM
Venue: TCS Smart X Building, Classroom No.3 (GF -12).
Title: Dynamical Complexity in Microbial Matter
Abstract: Microorganisms inhabit highly fluctuating natural environments and survive in a low-nutrient resource bath. It is now well-recognized that nutrient exchanges among microbes play a vital role in their survival. The existence of such exchanges raises fundamental questions about the dynamics of these interactions.
In this talk, he will explore experimentally and theoretically a realization of such interactions in which active bacteria dynamically respond to the oxygen produced by immotile green algae through photosynthesis. Even in this simplest mixture of active-passive suspensions, we find complex dynamics involving nutrient exchanges.
Toward the end of the talk, he will briefly discuss our investigations on the collective behaviour of a living fluidic network, which presents another fascinating example of dynamical complexity in microbial matter.
About the Speaker: Dr. Praneet Prakash received PhD from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the School of Physical Sciences, University of Cambridge. His research interests include Microbial Biophysics, Biofluids, and Complex Living Systems.

BE Seminar: Harnessing Nanoscale Cellular Communication for Designing Next-Generation Therapeutics by Dr. Tanmoy Saha,
2025-03-13 14:00 - 15:00 | TCS Smart-X Hub Building, IISc
Speaker: Dr. Tanmoy Saha, MSc, PhD.
Instructor, Harvard Medical School
Associate Bioengineer, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Date: 13th March
Time: 2.00 PM
Venue: TCS Smart X Building, Seminar Hall – (G F – 22)
Title: Harnessing Nanoscale Cellular Communication for Designing Next-Generation Therapeutics
Abstract: Aberrant intercellular communication underlies disease progression. For example, cancer cells communicate with neighboring cells to exchange organelles, proteins, metabolites, and ions, which helps them gain survival advantages. He is interested in three different types of communication: (i) transmembrane ionic communication, (ii) extracellular protein-mediated communication, and (iii) intercellular nanoscale physical communication.
Cells maintain an ionic homeostasis with the extracellular environment using ion channels and transporters. He has developed a variety of unimolecular and supramolecular artificial chloride channels (ACT). The ACTs are robust supramolecular architecture made up of small molecules. This helps in a better understanding of ion transport activity and modulating ionic communication in cells. He has performed structure-activity relationships to identify the best ACT. He introduced the first-ever example of ACT, which can induce apoptosis in cancer cells by disrupting ionic homeostasis.
Cancer cells use extracellular proteins, known as immune checkpoints, to send kill-me-not signals to T cells and macrophages. Immunotherapy has made a paradigm shift in cancer treatment by blocking such interactions using monoclonal antibodies. However, more than 70% of cancer patients do not respond to immunotherapy. He has introduced immunoengineered nanotherapeutics that serve as a platform technology to deliver a combination of pharmacological drugs and biologics to cancer cells. This nanotherapeutic can block more than one immune checkpoint and activate both innate and adaptive immunity. This has shown increased therapeutic efficacy in syngeneic lung cancer, which is not responsive to traditional immunotherapy and monotherapies.
Furthermore, they investigated a novel mechanism of immune evasion by cancer cells through nanoscale physical communication. They have used high-resolution electron and optical microscopy to identify the nanoscale communication of the cancer cells with T cells and hijack mitochondria. The transfer of mitochondria metabolically empowers the cancer cells and increases their proliferation, metastasis, and drug resistance. In contrast, the T cell population depletes because of metabolic deactivation. Blocking the nanotube-mediated mitochondria transfer by pharmacological inhibitors has shown potential therapeutic implications in increasing intrinsic T cell immune response and elevating therapeutic efficacy in combination with traditional immunotherapy. Moreover, they have shown elevating the immune response by supercharging T cells with exogenous mitochondria. Hence, a mechanistic understanding of cellular communication and novel therapeutic strategies are critical to offer better therapeutic outcomes in cancer and other chronic diseases.
About the Speaker: Dr. Saha is an entry-level faculty at Harvard Medical School and an Associate Bioengineer at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He has received PhD from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune and received the best thesis award from the chemistry department. Dr. Saha’s. major research direction is to develop tools to study cellular communication and introduce novel therapeutic strategies. He has published his research in prestigious journals, including Nature Nanotechnology, Science Advances, J. Am. Chem. Soc., Cell, PNAS, etc. He has received independent research grants from the Department of Defense and Melanoma Research Alliance.

BE Seminar: Modeling complex phenotypes supported by gene regulatory networks by Dr. Tomas Gedeon
2025-03-13 16:00 - 17:00 | IDR Building – G12: Classroom 3
Speaker: Dr. Tomas Gedeon
Date: 13th March
Time: 4.00 PM
Venue: TCS Smart X Building, Classroom 03 – (G F – 12)
Title: Modeling complex phenotypes supported by gene regulatory networks
Abstract: Gene regulatory networks with more than a few genes can support different phenotypes in different conditions. These conditions may be external inputs like intercellular signaling, resource abundance, or internal variability like abundance of ribosomes, RNAP, or even copy number of different enzymes. The different conditions can be modeled as changes in the parameters of a gene network model.
The mathematical challenge is to develop methods to describe, search, and analyze the behavior of models across large sets of parameters. He will illustrate the use of the techniques that we developed, which are based on combining discrete Boolean approaches with differential equations models, on three problems:
The first problem studies a problem where naive CD4+ cells differentiate into Th1, Th2, Th17, and Treg subsets which mutually inhibit each other. in their model, they compare the prevalence, across all parameters, of a fully differentiated cell type to a cell type that combines characteristics of two of the four types. They find that such a type of hybrid occurs
more frequently. This suggests that differentiation to four types likely happens in a two-step process, rather than in a single step. The model is general and conclusions may apply to other differentiation processes.
The second problem concerns the ability of the same cell cycle network in yeast to support two phenotypes: (a) regular cell cycle, and (b) endocycling, where the cell duplicates the genome but does not go through mitosis. Endocycling can be induced experimentally by knocking down mitotic cyclin and they use the data to show that, indeed, a single network in different parameter regimes, can support these different phenotypes.
The third problem concerns the gap gene network in Drosophila. Maternal gradients provide cell-specific input into the gap gene network along the head-to-tail axis. They investigate if this varying input, interpreted as varying specification of parameters of the gap gene network, is sufficient to explain different states that the network reaches in different segments, which lays down the segmentation plan for the animal.
If interest and time remain, He will explain a bit of the mathematics that allows us to do this type of analysis.
About the Speaker: Dr. Tomas Gedeon is a Professor of Mathematics at Montana State University who specializes in mathematical modeling of biological systems, especially those arising in cellular and molecular biology. His most recent interest is to develop new methods to understand the behavior of gene regulatory networks with applications to apply understanding of cell cycle and behavior of developmental networks across time and space. He obtained his undergraduate degree from Comenius University in his native Slovakia in 1989 and a PhD in Mathematics from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1994.

BE Seminar: BioMedical Printing Technology – from Vascularized OOCs to Cellular Agriculture by Dr. Andreas Blaeser
2025-03-21 16:00 - 17:00 | IDR Building – G12: Classroom 3
Speaker: Dr. Andreas Blaeser
Date: 21st March
Time: 4.00 PM
Venue: TCS Smart X Building, Classroom 03 – (G F – 12)
Title: BioMedical Printing Technology – from Vascularized OOCs to Cellular Agriculture
Abstract: The field of biomedical printing encompasses various techniques for the bio fabrication of living tissue. Among these, 3D bioprinting is the best known. It is used to print living cells embedded in a hydrogel precursor in layers to form a three-dimensional tissue precursor. These can be further developed into biological implants for regenerative medicine (bone, muscle, cartilage) or processed into miniaturised in vitro models for drug testing (e.g. organ-on-a-ship systems). The lecture will give a brief overview of existing bioprinting methods and also discuss novel printing mechanisms for the large-scale production of cellular agriculture products (e.g. cultured meat). Finally, a link will be made to industrial printing by presenting a newly developed 3D printing system for the production of comparatively light components for bioinspired architecture and design.
About the speaker: Andreas Blaeser is a professor of “BioMedical Printing Technology” at the Technical University of Darmstadt in Germany and Director of the Institute for Printing Science and Technology (IDD). He conducts research in the field of bio fabrication, production and joining technology of biologized functional materials. In this role, he leads and develops an interdisciplinary team of scientists and teaches interdisciplinary subjects on Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering, Bio fabrication, and 3D-Bioprinting Technology as part of the master programs “Mechanical and Process Engineering”, and “Synthetic Biology” as well as in the Bachelor program “Bio-Materials Engineering”. The focus of his research and teaching is on bringing together living cells, hydrogels, and engineering materials with special mechanical, chemical, and electrical properties. His work provides the basis for the future production of bioartificial tissues, “sentient” robotics, and renewable semi-finished products. These can be used, for example, as implants in regenerative medicine, as sensor-integrated in vitro models for drug and toxicity studies, as artificial skin of soft robotics elements, or as sustainable bioartificial consumer goods (e.g. cultured meat).

BE Seminar: Indigenous technologies for Gene therapy: Progress and Prospects
2025-05-19 16:00 - 17:00 | IDR Building – G12: Classroom 3
Title: Indigenous technologies for Gene therapy: Progress and Prospects
Speaker: Dr. Jayandharan Rao,
Abstract: The most important component of gene therapy in humans is the choice of an efficient and safe gene delivery system, otherwise known as vectors. Viruses have emerged as important tools for this purpose. This is due to their natural ability to target specific tissues in humans. Several limitations, most notably the immunological barriers related to the recipient and the virus shell, preclude the universal application of viral vectors such as AAV. Unravelling how host cells perceive viral intrusion and their immediate and long-lived response to this process is thus crucial. Our idea is to traverse and investigate aspects of the virus life cycle, dissect the tug-of-war initiated between these players to establish primacy, and dwell on how it is possible to alter this milieu in favor of the virus to generate improved gene delivery strategies. Dr.Jayandharan believes that this multi-pronged and comprehensive approach to develop an AAV-based vector system encompassing the basic biology of the virus and pre-clinical validation in different disease models [Leber congenital amarousis, muscular dystrophy, diabetes, etc.] augurs well for their potential use in humans. Based on these concepts, we have developed highly efficient AAV-based gene therapy approaches for their potential therapeutic use. Their lab routinely tests some of the exciting leads gathered by our understanding of AAV-host interactions in preclinical models of genetic disorders.
About The Speaker: Prof. Rao is currently a Professor in IIT Kanpur. His group specializes in gene therapy. He is working on fostering equitable access for gene and cell therapy products around the world.

BE Seminar: Are these problems or are these opportunities?
2025-06-16 11:00 - 17:00 | IDR Building – G12: Classroom 3
Speaker: Dr. Anuradha Chandramohan
CMC, Vellore
Date: 16th June
Time: 11.00 AM
Venue: GF – 12, TCS Smart X Building
Title: Are these problems or are these opportunities?
Abstract: Imaging plays a critical role in diagnosing diseases, mapping their extent for therapeutic decision-making, assessing treatment response, and prognostication. Beyond these core functions, there is growing interest in opportunistic screening to identify life-threatening cardiovascular events and reduce mortality. In this presentation, she would like to focus on the following aspects of onco-imaging: predicting response to treatment, prognostic imaging biomarkers, the need for improving our understanding of the connection between lymph nodes and cancers, and the scope of opportunistic screening for patients with treatable cancer and cancer survivors. Lastly, she would like to touch upon the opportunities and worries of integrating language models into research and routine clinical care. She sees all these as both problem areas and immense opportunities for us to collaborate and find solutions together.
About The Speaker: Dr. Anuradha Chandramohan is a Professor of Radiology and the Clinical Lead of Abdominal Imaging at Christian Medical College Vellore. She specialises in onco-imaging with a keen research focus on colorectal cancer, peritoneal malignancy, and gynaecological oncology. Having trained at top cancer centres in the UK and USA, she is well-published, has lectured at major conferences, has held academic portfolios at the state and National Radiology Societies, and is currently the Associate Editor of the Indian Journal and Radiology and Imaging and Journal of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology. She was a faculty member at international conferences such as the European Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology (ESGAR) annual conference and the Asia Oceanian Congress of Radiology this year. In the latter, she delivered the India-Japan joint symposium on the contributions of imaging in peritoneal surface malignancies. Her contributions extend to developing quality indicators for onco-imaging with the National Cancer Grid, India, and enhancing synoptic reporting for abdominal and pelvic cancers through the NCG-Koita Centre of Digital Oncology. Guided by her core values of excellence, love, live, and give, she is committed to making radiology education, research, and practice in India more patient-centric, accessible, and cost-effective.

BE Seminar by Dr. Abhishek Jain: Convergence Engineering: Vascular & Cancer Medicine with Organ-Chips on Earth and Space
2025-06-26 16:00 - 17:00 | IDR Building – G12: Classroom 3
Speaker: Dr. Abhishek Jain
Department of Biomedical Engineering
College of Engineering
Department of Medical Physiology
School of Medicine
Texas A&M University.
Title: Convergence Engineering: Vascular & Cancer Medicine with Organ-Chips on Earth and Space
Abstract: The perpetual rise in cost of healthcare is one of the biggest socioeconomic problems of our globe. Part of the challenge is that productivity of drug companies is declining, and relatively fewer drugs are reaching market. This is partly so because drug discovery largely rests on the results from animal studies, which can turn into negative outcomes in human clinical trials. The Jain lab creates microphysiological systems and convergent technologies that predict human physiology and complement in vivo studies. By establishing and leveraging extensive collaborations across academia, medical centers, and space industry, they have made contributions in advancing the fundamental knowledge and drug discovery of ageing, thrombosis, ovarian cancer, and lymphedema. Here, a few examples of their approach will be presented.
Dr. Abhishek Jain is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering and holds the Barbara and Ralph Cox’53 faculty fellow position at Texas A&M University. He is a founder of several next generation organ-on-chips and companion technologies of complex transport systems and AI-based analytics. His lab particularly specializes in engineering and commercializing patient-specific organ-chip platforms of cardiovascular and cancer medicine. They are recognized as leaders of integrating blood and lymphatic microcirculation in engineered cell systems.

BE: Seminar on Harnessing Nanoscale Cellular Communication for Designing Next-Generation Therapeutics by Dr. Tanmoy Saha
2025-08-21 10:00 - 17:00
Speaker: Tanmoy Saha, MSc, PhD.
Instructor at Harvard Medical School
Associate Bioengineer at Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Date: 21st August 2025
Time: 10.00 AM
Venue: GF – 22, TCS Smart X Hub (TSH) Building
Title: Harnessing Nanoscale Cellular Communication for Designing Next-Generation Therapeutics
Abstract: Cellular communication plays a critical role in physiology. Aberrant intercellular communication underlies disease progression. For example, cancer cells communicate with neighboring cells to exchange organelles, proteins, metabolites, and ions, which helps them gain survival advantages. I am interested in studying communication at the subcellular and cellular levels, such as: (i) transmembrane ionic communication, (ii) extracellular protein-mediated communication, and (iii) intercellular nanoscale physical communication.
Cells maintain an ionic homeostasis with the extracellular environment using ion channels and transporters. I have developed a variety of artificial chloride channels (ACT). The ACTs are robust supramolecular architectures made up of small molecules. This helps in a better understanding of ion transport activity and modulating ionic communication in cells. I introduced the first-ever example of ACT, which can induce apoptosis in cancer cells by disrupting ionic homeostasis.
Cancer cells communicate with immune cells via extracellular proteins, known as immune checkpoints. They send kill-me-not signals to T cells and macrophages. Immunotherapy has made a paradigm shift in cancer treatment by blocking such interactions, but effective in less than 30% of patients. I have introduced immunoengineered nanotherapeutics that serve as a unified platform to deliver a combination of pharmacological drugs and biologics to cancer cells. The bifunctional nanotherapeutic can activate both innate and adaptive immunity by blocking PDL1 and CD47 immune checkpoints. This has shown increased therapeutic efficacy in syngeneic lung cancer, which is not responsive to traditional immunotherapy.
Furthermore, we investigated a novel mechanism of immune evasion by cancer cells through nanoscale physical communication. We have used high-resolution electron and optical microscopy to identify that the cancer cells hijack mitochondria from T cells using nanoscale tubular communication. The transfer of mitochondria energetically empowers the cancer cells and increases their proliferation, metastasis, and drug resistance. In contrast, the T cell population depletes because of the lack of energy production. Blocking the nanotube-mediated mitochondria transfer by pharmacological inhibitors has shown potential therapeutic implications in increasing intrinsic T cell immune response and elevating therapeutic efficacy in combination with traditional immunotherapy. Moreover, we have shown elevating the immune response by supercharging T cells with exogenous mitochondria. Hence, a mechanistic understanding of cellular communication, the development of novel therapeutic strategies, and delivering them to the specific cells are critical for designing better therapeutic strategies in cancer and other chronic diseases.
About the Speaker: Dr. Saha is an entry-level faculty member at Harvard Medical School and an Associate Bioengineer at Mass General Brigham. He has completed an MSc from Visva Bharati University and a PhD from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune. Dr. Saha’s major research direction is to develop tools to study cellular communication and introduce novel therapeutic strategies. He has published his research in prestigious journals, including Nature Nanotechnology, Science Advances, and J. Am. Chem. Soc., Cell, PNAS, etc. He has received independent research grants from the Department of Defense and the Melanoma Research Alliance and many awards, including the best thesis award, Scholar in Training Award, etc.

BE Seminar: From design to healing: Engineering stimuli-responsive function biomaterials for advanced therapeutics
2025-10-07 10:00 - 11:00
Speaker: Dr. Sayan Deb Dutta
Senior postdoctoral research fellow
Biorobotics Research Group, Kangwon National University, South Korea.
Date: 7th October 2025
Time: 10.00 AM
Venue: GF – 22, TCS Smart X Hub (TSH) Building
Title: From design to healing: Engineering stimuli-responsive function biomaterials for advanced therapeutics
Abstract: Stimuli-responsive smart biomaterials are revolutionizing advanced therapeutics by actively sensing and responding to physiological or external cues, such as pH, temperature, enzymes, light, or magnetic fields. Unlike traditional scaffolds, these systems provide precise control over drug release, immune regulation, and tissue repair, making them highly promising for chronic wound healing and regeneration. Advances in 3D printing/ bioprinting enable the fabrication of patient-specific, hierarchical constructs with spatially organized therapeutic components. The integration of functional nanomaterials—including 1D materials, 2D nanosheets (e.g., graphene, gC3N4, MXenes), and hybrid architectures—enhances responsiveness, mechanical robustness, and therapeutic delivery. Embedding flexible bioelectronics, such as photonic nanocrystals and conductive nanofillers, further enables real-time health sensing and feedback-controlled therapy, merging regenerative medicine with digital health technologies. In parallel, the incorporation of therapeutic molecules, such as exosomes and small peptides, promotes angiogenesis, reduces oxidative stress, and modulates the immune response, thereby accelerating the healing process. Applications extend beyond medicine to cellular agriculture, where bioprinted adaptive scaffolds support cultured tissues and sustainable protein production, leading to eco-friendly meat cultivation. Moreover, advanced bioimaging probes (e.g., carbon dots) enable non-invasive, high-resolution monitoring of biomaterial–cell interactions, tumor imaging, and in situ tissue remodeling. Together, these innovations establish next-generation stimuli-responsive multifunctional platforms, paving the way for personalized, durable, and adaptive healthcare solutions.
About the Speaker: Dr. Sayan Deb Dutta holds a Ph.D. degree in biosystems engineering with a major in biomaterials science and engineering. Currently, he serves as a senior postdoctoral research fellow at the Biorobotics Research group, Kangwon National University, South Korea. He joined as a visiting research fellow at the School of Medicine, University of California, Davis. He completed his master’s degree at the University of Kalyani, West Bengal, India. Over the past six years, he has been involved in the biomedical engineering field, where he has developed multi-material bioinks, primarily based on natural biopolymers, proteins, and carbohydrates, for 3D printing/bioprinting, immunomodulation, and tissue engineering applications. His current research focuses on the development of naturally inspired flexible bioelectronics, stimuli-responsive 3D scaffolds, and the fabrication of bioactive nanomaterials (e.g., homogeneous and heterogeneous nanoparticles, nano/bioglass, and nanocrystals) with tunable physicochemical properties for elucidating the mechanisms of different cellular communications, human healthcare sensing, tissue healing, and regeneration towards advanced therapeutics.

BE Seminar: Deleting the Genome: Quantitative Imaging Approaches to Design Nanomedicine Delivery Strategies
2025-10-08 16:00 - 17:00
Speaker: Prof. Jeremy Simpson
College Principal & Dean of Science
UCD College of Science
Date: 8th October 2025
Time: 4.00 PM
Venue: Classroom- 624(6th Floor), TCS Smart X Hub (TSH) Building
Title: Deleting the Genome: Quantitative Imaging Approaches to Design Nanomedicine Delivery Strategies
Abstract: Quantitative biological imaging approaches can be used to study a wide range of phenomena in basic cell biology as well as applications in biotechnology and bioengineering. In this seminar, I will describe our high-content imaging technology platform and how it provides insight into trafficking pathways in cells, a number of specific human diseases, as well as how nanoparticles, as therapeutic carriers, deliver their cargo into cells. I will also present some of our current work illustrating how we use high-content imaging to study 3D cell models, which together provide us with the opportunity to interrogate cell function at the molecular level, in turn making valuable contributions to our wider understanding of human disease and therapeutic options.
About The Speaker: Prof. Simpson is an internationally renowned cell biologist with over two decades of experience in prestigious institutions across the UK, USA, and Germany. As Dean of Science at UCD, he leads over 5,300 students and 750 staff members. He also heads the UCD Cell Screening Laboratory, conducting pioneering research in cellular dysfunction and nanoparticle-based targeted drug delivery. With more than 130 peer-reviewed publications and numerous global lectures, Prof. Simpson brings unmatched academic depth and insight to this engagement.

BE Symposium 2026
2026-01-29 12:00 - 2026-01-30 17:30 | IDR Building – G22 Seminar Room
12th Annual Symposium, BE 2026
The Department of Bioengineering at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is delighted to announce its 12th Annual Research Symposium, which will be held on 29th–30th January 2026 at the G22 Seminar Room, TCS Smart-X Hub Building, IISc Bangalore.
The symposium brings together researchers, academicians, and industry professionals to discuss cutting-edge advancements in bioengineering. The event will feature a series of keynote lectures, spotlight sessions, trailblazer student talks, and poster presentations.
The symposium provides a platform to showcase innovative research through trailblazer talks by young researchers and interactive poster sessions.
We invite researchers, students, and industry professionals to join us for two days of engaging discussions, knowledge sharing, and networking opportunities.

BE Symposium 2026 Brochure: Click here

Program Schedule

Jan 29, 2026

Time: 12:00 PM – 6:00 PMVenue: G22 seminar room, TCS Smart-X Hub building, IISc Bangalore

Time
Event

12:00 – 2.10 pm
Registration

2:10 pm
Welcome remark
Prof. Kaushik Chatterjee, Chair, BE

2:15 pm
Opening remark
Prof. Navakanta Bhat, Dean, Division of Interdisciplinary Sciences

2:25 pm
Introduction to Memorial Talk
Dr. Ajay Tijore, BE

2:30 pm
Prof. Sanjay Biswas Memorial Talk
Dr. Sanghamitra Pati, Additional Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Delhi

3:30 – 4:00 pm
Coffee Break & Poster Session

4:00 – 4:30 pm
Spotlight talk
Dr. Juhi Singh, IISc

4:30 – 5:00 pm
Spotlight talk
Dr. Meenakshi Kamaraj, IISc

5:00 – 6:00 pm
Poster Session

Jan 30, 2026

Time: 10:00 AM – 5:30 PMVenue: G22 seminar room, TCS Smart-X Hub building, IISc Bangalore

Time
Event

10:00 am
Spotlight talk
Dr. Sanhita Sinharay, IISc

10:30 am
Trailblazer Talk
Dr. Roshini P

10:45 am
Trailblazer Talk
Prem Singh Anant

11:00 am
Trailblazer Talk
Vijaya Vaishnavi V

11:15 – 11:45 am
Coffee Break & Poster Session

11:45 am
Spotlight talk
Dr. Medhavi Vishwakarma, IISc

12:15 pm
Trailblazer Talk
Isha Akte

12:30 pm
Trailblazer Talk
Akhilesh Agarwal

12:45 pm
Trailblazer Talk
Rashmita Luha

1:00 – 2:00 pm
Lunch

2:00 – 3:00 pm
Poster Session

3:00 pm
Industry Talk
Dr. Aditya Kulkarni, Senior Scientific Manager, Biocon Ltd. Bangalore

3:30 pm
Trailblazer Talk
Dr. Sulob Roy Chowdhury

3:50 pm
Trailblazer Talk
Dr. Akshi Vashishtha

4:10 – 4:30 pm
Coffee Break & Poster Session

4:30 pm
Spotlight talk
Prof. Mohit Kumar Jolly, IISc

5:00 pm
Trailblazer Talk
Shivaani E

5:15 pm
Trailblazer Talk
Harshavardhan B V

5:30 pm

Closing remarks and vote of thanks
