BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Department of Bioengineering - ECPv5.14.0.2//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Department of Bioengineering X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://be.iisc.ac.in X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Department of Bioengineering REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Asia/Kolkata BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0530 TZOFFSETTO:+0530 TZNAME:IST DTSTART:20240101T000000 END:STANDARD TZID:Asia/Kolkata BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0530 TZOFFSETTO:+0530 TZNAME:IST DTSTART:20240101T000000 END:STANDARD TZID:UTC BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:UTC DTSTART:20240101T000000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20260129T120000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20260130T173000 DTSTAMP:20260406T115715 CREATED:20260121T110222Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260121T111018Z UID:4396133-1769688000-1769794200@be.iisc.ac.in SUMMARY:BE Symposium 2026 DESCRIPTION:12th Annual Symposium\, BE 2026\nThe 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. \nThe 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. \nThe symposium provides a platform to showcase innovative research through trailblazer talks by young researchers and interactive poster sessions. \nWe invite researchers\, students\, and industry professionals to join us for two days of engaging discussions\, knowledge sharing\, and networking opportunities. \n  \nBE Symposium 2026 Brochure: Click here \n  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Program Schedule\n \nJan 29\, 2026\n \nTime: 12:00 PM – 6:00 PMVenue: G22 seminar room\, TCS Smart-X Hub building\, IISc Bangalore \n\n\n\nTime\nEvent\n\n\n12:00 – 2.10 pm\nRegistration\n\n\n2:10 pm\nWelcome remark\nProf. Kaushik Chatterjee\, Chair\, BE\n\n\n2:15 pm\nOpening remark\nProf. Navakanta Bhat\, Dean\, Division of Interdisciplinary Sciences\n\n\n2:25 pm\nIntroduction to Memorial Talk \nDr. Ajay Tijore\, BE\n\n\n2:30 pm\nProf. Sanjay Biswas Memorial Talk \nDr. Sanghamitra Pati\, Additional Director General\, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)\, Delhi\n\n\n3:30 – 4:00 pm\n     Coffee Break & Poster Session \n\n\n\n4:00 – 4:30 pm\nSpotlight talk\nDr. Juhi Singh\, IISc\n\n\n4:30 – 5:00 pm\nSpotlight talk\nDr. Meenakshi Kamaraj\, IISc\n\n\n5:00 – 6:00 pm\nPoster Session\n\n\n\n\n\n  \nJan 30\, 2026\n \nTime: 10:00 AM – 5:30 PMVenue: G22 seminar room\, TCS Smart-X Hub building\, IISc Bangalore \n\n\n\nTime\nEvent\n\n\n10:00 am\nSpotlight talk\nDr. Sanhita Sinharay\, IISc\n\n\n10:30 am\nTrailblazer Talk\nDr. Roshini P\n\n\n10:45 am\nTrailblazer Talk\nPrem Singh Anant\n\n\n11:00 am\nTrailblazer Talk\nVijaya Vaishnavi V\n\n\n11:15 – 11:45 am\nCoffee Break & Poster Session \n\n\n11:45 am\nSpotlight talk\nDr. Medhavi Vishwakarma\, IISc\n\n\n12:15 pm\nTrailblazer Talk\nIsha Akte\n\n\n12:30 pm\nTrailblazer Talk\nAkhilesh Agarwal\n\n\n12:45 pm\nTrailblazer Talk\nRashmita Luha\n\n\n1:00 – 2:00 pm\nLunch\n\n\n2:00 – 3:00 pm\nPoster Session \n\n\n3:00 pm\nIndustry Talk \nDr. Aditya Kulkarni\, Senior Scientific Manager\, Biocon Ltd. Bangalore \n\n\n3:30 pm\nTrailblazer Talk\nDr. Sulob Roy Chowdhury\n\n\n3:50 pm\nTrailblazer Talk\nDr. Akshi Vashishtha\n\n\n4:10 – 4:30 pm\nCoffee Break & Poster Session \n\n\n4:30 pm\nSpotlight talk\nProf. Mohit Kumar Jolly\, IISc\n\n\n5:00 pm\nTrailblazer Talk\nShivaani E\n\n\n5:15 pm\nTrailblazer Talk\nHarshavardhan B V\n\n\n5:30 pm\n\nClosing remarks and vote of thanks URL:https://be.iisc.ac.in/event/be-symposium-2026/ LOCATION:IDR Building – G22 Seminar Room CATEGORIES:Announcement,Seminar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://be.iisc.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/12th-Annual-Symposium-BE-2026.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20251008T160000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20251008T170000 DTSTAMP:20260406T115716 CREATED:20250930T060853Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250930T060853Z UID:4395706-1759939200-1759942800@be.iisc.ac.in SUMMARY:BE Seminar: Deleting the Genome: Quantitative Imaging Approaches to Design Nanomedicine Delivery Strategies DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Prof. Jeremy Simpson\nCollege Principal & Dean of Science\nUCD College of Science \nDate: 8th October 2025\nTime: 4.00 PM \nVenue: Classroom- 624(6th Floor)\, TCS Smart X Hub (TSH) Building \nTitle: Deleting the Genome: Quantitative Imaging Approaches to Design Nanomedicine Delivery Strategies \nAbstract: 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. \nAbout 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. URL:https://be.iisc.ac.in/event/be-seminar-deleting-the-genome-quantitative-imaging-approaches-to-design-nanomedicine-delivery-strategies/ CATEGORIES:Seminar END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20251007T100000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20251007T110000 DTSTAMP:20260406T115716 CREATED:20250930T060748Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250930T060748Z UID:4395704-1759831200-1759834800@be.iisc.ac.in SUMMARY:BE Seminar: From design to healing: Engineering stimuli-responsive function biomaterials for advanced therapeutics DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Dr. Sayan Deb Dutta\nSenior postdoctoral research fellow\nBiorobotics Research Group\, Kangwon National University\, South Korea. \nDate: 7th October 2025\nTime: 10.00 AM\nVenue: GF – 22\, TCS Smart X Hub (TSH) Building \nTitle: From design to healing: Engineering stimuli-responsive function biomaterials for advanced therapeutics \nAbstract: 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. \nAbout 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. URL:https://be.iisc.ac.in/event/be-seminar-from-design-to-healing-engineering-stimuli-responsive-function-biomaterials-for-advanced-therapeutics/ CATEGORIES:Seminar END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250821T100000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250821T170000 DTSTAMP:20260406T115716 CREATED:20250814T041404Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250814T041404Z UID:4395676-1755770400-1755795600@be.iisc.ac.in SUMMARY:BE: Seminar on Harnessing Nanoscale Cellular Communication for Designing Next-Generation Therapeutics by Dr. Tanmoy Saha DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Tanmoy Saha\, MSc\, PhD.\nInstructor at Harvard Medical School\nAssociate Bioengineer at Brigham and Women’s Hospital \nDate: 21st August 2025\nTime: 10.00 AM\nVenue: GF – 22\, TCS Smart X Hub (TSH) Building \nTitle: Harnessing Nanoscale Cellular Communication for Designing Next-Generation Therapeutics\nAbstract: 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.\nCells 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.\nCancer 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.\nFurthermore\, 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.\nAbout 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. URL:https://be.iisc.ac.in/event/be-seminar-on-harnessing-nanoscale-cellular-communication-for-designing-next-generation-therapeutics-by-dr-tanmoy-saha/ CATEGORIES:Seminar END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250626T160000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250626T170000 DTSTAMP:20260406T115716 CREATED:20250619T062458Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250619T062458Z UID:4395609-1750953600-1750957200@be.iisc.ac.in SUMMARY:BE Seminar by Dr. Abhishek Jain: Convergence Engineering: Vascular & Cancer Medicine with Organ-Chips on Earth and Space DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Dr. Abhishek Jain\nDepartment of Biomedical Engineering\nCollege of Engineering\nDepartment of Medical Physiology\nSchool of Medicine\nTexas A&M University. \nTitle: Convergence Engineering: Vascular & Cancer Medicine with Organ-Chips on Earth and Space\nAbstract: 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.\nDr. 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. URL:https://be.iisc.ac.in/event/be-seminar-by-dr-abhishek-jain-convergence-engineering-vascular-cancer-medicine-with-organ-chips-on-earth-and-space/ LOCATION:IDR Building – G12: Classroom 3 CATEGORIES:Seminar END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250616T110000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250616T170000 DTSTAMP:20260406T115716 CREATED:20250610T084306Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250610T084306Z UID:4395607-1750071600-1750093200@be.iisc.ac.in SUMMARY:BE Seminar: Are these problems or are these opportunities? DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Dr. Anuradha Chandramohan\nCMC\, Vellore \nDate: 16th June\nTime: 11.00 AM\nVenue: GF – 12\, TCS Smart X Building \nTitle: Are these problems or are these opportunities? \nAbstract: 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.\nAbout 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. URL:https://be.iisc.ac.in/event/be-seminar-are-these-problems-or-are-these-opportunities/ LOCATION:IDR Building – G12: Classroom 3 CATEGORIES:Seminar END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250519T160000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250519T170000 DTSTAMP:20260406T115716 CREATED:20250514T070237Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T070237Z UID:4395600-1747670400-1747674000@be.iisc.ac.in SUMMARY:BE Seminar: Indigenous technologies for Gene therapy: Progress and Prospects DESCRIPTION:Title: Indigenous technologies for Gene therapy: Progress and Prospects \nSpeaker: Dr. Jayandharan Rao\, \nAbstract: 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. \nAbout 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. \n  URL:https://be.iisc.ac.in/event/be-seminar-indigenous-technologies-for-gene-therapy-progress-and-prospects/ LOCATION:IDR Building – G12: Classroom 3 CATEGORIES:Seminar END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250321T160000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250321T170000 DTSTAMP:20260406T115716 CREATED:20250320T045937Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250320T045937Z UID:4395507-1742572800-1742576400@be.iisc.ac.in SUMMARY:BE Seminar: BioMedical Printing Technology – from Vascularized OOCs to Cellular Agriculture by Dr. Andreas Blaeser DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Dr. Andreas Blaeser\nDate: 21st March\nTime: 4.00 PM\nVenue: TCS Smart X Building\, Classroom 03 – (G F – 12) \nTitle: BioMedical Printing Technology – from Vascularized OOCs to Cellular Agriculture \nAbstract: 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. \nAbout 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). URL:https://be.iisc.ac.in/event/be-seminar-biomedical-printing-technology-from-vascularized-oocs-to-cellular-agriculture-by-dr-andreas-blaeser/ LOCATION:IDR Building – G12: Classroom 3 CATEGORIES:Seminar END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250313T160000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250313T170000 DTSTAMP:20260406T115716 CREATED:20250311T070053Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250311T070053Z UID:4395503-1741881600-1741885200@be.iisc.ac.in SUMMARY:BE Seminar: Modeling complex phenotypes supported by gene regulatory networks by Dr. Tomas Gedeon DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Dr. Tomas Gedeon\nDate: 13th March\nTime: 4.00 PM\nVenue: TCS Smart X Building\, Classroom 03 – (G F – 12) \nTitle: Modeling complex phenotypes supported by gene regulatory networks \nAbstract: 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. \nThe 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: \nThe 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\nmore 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. \nThe 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. \nThe 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. \nIf interest and time remain\, He will explain a bit of the mathematics that allows us to do this type of analysis. \nAbout 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. URL:https://be.iisc.ac.in/event/be-seminar-modeling-complex-phenotypes-supported-by-gene-regulatory-networks-by-dr-tomas-gedeon/ LOCATION:IDR Building – G12: Classroom 3 CATEGORIES:Seminar END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250313T140000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250313T150000 DTSTAMP:20260406T115716 CREATED:20250311T070224Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250311T070224Z UID:4395505-1741874400-1741878000@be.iisc.ac.in SUMMARY:BE Seminar: Harnessing Nanoscale Cellular Communication for Designing Next-Generation Therapeutics by Dr. Tanmoy Saha\, DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Dr. Tanmoy Saha\, MSc\, PhD. \nInstructor\, Harvard Medical School \nAssociate Bioengineer\, Brigham and Women’s Hospital \nDate: 13th March\nTime: 2.00 PM\nVenue: TCS Smart X Building\, Seminar Hall – (G F – 22) \nTitle: Harnessing Nanoscale Cellular Communication for Designing Next-Generation Therapeutics \nAbstract: 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. \nCells 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. \nCancer 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. \nFurthermore\, 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. \nAbout 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. URL:https://be.iisc.ac.in/event/be-seminar-harnessing-nanoscale-cellular-communication-for-designing-next-generation-therapeutics-by-dr-tanmoy-saha/ LOCATION:TCS Smart-X Hub Building\, IISc CATEGORIES:Seminar END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250312T160000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250312T170000 DTSTAMP:20260406T115716 CREATED:20250305T043704Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250305T043704Z UID:4395501-1741795200-1741798800@be.iisc.ac.in SUMMARY:BE Seminar: Dynamical Complexity in Microbial Matter by Dr. Praneet Prakash DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Dr. Praneet Prakash\,\nPostdoctoral Researcher\, University of Cambridge\, UK. \nDate: 12th\, March\nTime: 4.00 PM\nVenue: TCS Smart X Building\, Classroom No.3 (GF -12). \nTitle: Dynamical Complexity in Microbial Matter \nAbstract: 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. \nIn 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. \nToward 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. \nAbout 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. URL:https://be.iisc.ac.in/event/be-seminar-dynamical-complexity-in-microbial-matter-by-dr-praneet-prakash/ LOCATION:IDR Building – G12: Classroom 3 CATEGORIES:Seminar END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250310T160000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250310T170000 DTSTAMP:20260406T115716 CREATED:20250305T043555Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250305T043555Z UID:4395499-1741622400-1741626000@be.iisc.ac.in SUMMARY:BE Seminar\, Pooled Microscopy-Based CRISPR Screens by Dr. Krishna Choudhary DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Dr. Krishna Choudhary\nPostdoctoral Scholar\, University of California\, San Francisco. \nDate:10th March\nTime: 4.00 PM\nVenue: TCS Smart X Building\, Classroom 03 – (G F – 12) \nTitle: Pooled Microscopy-Based CRISPR Screens \nAbstract: 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. \nArrayed 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. \nIn 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. \nAbout 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. \nDr. 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. \nIn 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. URL:https://be.iisc.ac.in/event/be-seminar-pooled-microscopy-based-crispr-screens-by-dr-krishna-choudhary/ LOCATION:IDR Building – G12: Classroom 3 CATEGORIES:Seminar END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250109T143000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20250110T170000 DTSTAMP:20260406T115716 CREATED:20250109T042330Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250109T050800Z UID:4395319-1736433000-1736528400@be.iisc.ac.in SUMMARY:11th Annual Symposium\, BE 2025 DESCRIPTION:11th Annual Symposium\, BE 2025 \n \n \n  \nBE Symposium Schedule: Click here URL:https://be.iisc.ac.in/event/11th-annual-symposium-be-2025/ LOCATION:TCS Smart-X Hub Building\, IISc END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20241216T160000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20241216T170000 DTSTAMP:20260406T115716 CREATED:20241204T102338Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241204T102338Z UID:4395315-1734364800-1734368400@be.iisc.ac.in SUMMARY:BE Seminar: Mesoscale Epithelial Mechanobiology and Cellular Interfaces DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Dr. Jacopo Di Russo\nGroup Leader\nInstitute of Molecular and Cellular Anatomy\, RWTH Aachen University\n& Leibniz-Institute for Interactive Materials\, Aachen Germany. \nTitle: Mesoscale Epithelial Mechanobiology and Cellular Interfaces \nAbstract: 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.\nDr. 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.\nThe 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. \nAbout 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. \nDate: 16th December \nTime: 4.00 PM\nVenue: IDR Classroom – 05: G21 URL:https://be.iisc.ac.in/event/be-seminar-mesoscale-epithelial-mechanobiology-and-cellular-interfaces/ CATEGORIES:Seminar END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20241213T110000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20241213T120000 DTSTAMP:20260406T115716 CREATED:20241209T041739Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241209T041821Z UID:4395317-1734087600-1734091200@be.iisc.ac.in SUMMARY:BE Seminar: Cell and Gene Therapy Manufacturing: Bridging the Skillset Gap by Training the Next Generation Workforce DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Dr. Shalu Suri\nCo-Director of Engineering Workforce Development (EWD) NSF Engineering Research Center for Cell Manufacturing Technologies (CMaT) Georgia Tech\, USA. \nDate: 13th December\nTime: 11.00 AM\nVenue: IDR Classroom – 3: G12 \nTitle: Cell and Gene Therapy Manufacturing: Bridging the Skillset Gap by Training the Next Generation Workforce \nAbstract: 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. \nAbout 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. URL:https://be.iisc.ac.in/event/be-seminar-cell-and-gene-therapy-manufacturing-bridging-the-skillset-gap-by-training-the-next-generation-workforce/ LOCATION:IDR Building – G12: Classroom 3 CATEGORIES:Seminar END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20241121T110000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20241121T120000 DTSTAMP:20260406T115716 CREATED:20241113T043559Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241113T043559Z UID:4395191-1732186800-1732190400@be.iisc.ac.in SUMMARY:BE Seminar: The influence of chemo-mechanical cues from the cell environment on the chromatin organization DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Dr. Aayush Kant\nPostdoctoral Researcher at the University of Pennsylvania\, Philadelphia \nTitle: The influence of chemo-mechanical cues from the cell environment on the chromatin organization \nAbstract: Cells continuously experience a range of physical and chemical stimuli from their environment shaping their behavior and identity\, a process that is particularly evident in diseases such as cancer. As tumor cells interact with an evolving extracellular matrix or metastasizing cells squeeze through the blood vessels during intravasation\, these stimuli trigger immediate cellular response and drive long-term phenotypic changes in the cell identity. A key mechanism underscoring these changes in cell behavior is the dynamic reorganization of chromatin – the macromolecular complex of DNA and associated proteins within the nucleus – regulating gene expression. In this talk\, I will present our recent advancements in developing a mesoscale mathematical model that captures the spatiotemporal chromatin reorganization in response to environmental cues – both chemical\, such as epigenetic dysregulation\, and physical\, in the form of osmotic shocks or mechanical deformation. This model demonstrates the experimentally observed emergent segregation of chromatin into euchromatin\, with expressed genes\, and tightly compacted silenced heterochromatin\, which often associates with the nuclear lamina. I will discuss how environment-driven kinetics of histone modifications\, such as methylation and acetylation\, affect the spatial chromatin distribution and the overall nuclear stiffness. I will also demonstrate how physical forces can directly alter chromatin compaction\, determining gene accessibility. Our theoretical predictions are validated by experimental observations obtained via high-resolution imaging and genomic sequencing techniques. The model\, grounded on agnostic thermodynamic principles\, offers insights into several disease progressions\, including metastatic cancer\, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease\, and tendinosis. Our model establishes a novel framework for mechanistically understanding the evolution of cell phenotypic identity in the context of disease mechanisms\, which is helpful in identifying therapeutic interventions. \nAbout the Speaker: Dr. Aayush Kant is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) specializing in the study of physical forces within cells and organelles and their impact on cellular function. His research interests lie in developing a mechanistic understanding of biological systems using fundamental continuum-scale physical principles along with analytical and numerical methods. He is currently investigating how physical and chemical signals from the cell and the cell surroundings help reorganize the genome. This work utilizes mathematical modeling techniques rooted in non-equilibrium thermodynamics\, variational principles and phase-field modeling. Aayush received his Ph.D. in 2019 through a joint program between the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (Mumbai) and Monash University (Clayton\, Australia)\, where he explored the mechanistic principles underlying the long-term pathophysiology following a traumatic brain injury. This work exemplifies yet another chemical-degradation coupled force-transduction system\, a theme that Aayush is quite keen to further explore. URL:https://be.iisc.ac.in/event/be-seminar-the-influence-of-chemo-mechanical-cues-from-the-cell-environment-on-the-chromatin-organization/ LOCATION:CES Seminar Hall\, CES Seminar Hall\, 3rd Floor\, Biological Science Building CATEGORIES:Seminar END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20241119T113000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20241119T123000 DTSTAMP:20260406T115716 CREATED:20241111T052411Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241111T052435Z UID:4395184-1732015800-1732019400@be.iisc.ac.in SUMMARY:BE Seminar: Nanomedicine and Genome Editing Approaches for Disease Therapies DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Dr. Gang Bao\nDepartment of Bioengineering\, Rice University \nTitle: Nanomedicine and Genome Editing Approaches for Disease Therapies \nAbstract: The design and optimization of nanomedicine and genome editing – based tools and methods provide unprecedented opportunities for achieving better control of biological processes\, and drastic improvements in disease diagnosis and treatments. Recent advances include the development of multi-functional nanoparticles and CRISPR/Cas systems for biological and medical applications. \nIn this talk\, he will first present the recent work on magnetic nanoparticles in the lab\, including the synthesis and functionalization of magnetic nanocluster for treating metastatic cancer. He will then present the design and optimization of CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing for treating sickle cell disease. The challenges and opportunities in developing in vivo genome editing will also be discussed. \nAbout The Speaker: Dr. Gang Bao is the Foyt Family Professor in the Department of Bioengineering at Rice University. He is also a CPRIT Senior Scholar in Cancer Research and the Director of the Cancer Bioengineering Collaborative at Rice University. Dr. Bao received his undergraduate and Master’s degrees from Shandong University in China\, and his PhD degree from Lehigh University in the US. Dr. Bao is a Fellow of the American Association of Advancement in Science (AAAS)\, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE)\, Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES)\, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)\, American Physical Society (APS)\, and International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineers (IAMBE).\nDr. Bao’s current research is focused on the development of genome editing and nanomedicine tools and approaches for biological and disease studies\, including magnetic nanoparticle-based diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases such as cancer\, viral and non-viral based in vivo delivery methods\, design and optimization of CRISPR/Cas9 for gene editing\, and the application of gene editing for treating sickle cell disease and cystic fibrosis. \n  URL:https://be.iisc.ac.in/event/be-seminar-nanomedicine-and-genome-editing-approaches-for-disease-therapies/ LOCATION:IDR Building – G12: Classroom 3 CATEGORIES:Seminar END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20240902T160000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20240902T170000 DTSTAMP:20260406T115716 CREATED:20240827T072152Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240827T072152Z UID:4395141-1725292800-1725296400@be.iisc.ac.in SUMMARY:BE Seminar: Mechanisms driving genome structure and regulating biological function by Dr. Sumitabha Brahmachari DESCRIPTION:Title: Mechanisms driving genome structure and regulating biological function \nSpeaker: Dr. Sumitabha Brahmachari\,\nCenter for Theoretical Biological Physics\,\nRice University\, USA. \nAbstract: Quantitative understanding of the genomic structure and its relevance to biological function remains a significant challenge. With advancements in experimental techniques like Hi-C and various types of imaging\, there is a need for an integrative modeling framework that extracts mechanistic insights from experimental data. In this talk\, I will focus on building computational tools for the physical modeling of the genome that directly incorporates Hi-C data to construct ensembles of genomic structures. These ensembles are consistent with imaging studies providing independent validation. I will discuss how the modeling framework is helping us discover the evolutionarily conserved principles governing genome organization and elucidate the modus operandi of various molecular drivers. The mechanistic insights from the data-driven structures are explicating an intimate regulatory relationship between genome structure and cellular function. Notably\, the framework will play a crucial role in examining the relevance of three-dimensional genome structure in various diseases caused by the aberrant functionality of architectural proteins. \nAbout the Speaker: Sumitabha Brahmachari is a Postdoctoral Associate at the Center for Theoretical Biological Physics at Rice University\, Houston\, TX\, working on topics related to the organization and mechanics of DNA. He is interested in developing quantitative models of chromosomes that incorporate techniques from statistical mechanics\, machine learning\, and molecular dynamics to understand how various proteins structure the genome and what information the structure might hold. He received his Ph.D. from the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Northwestern University\, where he was a Molecular Biophysics Training Fellow. Dr. Brahmachari is an active member of the American Physical Society and has organized scientific sessions in APS meetings and led workshops and outreach initiatives\, including mentoring summer students as a part of the NSF Frontiers in Science program. URL:https://be.iisc.ac.in/event/be-seminar-mechanisms-driving-genome-structure-and-regulating-biological-function-by-dr-sumitabha-brahmachari/ LOCATION:CES Seminar Hall\, CES Seminar Hall\, 3rd Floor\, Biological Science Building CATEGORIES:Seminar END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20240814T160000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20240814T173000 DTSTAMP:20260406T115716 CREATED:20240813T064754Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240813T064810Z UID:4395083-1723651200-1723656600@be.iisc.ac.in SUMMARY:Prof. Rinti Banerjee Memorial Lecture by Prof. Uma K Maheshwari DESCRIPTION: URL:https://be.iisc.ac.in/event/prof-rinti-banerjee-memorial-lecture-by-prof-uma-k-maheshwari/ LOCATION:Faculty Hall CATEGORIES:Seminar END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20240812T160000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20240812T170000 DTSTAMP:20260406T115716 CREATED:20240807T104007Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240807T104033Z UID:4395000-1723478400-1723482000@be.iisc.ac.in SUMMARY:BE Seminar: Quantifying Cell-State Densities in Single-Cell Phenotypic Landscapes by Dr. Manu Setty DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Dr. Manu Setty \nAssistant Professor \nFred Hutch Cancer Centre\, Seattle\, USA. \n  \nTitle: Quantifying Cell-State Densities in Single-Cell Phenotypic Landscapes \nAbstract: Single-cell studies have clearly established the continuous nature of cell-state transitions in trajectories of differentiation and disease. Moreover\, fundamental processes such as proliferation and apoptosis generate a non-uniform distribution of states within these continuous landscapes. Thus\, modeling of trajectories using single-cell data necessitates not only a continuous representation but one that accounts for variability in cell-state density. In addition to being reflective of the underlying biology\, continuous representations also enable the utilization of well-developed frameworks in multivariate statistics and dynamical systems to model and interpret large-scale single-cell data. In this seminar\, I will describe our recent algorithm\, Mellon\, that provides a fully continuous representation of high-dimensional single-cell landscapes. Mellon infers a continuous density function that can be employed to infer cell-state density at both observed cell-states represented by individual cells and potential unobserved cell-states. I will present how Mellon can help dissect the density landscape of differentiating systems\, revealing a consistent pattern of high-density regions corresponding to major cell types intertwined with low-density\, rare transitory states. Our work provides evidence implicating enhancer priming and the activation of master regulators in the emergence of these transitory states. Finally\, I will describe our ongoing work in leveraging continuous representations for interpreting multi-condition\, multi-modal single-cell data. \nAbout The Speaker: Manu Setty is an Assistant Professor at Fred Hutch Cancer Center in the Basic Sciences Division. Manu received his PhD from the Weill Cornell Graduate School in the lab of Christina Leslie where he developed machine learning algorithms for regulatory network inference and received the Frank Lappin Horsfall Fellowship award for his thesis. He then undertook a post-doctoral fellowship in the lab of Dana Pe’er where he developed trajectory detection algorithms using single-cell data and demonstrated the continuous nature of cell-fate choices during differentiation. He was recognized with the Tri-I Breakout Prize for his work at MSK. He now heads a lab that develops computational methods using single-cell and spatial data to model and interpret biological trajectories. \n  URL:https://be.iisc.ac.in/event/be-seminar-quantifying-cell-state-densities-in-single-cell-phenotypic-landscapes-by-dr-manu-setty/ LOCATION:CES Seminar Hall\, CES Seminar Hall\, 3rd Floor\, Biological Science Building CATEGORIES:Seminar END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20240806T160000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20240806T170000 DTSTAMP:20260406T115716 CREATED:20240805T030229Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240805T030229Z UID:4394996-1722960000-1722963600@be.iisc.ac.in SUMMARY:BE & DBG Seminar titled "Loss of tissue structure in cancer: a mechanobiological perspective." by Prof. Tanmay Lele DESCRIPTION:The Department of Bioengineering (BE) and Department of Developmental Biology and Genetics (DBG) cordially invites you to attend a Seminar \nSpeaker: Prof. Tanmay Lele \nDepartment of Biomedical Engineering\, Texas A&M University\, USA \nTitle: Loss of tissue structure in cancer: a mechanobiological perspective \nAbstract: In glandular epithelial cancers such as breast cancer\, the usual orderly arrangement of cells that surround a central lumen becomes disrupted. This loss of tissue architecture can facilitate invasive migration of cells into the surrounding microenvironment and subsequent cancer metastasis. I will present our recent work which shows that an imbalance in cellular mechanical force causes tissue lumens to collapse due to mechanical instabilities. This collapse is followed by an extraordinary inside-out eversion that drives collective migration of clusters of cells through the 3D extracellular matrix (ECM). I will discuss how individual migrating cancer cells negotiate the confining spaces in tissue with a focus on the limiting role of the nucleus in confinement. I will conclude with an exploration of how alterations to the mechanical properties of the ECM in tumors might impose a selection pressure on genetically variable tumor cell populations resulting in more malignant cell phenotypes. \nAbout the Speaker: Tanmay Lele is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University. He obtained his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University followed by postdoctoral research in Vascular Biology at Harvard Medical School/Children’s Hospital. He obtained his B. Chem. Eng. degree from UDCT\, Mumbai. \nHis research focuses on understanding the mechanisms underlying the loss of cancer tissue structure and aberrant tumor mechanobiology. Over the years\, his research group has made significant contributions to the field including a recent paper that reports the first dynamic observations of acinar eversion caused by a mechanical destabilization. His group combines molecular biology and cell biology techniques with computational modeling to investigate cancer mechanobiology comprehensively. He is a fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society and the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering. URL:https://be.iisc.ac.in/event/be-dbg-seminar-titled-loss-of-tissue-structure-in-cancer-a-mechanobiological-perspective-by-prof-tanmay-lele/ LOCATION:DBG Seminar Hall\, 1st Floor\, Biological Science Building CATEGORIES:Seminar END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20240805T160000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20240805T170000 DTSTAMP:20260406T115716 CREATED:20240805T042919Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240805T042919Z UID:4394998-1722873600-1722877200@be.iisc.ac.in SUMMARY:BE Seminar: Self-Powered Devices Based on Triboelectrification by Prof. Zong-Hong Lin DESCRIPTION:Title: Self-Powered Devices Based on Triboelectrification \nSpeaker: Prof. Zong-Hong Lin  \n National Taiwan University \nAbstract: Designing devices with self-powered sensing function has become a popular research field since its emergence in recent decades. Triboelectrification occurs when two materials come into contact with each other\, causing charge transfer that leads to oppositely charged surfaces; the amount of charge transfer varies depending on material composition. By combining triboelectrification with electrostatic induction\, relevant devices can be designed. If used for energy collection purposes\, scientists generally refer to them as Triboelectric Nanogenerators (TENGs); but if used for self-powered sensing purposes\, scientists call them Triboelectric Nanosensors (TENSs). In our previous research on TENSs\, we demonstrated the concept of selective detection of some targets by specific materials or their surface-modified probes. When the targets are adsorbing or binding to the surface\, different electrical output signals will be generated compared to before\, and these changes can be used for qualitative and quantitative analysis of the targets. In the past few years\, we have further developed solid-liquid TENSs for measuring targets such as metal ions\, small molecules\, proteins\, and microorganisms. Compared with our previously developed solid-solid TENSs\, we have not only improved several shortcomings but also established sensing mechanism and working principle which are very important research achievements in this field. We also look forward to expanding the applications of the solid-liquid TENSs in the near future. \nAbout the Speaker: Dr. Zong-Hong Lin received his PhD from the National Taiwan University (NTU) in 2009 and continued with his postdoctoral research at the NTU and Georgia Tech during the years of 2010-2014. Subsequently\, Dr. Lin joined the Institute of Biomedical Engineering\, National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) as an Assistant Professor in 2014 and was successfully promoted to Associate Professor and Full Professor in 2017 and 2021\, respectively. At the same time\, Dr. Lin was also an adjunct faculty at the Department of Power Mechanical Engineering and the Department of Chemistry. In 2023\, he moved to the Department of Biomedical Engineering at NTU. He has published more than 160 SCI papers (sum of the times cited: 15990\, h-index: 62)\, as well as received recognition for his research contribution\, such as CHEN-YUNG Chair Professor (2023) of NTU\, Academic Excellence Award\, College of Engineering of NTU (2023)\, Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2022)\, Outstanding Research). Award of the Taiwan National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) (2024)\, Future Tech Award of the Taiwan NSTC (2021\, 2022 and 2023)\, Ta-You Wu Memorial Award of the Taiwan NSTC (2021)\, Young Scholar Fellowship of the Taiwan NSTC (2020)\, IEEE-NANOMED New Innovator Award (2019) and Young Investigator Award of the NTHU (2018). URL:https://be.iisc.ac.in/event/be-seminar-self-powered-devices-based-on-triboelectrification-by-prof-zong-hong-lin/ LOCATION:DBG Seminar Hall\, 1st Floor\, Biological Science Building CATEGORIES:Seminar END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20240801T150000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20240801T160000 DTSTAMP:20260406T115716 CREATED:20240731T061236Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240731T061236Z UID:4394986-1722524400-1722528000@be.iisc.ac.in SUMMARY:BE Seminar titled "Next-Generation Solutions in medicine: Overcoming Drug Resistance in Cancer" by Dr. Raghuraman Kannan DESCRIPTION:Title: NEXT-GENERATION SOLUTIONS IN MEDICINE: OVERCOMING DRUG RESISTANCE IN CANCER. \nAbstract: Research in my laboratories is focused on uncovering the underlying root causes of cancer’s resistance to drugs. Specifically\, the work aims to identify and validate the mechanisms that drive this resistance. After elucidating the mechanism\, we have designed new nano-delivery devices specific to the target to improve the effectiveness of FDA-approved treatments by restoring tumor sensitivity. We have made significant progress in recent years\, including identifying a new “dual therapeutic pair” to overcome the resistance for the first time. We have also engineered stimuli-responsive nano-delivery devices to deliver more drugs to drug-resistant tumors and developed a novel class of material called Gelasomes for RNA therapy. In this seminar\, I will present details about the successes\, challenges\, and prospects of the above-listed projects. \nAbout the Speaker: Dr. Kannan is a faculty of Radiology and Bioengineering at the University of Missouri (MU) and has been a faculty member at MU since 2005. He leads the program on clinical translation of nanomaterials at MU. He received his M.S. degree in chemistry from the Indian Institute of Technology at Madras in 1993 and his Ph.D. degree in chemistry\, from the Indian Institute of Science in 1999. Dr. Kannan’s current research focuses on the following areas: § Oncology and Immuno-Oncology: Developing drugs to overcome drug resistance in cancer. Dr. Kannan’s work includes the study of AXL inhibition\, siRNA therapeutics\, and the tumor immune microenvironment in lung and ovarian cancer. § Nanomedicine: Designing and developing novel supraparticle systems\, including the Gold-Gelasomes and supraparticle self-assembly for targeted drug delivery and reduced toxicity in cancer treatment. § Medical Imaging and Diagnostics: Developing sensors for early detection of diabetic retinopathy and a near-infrared (NIR) imaging camera for cardiac imaging. Dr. Kannan is currently leading the NIH-supported “Clinical translational of nanomedicine” project with the aim of treating human cancer patients in the year 2027. As of now\, Dr. Kannan holds 23 patents and patent applications published and licensed. His patent portfolio spans across gene delivery systems\, CRISPR\, nanotechnology\, and medical imaging devices\, contributing significantly to advancements in medical science and technology. Translational Research: Dr. Kannan has founded multiple companies that focus on translating his research into practical medical applications\, bridging the gap between laboratory discoveries and clinical solutions. Dr. Kannan is a co-founder of four start-up companies based on his research. Two of his companies have raised several million-dollar investments from pharmaceutical companies. Education: Dr. Kannan is actively involved in developing new courses in Biomedical innovation and entrepreneurship; classroom teaching of basic principles of drug resistance in oncology; developing new laboratory experiments to provide hands-on experience to students; mentoring undergraduate\, graduate\, and post-doctoral fellows; and providing research opportunities to K-12 students in nanomedicine. URL:https://be.iisc.ac.in/event/be-seminar-titled-next-generation-solutions-in-medicine-overcoming-drug-resistance-in-cancer-by-dr-raghuraman-kannan/ LOCATION:CES Seminar Hall\, CES Seminar Hall\, 3rd Floor\, Biological Science Building CATEGORIES:Seminar END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20240729T160000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20240729T170000 DTSTAMP:20260406T115716 CREATED:20240725T061955Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240725T062129Z UID:4394929-1722268800-1722272400@be.iisc.ac.in SUMMARY:BE Seminar titled "Engineering bottom-up synthetic cells to mimic life-like functions" by Dr Taniya Chakraborty DESCRIPTION:Title: Engineering bottom-up synthetic cells to mimic life-like functions \nAbstract: How did life evolve from non-living matter on early Earth\, and is it possible to recreate this transition artificially in a laboratory setting? Reconstructing well-defined functional molecular entities\, components\, and modules from the bottom-up to create a synthetic cell will provide new insights into the mechanisms of life. Optogenetic proteins\, metalloenzymes\, and RNA nanotechnology are powerful tools for engineering synthetic cells to mimic life-like functions such as communication\, differentiation\, or the central dogma. Synthetic cells engineered with photo-switchable proteins allowed control over adhesion and chemical communication between them\, which strongly depended on their spatial proximity and can also be photo-regulated. While cells typically communicate through diffusible molecules\, nonchemical communication remains elusive. Light-based signaling is possible in synthetic cell communities inspired by deep-sea bioluminescent-based predator-prey communities\, where light signals triggered synthetic cell adhesion and facilitated predator-prey interactions\, providing a blueprint for light-based intercellular communication. \nPluripotent cells can yield different cell types determined by the specific sequence of differentiation signals encountered\, with pluripotency in synthetic cells achieved by incorporating three dormant apo-metalloenzymes\, enabling differentiation toward distinct fates depending on the sequence of specific metal ions transported with ionophores. \nThe central dogma at the core of molecular biology states that information flows from DNA to RNA and then to protein. Conceptually\, a novel approach is introduced towards synthetic life by leveraging RNA origami as an alternative to proteins\, requiring only a single copying step between genetic information and function. For the first time\, RNA origami tiles were designed\, which fold co-transcriptionally from a DNA template and self-assemble into higher-order 3D RNA origami nanotubes similar to the cytoskeleton network inside synthetic cells\, reaching several micrometers in length. \nSynthetic cells not only serve to understand the fundamental question of the origin of life but also find therapeutic applications. Inspired by the phage display technique\, synthetic cells were used for the first time to display genetically encoded RNA to bind with specific proteins of interest on the synthetic cell surface. This liposome display technique exhibits promising potential for a broad array of applications in detecting proteins of interest or antigens and may represent a step toward the evolution of synthetic cells. Bottom-up construction of synthetic cells offers not only insights into the origin of life but also promises significant advancements in therapeutic and biotechnological applications. \nAbout The Speaker: Dr. Tanya began her PhD in 2018 under the MaxSynBio project\, one of the pioneering scientific endeavours to explore the question\, “What is life\, and is it possible to completely recreate life synthetically based on a bottom-up approach?” She completed PhD in 2022 at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research and Gutenberg University\, Mainz\, Germany. During my doctoral studies\, she also worked as a guest researcher at the Institute of Physiological Chemistry and Patho Biochemistry at the University of Muenster. Throughout my PhD\, she designed her own projects focused on mimicking chemical and light-mediated communication in synthetic cells and published them as the first author in high-impact international journals. She worked independently and also designed projects for other PhD students in the group\, supervising their work. Building upon my expertise in protein engineering and optogenetics\, she transitioned to a post-doctoral role at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research immediately upon completing her PhD in 2022\, where she began exploring the potential of DNA/RNA nanotechnology. \nIn 2023\, she secured an independent post-doctoral grant from the German Ministry of Research\, enabling her to delve into the therapeutic applications of bottom-up synthetic cells and develop innovative techniques for liposome display. She is currently pursuing this research in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research and Heidelberg University. As part of her commitment to academic excellence\, she introduced a new course titled “Biophysics and Synthetic Biology” for master’s students at Heidelberg University. \nThroughout her academic journey\, she has actively participated in numerous international conferences\, presenting her research findings and fostering collaborations on a global scale. Additionally\, she has contributed as a reviewer for several Nature Journals. Presently\, she is deeply invested in the field of synthetic immunology\, aiming to leverage synthetic cells for the development of therapeutic targets and vaccines\, thereby advancing beyond traditional immunotherapy and drug delivery approaches. URL:https://be.iisc.ac.in/event/be-seminar-titledengineering-bottom-up-synthetic-cells-to-mimic-life-like-functions-by-dr-taniya-chakraborty/ LOCATION:DBG Seminar Hall\, 1st Floor\, Biological Science Building CATEGORIES:Seminar END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20240612T150000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20240612T160000 DTSTAMP:20260406T115716 CREATED:20240606T023558Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240613T043353Z UID:4394843-1718204400-1718208000@be.iisc.ac.in SUMMARY:BE Seminar: Physics of Nuclear Organization DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Dr. Rakesh Das \nMax-Planck-Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems\, Germany \nTitle: Physics of Nuclear Organization \nAbstract: Spatiotemporal organization of the subnuclear medium plays a crucial role in genome regulation [1]. However\, the effect of active perturbation from various molecular actions in the medium on this organization remains unclear. In this seminar\, I will mainly focus on our recent investigations into how such activities influence the coordination of subnuclear compartments (SNCs\, such as transcription factories) with chromatin and the compartmentalization of chromatin into eu- and heterochromatic regions\, and discuss their biological implications. We have developed a polymer physics-based computational framework where chromatin is perturbed by a non-localized active mechanism mimicking the action of Topoisomerase-II enzyme. Using a self-developed GPU-based parallelized computer code and a newly introduced theoretical model\, we demonstrate that SNC dynamics in this complex system can be described by a combination of three modes\, each linked to different physical aspects of the embedding medium. Notably\, the activity enhances SNC dynamics through a slow mode associated with chromatin-mesh remodeling. This offers new insights into the role of global active perturbations in target-searching processes [2]. Additionally\, we report the emergence of characteristic compartmentalization features\, viz.\, wall-like organization of euchromatin with negative nematic ordering of the euchromatic segments due to activity. These features cannot be captured by an equilibrium physics-based theory. This highlights the critical role of such active perturbations in chromatin organization [3]. Given that activity correlates with factors like aging and cell cycle\, our studies may shed light on cell state[1]specific genome regulation. I will conclude my seminar with a brief discussion of my future research plan on ‘Integrative Nuclear Architecture’\, which investigates the spatiotemporal characteristics of the nucleus as collective features arising from interconnected cellular components. \nAbout The Speaker: Dr. Rakesh Das is a theoretical and computational biophysicist who employs concepts from condensed matter physics and non-equilibrium physics to investigate biological systems. During his Ph.D. at S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences\, he explored collective features in active matter and obtained his degree in 2019. Following that\, he joined Mechanobiology Institute at National University of Singapore\, Singapore for his first postdoctoral position. Since November 2023\, he has held a Postdoctoral Guest Scientist position at Max-Planck-Institute for the physics of Complex Systems in Dresden\, Germany. He is interested in the Physics of various cellular systems. URL:https://be.iisc.ac.in/event/be-seminar-physics-of-nuclear-organization/ LOCATION:DBG Seminar Hall\, 1st Floor\, Biological Science Building CATEGORIES:Seminar END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20240521T160000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20240521T170000 DTSTAMP:20260406T115716 CREATED:20240518T140642Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240518T140642Z UID:4394832-1716307200-1716310800@be.iisc.ac.in SUMMARY:BE Seminar on "Harnessing immune system for the development of bio-therapeutics" by Dr. Anjali Barnwal DESCRIPTION:Title: Harnessing immune system for the development of bio-therapeutics \nAbstract: Leveraging the immune system for therapeutic advancement offers numerous advantages over standard treatments for inflammatory diseases. These advantages encompass precise targeting\, enduring responses\, minimal toxicity\, and more. Diverse immunotherapies\, such as antibody utilization\, T-cell therapy\, dendritic cell vaccination\, among others\, are actively under investigation. Given that vaccine strategies primarily operate via dendritic cell (DC) uptake and antigen presentation and recognizing the pivotal role of DCs in activating both innate and adaptive immunity\, exploiting these attributes holds potential for developing effective therapeutics for inflammatory diseases like Cancer and COVID-19. These therapeutic modalities demonstrate enhanced antitumor efficacy across various tumor models. Furthermore\, DC-based immunotherapy exhibits superior antiviral efficacy against Covid-19 compared to the commonly used free spike protein. While immunotherapies for inflammatory diseases are rapidly advancing in developed nations\, India lags behind primarily due to cost and complexity barriers. Therefore\, there is an unmet need for the development of cost-effective immunotherapeutic to enhance overall survival and quality of life for patients. \nAbout the Speaker: Dr. Anjali Barnwal completed a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology from Patna University in 2013 and then obtained her master’s degree in biotechnology from the University of Hyderabad in 2015. After a year of dissertation work on the Dengue virus\, her curiosity led her to delve into the development of therapeutics for Inflammatory disease. To pursue this interest further\, she joined the Biomedical Engineering program at IIT Delhi for PhD in 2018. Throughout the doctoral research\, she dedicated herself to developing immunotherapies for both COVID-19 and Cancer. Dr. Anjali’s PhD work resulted in many first-author publications in esteemed international journals. Notably\, the cell-free vaccine developed for COVID-19 garnered attention in the Indian media for its superior efficacy. She was honored to receive the Amit Garg Memorial Research Award for the high-impact publication and the Dr. Sanjiv Bhatia Memorial Research Excellence Award for the best Ph.D. thesis (2023). During her PhD journey\, she also took on the role of mentoring many master’s students and junior PhD candidates. As the first student in the lab\, she played a pivotal role in its establishment\, actively contributing to various aspects such as grant writing and management processes. \nIn July 2023\, Dr. Anjali joined Duke University as a postdoctoral associate\, where her research centers on understanding the intricate roles of various immune cells in the comprehensive response to immunotherapy. She is actively engaged in multiple projects aimed at enhancing antitumor efficacy and overall survival rates in murine Glioblastoma models. \nIn addition to her academic pursuits\, she serves as a review editor at Frontiers in Immunology and Frontiers in Oncology\, specializing in the Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy section. Driven by her passion for advancing immunotherapy in India\, she was drawn to join Flahybase as a visiting scientist which is a pioneering startup company specializing in computational biomedicine for precision oncology. She is passionate about continuing to contribute to the development of immunotherapeutics in India\, with the goal of making them as widely accessible as they are in developed countries. \n  URL:https://be.iisc.ac.in/event/be-seminar-on-harnessing-immune-system-for-the-development-of-bio-therapeutics-by-dr-anjali-barnwal/ LOCATION:CES Seminar Hall\, CES Seminar Hall\, 3rd Floor\, Biological Science Building CATEGORIES:Seminar END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20240429T110000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20240429T123000 DTSTAMP:20260406T115716 CREATED:20240429T020029Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240429T020029Z UID:4394733-1714388400-1714393800@be.iisc.ac.in SUMMARY:BE Seminar: All Wired Up: Harnessing Protein Polymers for Medicine and Nanotechnology DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Dr. Aarat P. Kalra\nIIT Delhi \nTitle: All Wired Up: Harnessing Protein Polymers for Medicine and Nanotechnology \nAbstract: The successful interfacing of biochemistry with electronics is one of the grand challenges of nanotechnology. Biodegradable and biocompatible materials with structural integrity\, that can perform mixed electronic and ionic roles are required for the development of the next generation of nanodevices. The interface of electronics and biochemistry is also crucial for medicine\, with electric and magnetic field-based therapies being used for cancer treatment and wound healing. \nInside the eukaryotic cell\, protein polymers such as microtubules and actin filaments play structural roles such as maintaining cell shape and orchestrating cell division. Short intermolecular distances between aromatic amino acids\, the presence of a highly negative surface charge\, and the structural regularity of the ordered protein ‘lattice’ allow the emergence of interesting properties in both protein polymers. Thus\, microtubules and actin filaments are interesting candidates for use in biodegradable nanodevices\, while also acting as the potential intracellular targets of electric field-based therapies. \nThe talk will focus on experiments revealing the nontrivial photophysical and electrostatic properties of microtubules. Our experiments reveal that energy can migrate by diffusive energy transfer over unexpectedly large distances (6.6 nm) in microtubules. We find that conventional Förster theory predicts a diffusion length of only ~2.3 nm; insufficient to explain our observations. Introducing the anesthetics etomidate and isoflurane decreases the observed energy diffusion length. We find significantly higher diffusion lengths when other mechanisms of energy transfer are considered. Collectively\, our work shows that it is worth considering protein polymers for ultraviolet light-harvesting systems. Microtubules and actin filaments also have highly negatively charged surfaces\, allowing them to store and possibly conduct ions. Our experiments on microtubules in solution show that they lowered their local pH value by as much as one unit on the pH scale and that they increased solution capacitance. This behavior indicates the potential of microtubules as charge storage devices both inside the cell and outside it\, within protein-based electronic devices. \nAbout the Speaker: Dr. Aarat Kalra is an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Biomedical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology\, Delhi\, and at the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences\, New Delhi. \nHe completed his Bachelor of Science (B.Sc. (Hons.) with distinction from Dayal Bagh Educational Institute (Agra\, India) in chemistry\, a Master of Science (M.Sc.) from McGill University in biology\, and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) with Prof. Jack Tuszynski at the University of Alberta in physics. Thereafter\, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Princeton University with Prof. Gregory Scholes\, publishing transformative work on microtubule electronics. \nDuring his doctoral work\, he was awarded the prestigious Alberta Innovates Graduate Student Scholarship and the micro-nano technology (MNT) Award (two times) over the course of his Ph.D. His work has shown that microtubules are unexpectedly effective light harvesters\, changing their photophysical properties upon small-molecule binding. This work has been published by ACS Central Science\, on the front cover of the March 2023 issue. He was invited to present a talk at Google in 2022\, as part of a conference titled ‘Is Our Brain a Quantum Computer?’ At IIT Delhi\, Dr. Kalra is a recipient of the Young Faculty Incentive Fellowship (YFIF). \nDr. Kalra’s work on microtubules has opened several new research directions and has been featured twice in the scientific magazine The New Scientist and recently in the Indian daily Hindustan Times. URL:https://be.iisc.ac.in/event/be-seminar-all-wired-up-harnessing-protein-polymers-for-medicine-and-nanotechnology/ LOCATION:CES Seminar Hall\, CES Seminar Hall\, 3rd Floor\, Biological Science Building CATEGORIES:Seminar END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20240425T160000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20240425T170000 DTSTAMP:20260406T115716 CREATED:20240426T141255Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240426T141255Z UID:4394726-1714060800-1714064400@be.iisc.ac.in SUMMARY:BE Seminar: The story of giant bacteriophage phiKZ and its potential usage as antimicrobials source DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Maria Yakunina \nLeader of research group\, \nLaboratory of molecular microbiology\, Institute of Nanobiotechnologies\, Peter the Great St.Petersburg Polytechnic University \nTitle: The story of giant bacteriophage phiKZ and its potential usage as antimicrobials source \nAbstract: Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria\, serving as their natural enemies and our potential allies. Due to the constant arms race occurring in the microcosm\, bacteriophages possess a vast array of tools to invade bacterial cells and utilize them for reproduction. In the seminar\, I will discuss the giant bacteriophage phiKZ\, which fundamentally alters the bacterial cell during infection. I will also talk about our current research focused on discovering the mechanisms through which the phage halts the life of a bacterial cell and how we can apply this knowledge. \nAbout the speaker: Maria Yakunina is a leader of the laboratory of molecular microbiology at the Institute of Nanobiotechnologies\, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University\, Russia. URL:https://be.iisc.ac.in/event/be-seminar-the-story-of-giant-bacteriophage-phikz-and-its-potential-usage-as-antimicrobials-source/ LOCATION:CES Seminar Hall\, CES Seminar Hall\, 3rd Floor\, Biological Science Building CATEGORIES:Seminar END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20240425T143000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20240425T153000 DTSTAMP:20260406T115716 CREATED:20240427T142142Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240427T181804Z UID:4394729-1714055400-1714059000@be.iisc.ac.in SUMMARY:BE Seminar: Surgical Robotics: A Journey Across Scales DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Prof. Sarthak Misra\nProf. Satish Dhawan Visiting Chair Professor \nDate: 25th April 2024 \nTime: 2.30 pm – 3.30 pm \nVenue: DBG Seminar Hall \nTitle: Surgical Robotics: A Journey Across Scales \nSummary: This talk will provide an overview of ongoing work at the Surgical Robotics Laboratory. It covers topics ranging from the design of macro-scale flexible/continuum surgical instruments to the fabrication and control of futuristic medical micro-robots. Prof. Misra has been recently invited to IISc as a Prof. Satish Dhawan Visiting Chair Professor. This is his first lecture as part of his appointment at IISc. \nAbout the Speaker: Prof. Sarthak Misra joined the University of Twente in 2009. He is currently a Full Professor in the Department of Biomechanical Engineering within the Faculty of Engineering Technology. He is also affiliated with the Department of Biomaterials and Biomedical Technology\, University of Groningen\, and University Medical Center Groningen. He leads the Surgical Robotics Laboratory. Prof. Sarthak obtained his doctoral degree in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University\, Baltimore\, USA. Prior to commencing his studies at Johns Hopkins\, he worked for three years as a dynamics and controls analyst at MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates on the International Space Station Program. Prof. Sarthak received his Master of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering from McGill University\, Montreal\, Canada. He is the recipient of the European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator\, Starting and Proof-of-Concept grants\, Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) VENI and VIDI awards\, Link Foundation fellowship\, McGill Major fellowship\, and NASA Space Flight Awareness award. He is the co-chair of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Technical Committee on Surgical Robotics\, and area co-chair of the IFAC Technical Committee on Biological and Medical Systems. Sarthak’s broad research interests are primarily in the area of applied mechanics at both macro and micro scales. He is interested in the modeling and control of electro-mechanical systems with applications to medical robotics. URL:https://be.iisc.ac.in/event/be-seminar-surgical-robotics-a-journey-across-scales/ CATEGORIES:Seminar END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20240408T160000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20240408T170000 DTSTAMP:20260406T115716 CREATED:20240403T205438Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240403T205438Z UID:4394659-1712592000-1712595600@be.iisc.ac.in SUMMARY:BE Seminar: Machine Learning Approaches To The Interpretation Of the Tumor Microenvironment Using Spatial Immuno-profiling & Spatial Transcriptomics DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Prof. Arvind Rao \nTitle: Machine Learning Approaches To The Interpretation Of the Tumor Microenvironment Using Spatial Immuno-profiling & Spatial Transcriptomics \nAbstract: Spatial profiling technologies like hyper-plex immunostaining in tissue\, spatial transcriptomics\, etc. have the potential to enable a multi-factorial\, multi-modal characterization of the tissue microenvironment. Scalable\, quantitative methods to analyze and interpret spatial patterns of protein staining and gene expression are required to understand cell-cell relationships in the context of local variations in tissue structure. Objective scoring methods inspired by recent advances in statistics and machine learning can serve to aid the interpretation of these datasets\, as well as their integration with other\, companion data like genomics. In this talk\, we will discuss elements of spatial profiling from multiple studies as well as paradigms from statistics and machine learning in the context of these problems. This talk will also discuss the use of AI/ML and spatial analytics of the tumor microenvironment to derive spatial biomarkers of immunotherapy.\nAbout the Speaker: Dr. Arvind Rao is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics at the University of Michigan. His group uses image analysis and machine learning methods to link image-derived phenotypes with genetic data\, across biological scale (i.e. single cell\, tissue\, and radiology data). Such methods have found application in radiogenomics\, drug repurposing based on phenotypic screens\, and spatial profiling in tissue\, as well as in spatial transcriptomics. Dr. Arvind received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Bioinformatics from the University of Michigan\, specializing in transcriptional genomics\, and was a Lane Postdoctoral Fellow at Carnegie Mellon University\, specializing in bioimage informatics. \n  URL:https://be.iisc.ac.in/event/be-seminar-machine-learning-approaches-to-the-interpretation-of-the-tumor-microenvironment-using-spatial-immuno-profiling-spatial-transcriptomics/ LOCATION:CES Seminar Hall\, CES Seminar Hall\, 3rd Floor\, Biological Science Building CATEGORIES:Seminar END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR