Alok Bhattacharya

Alok Bhattacharya, born on 2 February 1951, did his graduate studies in science at Hansraj College of the University of Delhi and obtained a master's degree in chemistry from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur in 1972.{{cite web | url=http://snu.edu.in/naturalsciences/Alok_Bhattacharya_profile.aspx | title=Faculty Department of Life Sciences | publisher=Shiv Nadar University | date=2016 | accessdate=7 October 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009173302/http://snu.edu.in/naturalsciences/Alok_Bhattacharya_profile.aspx | archive-date=9 October 2016 | url-status=dead | df=dmy-all }} Subsequently, he did his doctoral research at the School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) under the guidance of Asis Datta, a renowned geneticist and Padma Bhushan laureate, to secure a PhD in 1976. He moved to the US for his post-doctoral studies which he did at the Laboratory of Pathophysiology of National Cancer Institute during 1977–79 and at the Springer Lab of Harvard Medical School from 1979 to 1981.{{cite web | url=http://timothyspringer.org/people/alumni | title=Former Postdoctoral Fellows | publisher=Springer Lab - Harvard Medical School | date=2016 | accessdate=7 October 2016}} Returning to India the same year, he joined the All India Institute of Medical Sciences Delhi and worked there as a senior research officer at the Department of Biochemistry till 1982 when he joined Tata Research Development and Design Centre of the Tata Consultancy Services located in Pune, where he worked till 1985. In 1986, Bhattacharya had a short stint at the Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases of the National Institutes of Health as a guest researcher, after which he joined his alma mater, Jawaharlal Nehru University, as an associate professor at their School of Life Sciences, where he is the incumbent professor and adjunct faculty. During his service at JNU, he held various positions, including that of the coordinator of Bioinformatics Centre (1998–2008), dean of School of Life Sciences (2002–2004) and the dean of School of Information Technology (2004–2008). He is also a professor of life sciences at Shiv Nadar University, Dadri{{cite web | url=https://globalprofessorrank.com/professors/alok-bhattacharya-0 | title=Professor in the Life Sciences at Shiv Nadar University, Dadri | publisher=Global Professor rank | date=2016 | accessdate=7 October 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009165134/https://globalprofessorrank.com/professors/alok-bhattacharya-0 | archive-date=9 October 2016 | url-status=dead }} and a visiting faculty at Banaras Hindu University.{{cite web | url=http://www.bhu.ac.in/mmv/bioinformatics/visiting%20faculty.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109090309/http://www.bhu.ac.in/mmv/bioinformatics/visiting%20faculty.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=9 January 2016 | title=Visiting faculty | publisher=Banaras Hindu University | date=2016 | accessdate=7 October 2016}}

Alok Bhattacharya is married to Sudha Bhattacharya, a known parasitologist.{{cite book|author=D. P. Burma|title=From Physiology and Chemistry to Biochemistry|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4CaQ3-x3LXMC&pg=PA432|year=2011|publisher=Pearson Education India|isbn=978-81-317-3220-5|pages=432–}} She is a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University{{cite web | url=http://insaindia.res.in/detail.php?id=P14-1635 | title=INSA profile on Dr. Bhattacharya | accessdate=29 August 2016 | archive-date=9 October 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009161532/http://insaindia.res.in/detail.php?id=P14-1635 | url-status=dead }} and is a co-author of some of his publications. The couple lives in Delhi.{{cite web|title=Dr. Bhattacharya's JNU faculty profile|url=http://www.jnu.ac.in/FacultyStaff/ShowProfile.asp?SendUserName=sbhattacharya|accessdate=29 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118123732/http://www.jnu.ac.in/FacultyStaff/ShowProfile.asp?SendUserName=sbhattacharya|archive-date=18 January 2017|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}

File:Entamoeba histolytica life cycle-en.svg life cycle]]

Bhattacharya's researches were focused on parasitology, computation biology and bioinformatics, with special focus on the biology of Entamoeba histolytica, an anaerobic parasitic protozoan causing amoebiasis. His studies elucidated the molecular mechanisms during the opsonization process of the pathogen and identified new proteins such as EhCaBP1, EhCaBP3 and EhC2PK which play a role in the phagocytosis and actin dynamics of the parasite.{{cite web | url=http://www.jnu.ac.in/Faculty/alok/ | title=Professor School of Life Sciences | publisher=Jawaharlal Nehru University | date=2016 | accessdate=7 October 2016}} His team developed new genomic tools and also proposed new algorithms for the identification of genomic variations. His work on lipophosphoglycan and its identification and characterization as well as on the species-specific calcium binding protein and its gene are reported to have been pioneering.{{cite web | url=http://www.csirhrdg.res.in/ssb.pdf | title=Handbook of Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize Winners | publisher=Council of Scientific and Industrial Research | date=1999 | accessdate=5 October 2016 | pages=29 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304043957/http://www.csirhrdg.res.in/ssb.pdf | archive-date=4 March 2016 | url-status=dead | df=dmy-all }} These studies are known to have widened the understanding of the pathogenesis of the protozoan at the molecular level. For pursuing his researches on Entamoeba histolytica, he founded a dedicated laboratory at JNU. He has also worked on the pathogenesis of malaria and visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar){{cite web | url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160308/jsp/nation/story_73400.jsp#.V_imoOB97IU | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309095402/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160308/jsp/nation/story_73400.jsp#.V_imoOB97IU | url-status=dead | archive-date=9 March 2016 | title=Honours for JNU | newspaper=The Telegraph | date=8 March 2016 | accessdate=8 October 2016}} and his researches are documented in a number of articles of which 188 have been listed by ResearchGate, an online repository of scientific articles.{{cite web | url=https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alok_Bhattacharya | title=Alok Bhattacharya on ResearchGate | work=Author profile | date=2016 | accessdate=7 October 2016}}

Bhattacharya is associated with the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and is the chairman of two of DST's initiatives. Biotechnology Information System Network, a bioinformatics program for establishing a centralised database and nationwide network of affiliated organizations is one while the other is Fund for Improvement of S&T Infrastructure in Universities and other Higher Educational Institutions (FIST) where he heads the Expert Committee on Life Sciences. He is a member of Guha Research Conference and a former vice president of the Indian National Science Academy (2011–13).{{cite web | url=http://insaindia.res.in/recent_past_office_bearers.php | title=Recent Past Vice-presidents | publisher=Indian National Science Academy | date=2016 | accessdate=8 October 2016 | archive-date=1 May 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501055419/https://www.insaindia.res.in/recent_past_office_bearers.php | url-status=dead }} He serves as a member of the governing council of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR),{{cite web | url=http://www.csir.res.in/gb.pdf | title=Current Members of the Governing Body | publisher=Council of Scientific and Industrial Research | date=2016 | accessdate=8 October 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009164858/http://www.csir.res.in/gb.pdf | archive-date=9 October 2016 | url-status=dead | df=dmy-all }} as a member of CSIR Society{{cite web | url=http://www.csir.res.in/external/heads/aboutcsir/org_structure_files/members.pdf | title=Current Members of the CSIR Society | publisher=Council of Scientific and Industrial Research | date=2016 | accessdate=8 October 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009165107/http://www.csir.res.in/external/heads/aboutcsir/org_structure_files/members.pdf | archive-date=9 October 2016 | url-status=dead | df=dmy-all }} and as a member of the research councils of Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology and Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute, both constituent laboratories of CSIR. He sits in the USER committee of the Department of Science and Technology and chairs the Task force on Bioinformatics, Computation Biology and Systems Biology of the Department of Biotechnology. He is the managing trustee of GNE-Myopathy International, a forum of patients who suffer from GNE-Myopathy, a genetic disorder affecting young people{{cite web | url=http://gne-myopathy.org/about_us.html | title=Our Board of Trustees | publisher=GNE-Myopathy International | date=2016 | accessdate=8 October 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160803005331/http://gne-myopathy.org/about_us.html | archive-date=3 August 2016 | url-status=dead | df=dmy-all }} and is associated with several science journals including Parasitology International, Journal of Biosciences, Genome Analysis, Bioinformatics: From Molecules to systems, International Journal of Integrative Biology, PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases and Nature.

Bhattacharya is a former vice president (2009–10) of the Society of Biological Chemists (India), a science society based at the Indian Institute of Science,{{cite web | url=http://iiscp.iisc.ernet.in/sbci/images/SBCpastpresident.pdf | title=Society of Biological Chemists (India) | publisher=Former Office bearers | date=2016 | accessdate=8 October 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009173227/http://iiscp.iisc.ernet.in/sbci/images/SBCpastpresident.pdf | archive-date=9 October 2016 | url-status=dead | df=dmy-all }} serves as a member for internal expert panel of the Council of Indian Institutes of Technology{{cite web | url=https://www.iitsystem.ac.in/externalpeers/internalreview/7 | title=External Peer Review (Departmental) - Internal Review | publisher=Council of Indian Institutes of Technology | date=2016 | accessdate=8 October 2016 }}{{Dead link|date=October 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} and is involved with the Project AMOEBAC of the Infect-ERA, a global organization for researches on human infectious diseases.{{cite web | url=http://www.infect-era.eu/2nd-call-2014 | title=Project AMOEBAC | publisher=Infect-ERA | date=2016 | accessdate=8 October 2016}} He has delivered several guest lectures and keynote addresses{{cite web | url=http://www.sau.int/component/content/article/10-faculties/flsb/259-flsb-events.html | title=Events of the Faculty of Life Sciences & Biotechnology | publisher=South Asian University | date=2016 | accessdate=8 October 2016}}{{cite web | url=http://cdac.in/index.aspx?id=pdf_SYMP2016_technical_programme | title=Symposium on "Accelerating Biology 2016: Decoding the Deluge" | publisher=Centre for Development of Advanced Computing | date=2016 | accessdate=8 October 2016}} and is a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the National Symposium on Bioinformatics and Computational Systems Biology organized by the National Network for Mathematical and Computational Biology (NNMCB) of the Department of Science and Technology to be held during 12–14 November 2016 at Central University of Himachal Pradesh.{{cite web | url=http://cuhimachal.ac.in/NSBCSB/committee.html | title=National Symposium on Bioinformatics and Computational Systems Biology | publisher=Central University of Himachal Pradesh | date=2016 | accessdate=8 October 2016 | archive-date=20 May 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520071333/http://cuhimachal.ac.in/NSBCSB/committee.html | url-status=dead }} He has also mentored research scholars in their doctoral researches.{{cite web | url=http://www.jnu.ac.in/Faculty/somlata/ | title=Somlata | publisher=JNU Faculty | date=2016 | accessdate=8 October 2016}}

Bhattacharya, a Robert McNamara Fellow of the World Bank (1985–86), was awarded the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, one of the highest Indian science awards, by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research in 1994. He is also a recipient of Science Exhibition Award of Delhi University in 1968 and 1969 and the Rockefeller Biotechnology Career Development Award for 1988–1990. He is a J.C. Bose National Fellow of the Department of Science and Technology, India and an elected fellow of the Indian National Science Academy and the Indian Academy of Sciences. He received the Aryabhatta Medal of the Indian National Science Academy in 2015.{{cite web | url=http://inst.mhrd.gov.in/citizen/secure/initMhrdTeachCornerDetailAction.do?reportType=6 | title=Prof Alok Bhattacharya, SLS, selected for Aryabhata Medal of INSA | publisher=Ministry of Human Resource Development | date=2016 | accessdate=8 October 2016 | archive-date=2 November 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102203914/http://inst.mhrd.gov.in/citizen/secure/initMhrdTeachCornerDetailAction.do?reportType=6 | url-status=dead }}

• {{cite journal | title=Serum stress responsive gene EhslncRNA of Entamoeba histolytica is a novel long noncoding RNA |author1=Arpita Saha |author2=Sudha Bhattacharya |author3=Alok Bhattacharya | journal=Scientific Reports | date=June 2016 | volume=6 | issue=27476 |page=27476 | doi=10.1038/srep27476 | pmid=27273618 | pmc=4895391|bibcode=2016NatSR...627476S }}
• {{cite journal | title=The Mycobacterium phlei Genome: Expectations and Surprises |author1=Sarbashis Das |author2=Fredrik Pettersson |author3=Phani Rama Krishna Behra |author4=Malavika Ramesh |author5=Santanu Dasgupta |author6=Alok Bhattacharya |author7=Leif A Kirsebom | journal=Genome Biology and Evolution | date=March 2016 | volume=8 | issue=4 | doi=10.1093/gbe/evw049 | pages=975–85|pmc=4860684 | pmid=26941228 }}
• {{cite journal | title=Autophosphorylation at Thr279 of Entamoeba histolytica atypical kinase EhAK1 is required for activity and regulation of erythrophagocytosis |author1=M Shahid Mansuri |author2=Mrigya Babuta |author3=Sabir Ali |author4=Alok Bhattacharya | journal=Scientific Reports | date=January 2016 | volume=6 | doi=10.1038/srep16969 | pmid=26739245 | pmc=4703981 | pages=16969|bibcode=2016NatSR...616969M }}
• {{cite journal | title=Molecular Basis of Pathogenesis in Amoebiasis |author1=Arpita Saha |author2=Amit Kumar Gaurav |author3=Sudha Bhattacharya |author4=Alok Bhattacharya | journal=Curr Clin Micro RPT | date=September 2015 | doi=10.1007/s40588-015-0023-1 | volume=2 |issue=4 | pages=143–154|s2cid=16992427 |doi-access=free }}
• {{cite journal | title = Post-transcriptional regulation of ribosomal protein genes during serum starvation in Entamoeba histolytica | author1=Jamaluddin Ahamad |author2=Sandeep Ojha |author3=Ankita Srivastava| author4=Alok Bhattacharya|author5=Sudha Bhattacharya | journal=Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology | date=August 2015 | volume=201 | issue=2 | pages=146–152 | doi=10.1016/j.molbiopara.2015.07.006 | pmid=26247142 }}
• {{cite journal | title=A Novel Alpha Kinase EhAK1 Phosphorylates Actin and Regulates Phagocytosis in Entamoeba histolytica |author1=M Shahid Mansuri |author2=Sudha Bhattacharya |author3=Alok Bhattacharya | journal=PLOS Pathogens | date=October 2014 | volume=10 | issue=10 | doi=10.1371/journal.ppat.1004411 | pmid=25299184 | pmc=4192601 | pages=e1004411 |doi-access=free }}
• {{cite journal | title=Trogocytosis by Entamoeba histolytica contributes to cell killing and tissue invasion | author=Katherine S Ralston | author2=Michael D Solga | author3=Nicole M Mackey-Lawrence | author4= Somlata | author5=Alok Bhattacharya | author6=William A Petri | journal=Nature | date=April 2014 | volume=508 | issue=7497 | doi=10.1038/nature13242 | pmid=24717428 | pmc=4006097 | pages=526–530| bibcode=2014Natur.508..526R }}
• {{cite journal | title=Analysis of U3 snoRNA and small subunit processome components in the parasitic protist Entamoeba histolytica |author1=Ankita Srivastava |author2=Jamaluddin Ahamad |author3=Ashwini Kumar Ray |author4=Devinder Kaur |author5=Alok Bhattacharya |author6=Sudha Bhattacharya | journal=Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology | date=February 2014 | volume=193 | issue=2 | doi=10.1016/j.molbiopara.2014.03.001 | pages=82–92|pmid=24631428 }}

{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}

• Sudha Bhattacharya
• Veena Tandon
• Hereditary inclusion body myopathy
• Entamoeba histolytica
• Asis Datta

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{{Portal|India|Biology}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{cite web | url=http://timothyspringer.org/people/alok-bhattacharya-msc-m-phil-phd | title=Former Postdoctoral Fellows - Alok Bhattacharya | publisher=Springer Lab - Harvard Medical School | work=Fellow profile | date=2016 | accessdate=7 October 2016}}
• {{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aS4zVqWdQs | title=The University: JNU and its role in India Today | publisher=Chandrashekhar Tibrewal | work=3rd Global JNUites Reunion 2012 Panel Discussion - YouTube video | date=3 March 2012 | accessdate=7 October 2016}}
• {{cite web | url=http://www.insa.nic.in/writereaddata/UpLoadedFiles/PINSA/Vol82_2016_1_Art16.pdf | title=Exotic Organisms and Novel Biology: World of Parasites | publisher=Proc Indian Natn Sci Acad | work=Aryabhata Medal Lecture (2015) | date=15 March 2016 | accessdate=7 October 2016 | archive-date=12 July 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712081830/https://insa.nic.in/writereaddata/UpLoadedFiles/PINSA/Vol82_2016_1_Art16.pdf | url-status=dead }}
• {{cite web | url=http://inst.mhrd.gov.in/citizen/secure/initMhrdTeachCornerDetailAction.do?index=744&option=view | title=Success stories | publisher=Ministry of Human Resource Development | date=2016 | accessdate=8 October 2016 | archive-date=10 October 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010031407/http://inst.mhrd.gov.in/citizen/secure/initMhrdTeachCornerDetailAction.do?index=744&option=view | url-status=dead }}

• {{cite web | url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/education/story/presidents-awards-jnu/1/616790.html | title=President's awards for excellence in innovation and research for JNU | publisher=India Today | work=News report | date=10 March 2016 | accessdate=8 October 2016 | archive-date=10 January 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170110015041/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/education/story/presidents-awards-jnu/1/616790.html | url-status=dead }}

{{SSBPST recipients in Biological Science}}

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Category:Recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in Biological Science

Category:1951 births

Category:Scientists from Delhi

Category:Delhi University alumni

Category:IIT Kanpur alumni

Category:Jawaharlal Nehru University alumni

Category:Academic staff of Jawaharlal Nehru University

Category:National Institutes of Health people

Category:Harvard Medical School alumni

Category:Tata Consultancy Services people

Category:Indian parasitologists

Category:Council of Scientific and Industrial Research people

Category:Fellows of the Indian Academy of Sciences

Category:Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy

Category:All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi alumni

Category:Academic staff of Banaras Hindu University

Category:Living people

Category:20th-century Indian biologists