Tapas Kundu
Epigenetic Regulation of memory: Role of Lysine acetyltransferase p300
Tapas K. Kundu
Professor
Transcription and Disease Laboratory, MBGU
Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research,
Jakkur, Bangalore-560064, INDIA.
Former Director
CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute
Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226 031
Email: tapas@jncasr.ac.in
Prof. Tapas K Kundu received his Ph.D. from the Department of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, in the year 1995.Following his Ph.D., he has undergone two post-doctoral tainting at the National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Japan, and at The Rockefeller University, New York, USA. He joined Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) in 1999 as Assistant Professor. Prof. Kundu has made significant contributions in the area of regulation of gene expression and its link to disease and therapeutics. He is not only elucidating the mechanisms of transcription regulation through epigenetic modifications but also targeting them to design new generation diagnostics, as well as therapeutics. Over the years, he has published several research papers in many international journals. Several patent applications from the laboratory on small molecule modulators of epigenetic modifications have been granted and some are under process, which includes several academically important research reagents with potential commercial values, some of which have already been commercialized by renowned companies. Remarkably, his group has discovered the first known small molecule activator of lysine acetyltransferase p300/CBP, which has been shown to be highly effective in spinal cord injury repair and overcoming memory loss in neurodegenerative disorders.
He is a fellow of four major national academies of India and served as an editorial board member of the Journal of Biological Chemistry (JBC) from 2011-2016. Presently, he is serving as an “Associate Editor” of the Journal of Biochemistry (Oxford University Press). As a Director of CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, Prof. Kundu initiated many relevant academic and drug development programs. Under his leadership, several drug molecules reached Phase-I clinical trials and could be licensed to industries for further development. He also led and completed Phase-III clinical trials for anti-Covid 19 therapy which is awaiting DCGI approval. He was instrumental to establish the ‘Asian Forum for Chromatin and Chromosome Biology’ and ‘Chemical Biology Society, India’(CBSI). Presently, he is serving as the President of CBSI. He is one of the active scientists, who are connecting chemical biologists of India with ICBS. Under the leadership of CBSI, he organized the 8th annual conference of ICBS at the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICT), Hyderabad
He is a recipient of several awards, including the highest recognition in the scientific field of the nation, the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize from CSIR.