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I was born in a small town in Orissa, India. I spent my early childhood in several remote villages in Orissa, where my grandfather practiced medicine. His dedication to medicine and service to humanity, greatly influenced me to choose a career in science. As a youth, I volunteered in community service, working on village farms, and had a great love for the outdoors and the wilderness. Fishing, hiking, and field trips were a great source of inspiration and joy.
I majored in chemistry, zoology, and botany at BJB College in Bhuabaneswar, Orissa, India (B.S. 1975) and then went on to study endocrinological zoology at Utkal University, Orissa, India (M.S. 1978). As a top graduate in the masters program, I received the Prasant Ku Memorial Prize and the Utkal University Gold Medal. After four years of bein an college instructor, I was offered a research fellowship from Iowa State University to pursue a Ph.D. in molecular endocrinology. I received my Ph.D. in 1988 along with the Research Excellence Award and the Humanitarian Award.
1989-90 Post. Doc. Department of Biochemistry, Iowa State University, USA
1990-92 Post. Doc. Department of Cell Biology, Yale University, USA
The molecular mechanism of fusion of membrane-bound secretory vesicles at the cell plasma membrane and subsequent release of vesicular contents, has long been a fundamental physiological problem. Important cellular events such as ER-Golgi transport, plasma membrane recycling, and the release of enzymes, hormones and neurotransmitters, all require fusion of opposing bilayers. The role of secretion and membrane fusion in health and disease, is clear. Our studies in the past several years, has enabled:
- Discovery of a New Cellular Structure the POROSOME (Fusion Pore), at the cell plasma membrane, where membrane-bound secretory vesicles dock and fuse to release vesicular contents.
- Elucidation of the molecular mechanism of SNARE-induced membrane fusion.
- Understanding the molecular regulation of secretory vesicle swelling, an important cellular process involved in the expulsion of vesicular contents.