Dr. Ramendra Pati Pandey

Dr. Ramendra and his group have identified the transcription factor Foxo1 as essential for IL-9 induction in T helper cells, and this work has been published in Nature Communications Journal. His scientific research has earned him several awards, such as the Young Scientist Award from the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India (2010), the Young Scientist Award from the Indian Immunology Society (2013), the European Federation of Immunological Societies (EFIS) Travel Award (2012), and the British Society of Immunology Travel Award (2012), to present his work at the European Congress of Immunology, which was held in Glasgow, Scotland, UK, in September 2012. Dr. Ramendra won the American Association of Immunologists Travel Award and the International Union of Immunological Societies Travel Award to attend the American Association of Immunologists Introductory Course in Immunology, held at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA, in July 2013. His studies on the therapeutic evaluation of Compound-1 for the possible treatment of typhoid led to Indian Patent No. 331376, granted in February 2020. This patent discloses a water-soluble, drug-loadable, low-molecular-weight chitosan oligosaccharide nanoparticle having efficient drug loading, entrapment, and release kinetics. One of his studies was to investigate whether the repurposed drugs Chloroquine and Colchicine could boost the anti-T.cruzi effect of the standard but suboptimal anti-T.cruzi drug Benznidazole (BZN), optimizing its therapeutic efficacy in the chronic phase of Chagas disease. He received the Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies Travel Award 2017 to present this work in Santiago, Chile, in Latin America.

Before joining UPES, Dr. Ramendra was Coordinator (R&D) and Head of Department (Applied Science) at SRM University, Delhi-NCR, Sonepat. He was a FAPESP Post-Doctoral Fellow, a very prestigious fellowship in Latin America, at the Department of Medicine-InCor/HC-FMUSP, University of Sao Paulo, School of Medicine, Brazil. He was a Research Associate at the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad-Gurgaon Expressway, Faridabad, Gurgaon, India. He is an Associate Researcher at CEVAP, CEVAP/ São Paulo State University, Brazil, and the Universal Scientific Education and Research Network.

Dr. Ramendra has been very actively engaged in promising studies in basic and mycobacterial immunology. His work has shown for the first time that Foxo1 acts as a key transcription factor in the biology of Th9 and IL-9-producing T cells. Foxo1 was required for the induction of IL-9 with concomitant suppression of IL-17; inhibition of AKT enhanced the Foxo1-mediated development of Th9 cells. Given the proinflammatory functions of Th9 cells in allergic inflammation, autoimmunity, and tumor immunity, the identification of Foxo1 as a key transcription factor that dictates the development and effector functions of Th9 and IL-9-producing T cells could prove beneficial in designing targeted therapies aimed at alleviating the course of autoimmune diseases and anti-cancer therapy.

Awards - 

• Post-Graduate Scholarship from the Department of Biotechnology, India.
• Participated in Indo-German collaborative meeting on Immunology in New-Delhi from 5 - 7 Feb. 2005.
• Participated in International Conference on Clinical Immunology in AIIMS, New-Delhi India on 2-5 March 2006.
• Presentation in NHRI Conference on Immunology in Taiwan from 9th to 10th Nov. 2008.
• Presentation in FIMSA (The Federation of Immunological Societies of Asia-Oceania) Taipei, Taiwan. 17-20 October 2008.
• Poster Presentation in the 14th International Congress of Immunology Kobe, Japan, 22- 27 August 2010.
• GP Talwar travel grant to attend the 14th International Congress of Immunology Kobe, Japan, 22-27 August 2010.
• Department of Science and Technology, Government of India Young Scientist Award to attend the 14th International Congress of Immunology in Kobe, Japan, 22-27 August 2010.
• Presentation at the International Symposium on Tuberculosis Diagnostics: Innovating to make an Impact at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New-Delhi from 16-17 December 2010.
• Presentation at the International Conference on Nanotechnology, Bhubaneswar, India 8 - 10 December 2011.
• Presentation in FIMSA (The Federation of Immunological Societies of Asia-Oceania), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New- Delhi, India from 14 - 17 March 2012.
• FIMSA (The Federation of Immunological Societies of Asia-Oceania) Young Scientist Award 2012.
• Bharat Jyoti Award from the India- International Friendship Society 2012.
• Presentation in the European Congress of Immunology, Glasgow, UK, 5-8 Sept. 2012.
• British Society of Immunology travel award to attend the 3rd European Congress of Immunology, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K., from 5-8 Sept.2012.
• European Federation of Immunological Societies travel grant to attend the 3rd European Congress of Immunology, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K., from 5-8 Sept.2012.
• International Union of Immunological Societies travel award to attend the Introductory Course in Immunology, University of Pennsylvania, USA from 13-18 July 2013.
• American Association of Immunologists travel award to attend the Introductory Course in Immunology, University of Pennsylvania, USA from 13-18 July 2013.
• Indian Immunological Society Travel Award to attend the Immunocon 2013, Delhi from 15-17 Nov. 2013.
• Elected as an Executive Council Member of the Indian Immunology Society (2014- 2016).
• FAPESP Post-Doctoral Fellowship (A Prestigious Fellowship of the Latin America), 2014.
• Presentation in the FIMSA (The Federation of Immunological Societies of Asia- Oceania), Singapore from 30 June to 3 July 2015.
• FIMSA (The Federation of Immunological Societies of Asia-Oceania) travel award 2015.
• Presentation in the International Congress of Immunology Melbourne, Australia, 21- 26 August 2016.
• Presentation in the Brazilian Congress of Immunology Campos do Jordao, Brazil Oct. 29- 2nd November 2016.
• FOCIS (The Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies) travel grant 2017.
• Selected for the Early Career Scientist Award from the British council, 2019.

Grants - 

• Management of multidrug resistant (MDR) pathogens causing Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) Funding Department: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR); Total Project Cost (In Rs.): 4,960,000.00 (2021-2024) - Co-PI
• Re-purposing of drugs and nanoparticle approaches for the improvement of treatment against Visceral Leishmaniasis with the aim of averting the emergence of PKDL. Funding Department: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR); Total Project Cost (In Rs.): 8,400,000.00 (2021-2024)- Co-PI
• Treatment of Panipat Drain using bioremediation: NMCG; Total Project Cost (In Rs.): 2,49,00,000.00 (2022-2023)-TPI
• Deciphering the Methylation status and expression of telomere & telomerase complex genes under Hypobaric Hypoxia: SERB, DST: Total Project Cost (In Rs.): 39,09,000.00 (2022-2025)-Co-PI

Dr. Ramendra is one of the project investigators at the Translational Science and Biopharmaceutical Development Center,CEVAP/UNESP, Brazil. The financial support for this project is R$ 10,280,728.92. The Translational Research Unit at UNESP has been prospecting and developing candidate molecules for the production of biopharmaceuticals. In addition to continuing existing products, this project will develop and implement platforms for prototyping recombinant molecules for a new fibrin 2.0 sealant to improve its performance as a wound healing agent; to research and produce monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies against Sars-Cov-2; and finally, to implement a platform for serological diagnosis against COVID-19 based on recombinant antigens. He has also successfully developed a biopolymeric nanoparticulate delivery system for two secretory proteins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, namely, CFP-10 and CFP-21, that increased IFN-γ secretion, supporting the hypothesis that IFN-γ induced NO production. He has shown upregulation of IFN-γ, and NO production in the same group of mice immunized with a nanoparticulate delivery system carrying secretory proteins of M. tuberculosis. These results are very encouraging for developing an effective vaccine delivery system. Recently, his group has identified some potential repurposed drugs for the possible treatment of COVID-19. This finding has been submitted for the Indian patent.

Dr. Ramendra believes that education is really about the all-round development of one’s personality. As the famous poet Robert Frost commented, "I am not a teacher but an awakener". Another valuable aspect of his teaching is to involve his students in developing scientific projects, training them to collaborate with national and international laboratories. All of this helps him impart a number of relevant soft skills and training to his students, possibly leading them to have a successful career in academics/business and be good citizens contributing to society for human welfare.

Dr. Ramendra teaches immunology and Microbiology. He prefers simple language when introducing his students to a new concept. This ability to present a very complex idea in the simplest and most easily relatable fashion is also something that encourages students. The use of analogies that are closely related to everyday life is another skill in his possession that he has put to effective use in his lecture sessions.

ramendra.pandey@ddn.upes.ac.in