Two Day Hands-on Workshop on Genotoxicity

Cell Culture Laboratory, DoS in Biochemistry, Pooja Bhagavat Memorial Mahajana Post Graduate Centre, PG Wing of SBRR Mahajana First Grade College, Mysore.

DoS in Biochemistry, Pooja Bhagavat Memorial Mahajana Post Graduate Centre, PG Wing of SBRR Mahajana First Grade College, Mysore

in collaboration with CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow, India.

Hands-on workshops from the experts in the specific field help improve the research and job skills of the participants. These workshops with limited participants encourage the high ratio between the resource persons to students while enhances the opportunity to get answers for trouble shooting in their research laboratory. This workshop on genotoxicity is a need of the hour to know and improve laboratory skills in identifying the genetic changes across the cell types that help in identifying a mutation or a DNA damage.

The Workshop was organized on 11 & 12 December, 2023.Worksshop started with formal inauguration in the gracious presence of esteemed Chief Guest Dr. Bhaskar Narayan ,Director ,CSIR-IITR Lucknow, India, Resource Person Dr. Alok Kumar Pandey, Dr. Ravi Ram Kristipati, Dr.Vijayalakshmi Muralidhar Hon.Secretary, Mr.MuralidharBhagavat,Hon President, Dr.C.K. Renukarya, Director, Dr. S.R. Ramesh, Chief Scientist ,Dr.T.Shivananadappa Visiting Professor , HOD’s,Coordinators,Faculty members from various streams and participants from various colleges. The practical workshop was designed to teach and train students and researchers in basics of Genotoxicity and cell lines. The main purpose of genotoxicity workshop is to understand whether a drug candidate will damage genetic materials in cells and cause cancer. After exposure to the compound, DNA damage (e.g. point mutations, strand break, cross-linking, structural and/or numerical chromosomal aberrations, and loss of excision repair) in cells are measured. There are a variety of genotoxicity tests that can be performed in bacterial, yeast, and mammalian cells. The workshop provided a fundamental understanding of cell lines and its use in modern biology through daily lectures, followed by demonstration of these techniques through extended laboratory sessions. The program comprised of two sessions theory session in the Life Sciences auditorium and the practical session in R&D Centre.

The workshop coordinators for the session were Dr. Girish Chandran, Coordinator DoS in Biochemistry, Dr. Mahadesh Prasad AJ, Professor and Ms. Rayana Lavitha D’Silva, Assistant Professor, Pooja Bhagavat Memorial Mahajana Post Graduate Centre, PG Wing of SBRR Mahajana First Grade College, Mysore.

In the morning sessionDr. Alok Kumar Pandey and Dr. Ravi Ram Kristipati explained the basic principles of genotoxicity and cell lines. The principle, procedure was taught and discussed with students. In the afternoon practical session was conducted under the guidance of resource person students performed various assays and the results were obtained accordingly. In the practical session students were taught to prepare the slides for the experiments in step wise manner and how to use the cell lines in the experiments and interpret the results obtained. The event was a successful one with 24 participants. The workshop was relevant to their course, helpful in their project work, research and was well-appreciated by the students. After completion of this workshop students have felt encouraged to explore further in cell lines and genotoxicity.

A brief profile of the resource persons

1. Dr. Alok K Pandey is currently working as Principal Scientist in Nanomaterial Toxicology Laboratory at CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow, India. He completed his PhD in 2007 from University of Lucknow in Environmental Sciences. His area of work includes Nanomaterial Toxicology and Genetic toxicology. His current research work involves mechanism of nanomaterial toxicity in in vitro and in vivo models using different cytogenetic techniques as well as cell cycle and apoptosis. The work is also being done towards ecotoxicological studies of the nanomaterials. His responsibilities include the course coordinator of one course in Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Scientist in-charge of advanced imaging facility and flow cytometry and participating in other institutional Committees. He has published more than 60 articles in International Peer reviewed Journals and five book chapters. He is also serving in more than 25 journals as Editor/Reviewer. So far, Dr. Pandey has trained more than 40 MSc/MTech Scholars as project trainees. At present he is supervising 5 PhD, 4 Project fellows and 2 MSc/MTech students. Dr. Alok K Pandey research interest includes Nanomaterial Toxicology and Genetic toxicology. PublicationsReviewed archival journal publications: >60, Book chapters: 5, Patents: 4, Conference proceedings/abstracts: >95 and Published Protocols: 15. Memberships of scientific societies Life member- Society of Toxicology, India, Life member- Indian Nanoscience Society, Life Member- Indian Science Congress, Life Member-Environmental Mutagen Society of India, Life member- Electron Microscope Society of India, India and Fellow- The Academy of Environmental Biology, India. Member of reviewer’s database: >25 journals.
2. Dr. Ravi Ram Kristipati is currently working as Senior Principal Scientist, CSIR-IITR Professor, Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR). He completed his PhD in 2002, University of Mysore, Mysore. Post Doctoral Associate-2002-2005, Cornell University, USA. Research Associate-2005-2007, Cornell University, USA. Awards/Honors Details: Second Rank, M. Sc., Recipient of Prof. M. S. Chennaveeraiah award in the Eighth All India Conference on cytology and Genetics held at Bangalore from 23rd to 25th January, 2001 (for best presentation),Plenary speaker at the Fourth Drosophila symposium organized by Department of Zoology, University of Mysore, Mysore, held on 28th and 29th March, 2008 at Mysore, Karnataka, India, Plenary speaker at the 39th Society of Toxicology, India, meeting by Department of Zoology, Jiwaji University, Gwalior, held from 28th to 30thDecember, 2019 at Gwalior, Karnataka, India, Recipient of CSIR travel award for young scientists January, 2012,Recipient of SERB international travel award July, 2014 and August, 2018,Invited Speaker at CESE-2017, Kunming, China, IRM-2012, Jerusalem, Israel., IRM-2014, Ithaca, USA, IRM-2018, Groningen, The Netherlands, IRM-2022, Jerusalem, Israel,Member, ICMR project review meeting group and Adjunct Professor, Kasturba Medical College, Mahe.Dr. Ravi Ram Kristipati’s membership includesGenetics Society of America, USA, Drosophila 12 Genomes Consortium, Environmental Mutagen Society of Indiaand Society of Toxicology, India.Mentoring:Number of Ph.D. students completed: 05, Number of Ph.D. students currently being mentored: 04andSeveral undergraduates, Masters Dissertation students and Technical assistants are being/have been trained during the course of research. Dr. Ravi Ram Kristipati area of research includes Genetics & Reproduction, Reproductive Toxicology, Diabetes and xenobiotics.His area of research interest includes Development of Drosophila as a model for reproductive toxicity,Development of Drosophila based model useful for the assessment of endocrine disruption potential of xenobiotics and Understanding the link between Diabetes and xenobiotics.Professional Experiences and Training includes Postdoctoral and research associateship at Cornell University, USA in the field of Drosophila fertility (May 2002-December 2007),Scientist at CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology, Lucknow (January 2008- till date),Twenty seven years of experience in the area of male/female fertility and deciphering underlying mechanisms in Drosophila (Publications: 51) Twenty one years of expertise in genetic, genomic, and transgenic tools/technologies available in Drosophila (Publications: 40),Twenty one years of experience in the area of identification and functional characterization of seminal proteins, fecundity, fertility and sperm transfer/storage and mechanisms underlying fertility in Drosophila (Publications: 24),Fifteen years of experience in the area of stress response as well as reproductive and endocrine toxicity (Publications: 18),Experience in transcriptomic analysis in Drosophila (12 genomes consortium, Nature, 2007; Sharma et al., Chemosphere, 2011),Eleven years of experience in analyzing the functional and toxicological relevance of hormone receptors and DNA mis-match repair genes in reproduction/reproductive toxicity using Drosophila and Seven years of experience in understanding the link between xenobiotics and diabetes.

Target audience was M.Sc. Students, of our college and JSS College of Arts, commerce and science, Ooty road, Mysuru; Yuvaraja’s College and JSSAHER, Mysuru. There were totally 24 registered participants. The 2-day event was attended also by selected students and faculty of Life Sciences, PBMMEC, Mysuru (total participants: 32).