Vinod Bhakuni | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1962-05-24)24 May 1962 Uttarakhand, India |
| Died | 15 July 2011(2011-07-15) (aged 49) Lucknow,Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Alma mater | |
| Known for | Studies onProtein folding |
| Awards | 2006 Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize 1996 CSIR Young Scientist Award 2002 N-BIOS Prize 2006 P. B. Rama Rao Award |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | |
| Institutions | |
| Doctoral advisor | C. M. Gupta |
Vinod Bhakuni (24 May 1962 – 15 July 2011) was an Indian molecular biophysicist and the head of the Molecular and Structural Biology Division of theCentral Drug Research Institute (CDRI).[1] He was the founder of the Protein Chemistry laboratory of CDRI and was known for his contributions to the study ofprotein folding.[2] A recipient of theNational Bioscience Award for Career Development,[3] he was an elected fellow of theIndian Academy of Sciences,[4]Indian National Science Academy[5] and theNational Academy of Sciences, India.[6] TheCouncil of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him theShanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 2006, for his contributions to biological sciences.[7]
Vinod Bhakuni was born on 24 May 1962 in the Indian state ofUttarakhand, did his graduate and master's studies at theUniversity of Lucknow and joinedCentral Drug Research Institute (CDRI) for his doctoral studies under the guidance ofC. M. Gupta, aShanti Swarup Bhatnagar laureate.[5] While pursuing the studies, he also taught at the institute till 1984 and after securing a PhD, he moved toJohns Hopkins University for his post-doctoral studies at Ernesto Freire's laboratory in 1989. Returning to India in 1992, he joined CDRI as a scientist at its Molecular and Structural Biology Division and spent his entire career there, reaching the position of the head of the division.[5]
Bhakuni was married to Neelam and the couple had a son, Abhyudai and a daughter, Harshita. The family lived in Lucknow and it was here he died, aged 49, on 15 July 2011 atSanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences where he had been admitted after suffering a heart attack.[citation needed]
His researches have assisted in a wider understanding of the regulation of the functional activity of catalytic domains in proteins.[8] He was known to have worked deeply on theprotein folding pathways and elucidated the folding patterns as well as the role of8-Anilinonaphthalene-1-sulfonic acid (ANS) in protein refolding. His group at CDRI is credited with the first demonstration ofstoichiometry of the cofactor inserine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT) ofMycobacterium tuberculosis and were the pioneers in deciphering the mechanism of action ofhyaluronate lyases (HLs) fromStreptococci andbacteriophages.[1] He published his research findings by way of a number of articles published in peer-reviewed journals and many online article repositories have listed several of them.[9][10][11] He mentored over 20 scholars in their doctoral researches and held one US patent for his work.[12] His efforts were also reported in founding the protein chemistry laboratory at CDRI.[5]
During the early stages of his researches, theCouncil of Scientific and Industrial Research awarded Bhakuni the CSIR Young Scientist Award in 1996;[13] CSIR would again honor him a decade later with theShanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 2006.[7] He received theNational Bioscience Award for Career Development of theDepartment of Biotechnology in 2002[3] and the Raman Research Fellowship in 2003, the tenancy of the fellowship running during 2003–04. He was an elected fellow of three major Indian science academies,Indian Academy of Sciences (2004),National Academy of Sciences, India and theIndian National Science Academy (2008)[1] and a recipient of the P. B. Rama Rao Award which he received in 2006.[5] The Indian Society of Chemists and Biologists have instituted an annual award,Dr. Vinod Bhakuni Memorial ISCB Award, for honoring research excellence in the fields of chemical and biological sciences[14] and the Uttarakhand State Council for Science and Technology (UCOST) has named an auditorium,Dr. Vinod Bhakuni Memorial Hall, in his honor.[15]
