Dr. Vibhav Gautam: Dr. Vibhav Gautam is a faculty at the Centre of Experimental Medicine and Surgery at the Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University. Renowned for his work in ethanopharmacology and medicinal chemistry, Dr. Gautam has published extensively in top tier journals such as ACS Pharmacology and Translation Science, Medicinal Research Reviews, RSC Advances, ACS Omega, ACS Chemical Biology, ACS Applied Biomaterials, and Development. He has received the 'Academic Excellence in Publication Award' from his institute, reflecting the impact of his research. Dr. Gautam is a member of several esteemed organizations, including the American Chemical Society, Proteomics Society of India, The Association of Microbiologists of India, and the Electron Microscope Society of India. His roles as an academic editor for PLOS One and a guest associate editor for journals like Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences, Frontiers in Pharmacology, and Frontiers in Materials underscore his dedication to advancing scientific discourse and knowledge dissemination.Dr. Rajiv Kumar: Dr. Rajiv Kumar is an expert in the area of cellular and molecular immunology of chronic infections and parasitic diseases. His research has significantly advanced the current understanding of immuno-pathogenesis of Kala-azar (visceral leishmaniasis) and severe malaria, the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among parasitic diseases. Dr. Kumar utilizes experimental models and human clinical samples to study these diseases and has identified key immune modulators to enhance the efficacy of vaccines and current therapies. One of the participants in BRICS nation young scientist conclave, Dr. Kumar is also the recipient of the Bill & Melinda Gates professional development award.Dr. Krishna Das Manandhar: Prof. Krishna Das Manandhar is a distinguished Fulbright Senior Research Fellow and currently serves as Professor and Head of the Central Department of Biotechnology at Tribhuvan University, Nepal. He completed postdoctoral research on Dengue Virus at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, USA, and on Leishmaniasis at the Institute de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), France. Prof. Manandhar earned his Ph.D. in Zoology with a specialization in Leishmaniasis from Banaras Hindu University, India. His research focuses on immunology, molecular biology, and biotechnology, with a particular emphasis on tropical infectious and viral diseases. Prof. Manandhar has received numerous accolades, including the Dirgha Sewa Padak from Tribhuvan University, the Nabil Science and Technology Award from the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology, and the Nepal Bidhya Bhusan from the Government of Nepal. He continues to lead important research projects on dengue virus infection and leishmaniasis.Dr. Swapnil C. Kamble: Dr. Swapnil C. Kamble has been an Assistant Professor in the Department of Technology at Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, Maharashtra, India, since 2016. During his PhD at the National Centre for Cell Sciences, Pune, he developed a panel of biomarkers for the molecular classification of high-grade serous ovarian adenocarcinoma. As a synthetic biologist, his current research interests include discovering anti-cancer molecules from high-value medicinal plants, modifying these molecules to enhance their efficacy, developing scaffolds for in vitro models, and conducting pre-clinical evaluations of small molecules. He uses cervical, breast, and hepatic cancer cell lines, along with small animal models, to assess their efficacy. Dr. Kamble has received government grants for projects related to hepatic disease modeling and lateral flow assays for viral disease detection. He collaborates closely with government organizations, such as IMS-BHU and ICT-Mumbai Marathwada Campus, and healthcare startups like Oncocur India and Nuimance Phytovigyan. His work focuses on quantifying the anti-cancer effects of plant-based molecules and exploring their potential in managing side effects from chemo- and radiation therapy. His product, BRECAN (developed with Oncocur India), is now commercially marketed, and another product, CovCur, is a spray-based curcumin with prophylactic and therapeutic properties against SARS-CoV-2. Dr. Kamble has published numerous research papers and book chapters and has reviewed articles for various journals.
