Amitabha Chattopadhyay is an Indian scientist working in the areas of membrane and receptor biology and biophysics . He is presently a CSIR Bhatnagar Fellow at the

Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (, IAST: ''Kośikīya evam āṇavik jīvavijñāna kendra'') or CCMB is an Indian fundamental biotechnology, life science research establishment located in Hyderabad that operates under the aegis ...

and served as the founding dean of biological sciences at the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (

AcSIR The Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR) is an Indian institute of national importance, headquartered at the CSIR-Human Resource Development Centre Campus, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. The institute was established for the purpose ...

). In addition, he is a distinguished visiting professor at the

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT- Bombay or IIT-B) is a public research university and technical institute in Powai, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. IIT Bombay is mainly known for the highly competitive four-year Bachelor of Tech ...

, adjunct professor at the

Jawaharlal Nehru University Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU; ISO: Javāharalāla Neharū Viśvavidyālaya) is a public research university located in Delhi, India. It was established in 1969 and named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. The university ...

(New Delhi),

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) is a leading research Institute under the Department of Atomic Energy of the Government of India. It is a public deemed university located at Navy Nagar, Colaba in Mumbai. It also has a centres in ...

, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (Kolkata),

Swinburne University of Technology The Swinburne University of Technology (or simply Swinburne) is a public university, public research university in Melbourne, Australia. It is the modern descendant of the Eastern Suburbs Technical College established in 1908, renamed Swinburne ...

(Australia), and honorary professor at the

Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research The Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) is a multidisciplinary research institute located at Jakkur, Bangalore, India. JNCASR was established by the Department of Science and Technology of the Government of Indi ...

(Bangalore). He was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Chemistry The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is a learned society and professional association in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemistry, chemical sciences". It was formed in 1980 from the amalgamation of the Chemical Society, the ...

in 2013 and Royal Society of Biology in 2017. Chattopadhyay has authored more than 300 research papers and has an h-index of 65. In 2016, Chattopadhyay won

The World Academy of Sciences The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries (TWAS) is a North–south research partnerships, merit-based science academy established for developing countries, uniting more than 1,400 scientists in some 1 ...

in Biology for his seminal contribution in understanding the role of membrane cholesterol in the organization and function in healthy and diseased conditions.

Education

Chattopadhyay's schooling was in Ballygunge Govt High School in kolkata. He passed Higher Secondary in the year 1973. Chattopadhyay received B.Sc. with honors in chemistry from

St. Xavier's College A multitude of schools and universities have been named after St. Francis Xavier, a Spanish Roman Catholic saint and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. This page lists notable educational institutions named after St. Xavier, arranged by country a ...

(Kolkata), holds an M.Sc. from

IIT Kanpur The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT- Kanpur or IIT-K) is a public institute of technology located in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. As an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), it was declared an Institute of National Importance by th ...

, a doctorate in philosophy from

State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY ) is a system of Public education, public colleges and universities in the New York (state), State of New York. It is one of the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, larges ...

(SUNY) at Stony Brook, and was a postdoctoral fellow at the

University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Davis, California, United States. It is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University ...

Research

Chattopadhyay's work is focused on monitoring organization, dynamics and function of

biological membrane A biological membrane, biomembrane or cell membrane is a selectively permeable membrane that separates the interior of a cell from the external environment or creates intracellular compartments by serving as a boundary between one part of th ...

s in healthy and diseased conditions. His group has developed and applied novel, innovative and sensitive techniques based on

fluorescence spectroscopy Fluorescence spectroscopy (also known as fluorimetry or spectrofluorometry) is a type of electromagnetic spectroscopy that analyzes fluorescence from a sample. It involves using a beam of light, usually ultraviolet light, that excites the electro ...

for monitoring solvent relaxation in membranes, membrane-mimetic media, and proteins. Chattopadhyay's group focuses on the role of membrane cholesterol in regulating the organization, dynamics and function of

G protein-coupled receptor G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), also known as seven-(pass)-transmembrane domain receptors, 7TM receptors, heptahelical receptors, serpentine receptors, and G protein-linked receptors (GPLR), form a large group of evolutionarily related ...

s (GPCRs), Pioneering work from his group showed that membrane cholesterol is necessary for the function and organization of GPCRs. In addition, his work has provided novel insight in the role of membrane cholesterol in the entry of pathogens into host cells. He has used fluorescence-based microscopic approaches such as

Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) is a method for determining the kinetics of diffusion through tissue or cells. It is capable of quantifying the two-dimensional lateral diffusion of a molecularly thin film containing fluorescently ...

(FRAP),

Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) is a statistical analysis, via time correlation, of stationary fluctuations of the fluorescence intensity. Its theoretical underpinning originated from L. Onsager's regression hypothesis. The analysis ...

(FCS), and

Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer Fluorescence is one of two kinds of photoluminescence, the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation. When exposed to ultraviolet radiation, many substances will glow (fluoresce) with colore ...

(FRET) to provide useful insight into organization, dynamics and function of membrane receptors.

Honors and awards

Chattopadhyay's contributions in membrane and receptor biology and biophysics have been recognized by several awards and prizes. These include The World Academy of Sciences (

TWAS The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries (TWAS) is a merit-based science academy established for developing countries, uniting more than 1,400 scientists in some 100 countries. Its principal aim is t ...

) Prize,

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award Shanti or Shanthi may refer to: In Sanskrit * Inner peace, a state of being mentally and spiritually at peace, with enough knowledge and understanding to keep oneself strong in the face of discord or stress * Kshanti, one of the paramitas of Bud ...

, Ranbaxy Research Award, Prof. G.N. Ramachandran Gold Medal, SERB Distinguished Fellowship, Prof. G.N. Ramachandran 60th Birthday Medal and J.C. Bose Fellowship. He is an elected Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences,

Royal Society of Biology The Royal Society of Biology (RSB), previously called the Society of Biology, is a learned society and professional association in the United Kingdom created to advance the interests of biology in academia, industry, education, and research. Fo ...

, and all the Indian Academies of Science. * Fellow,

(2017) * Fellow, The

(2017) * Fellow,

The Royal Society of Chemistry The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is a learned society and professional association in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemical sciences". It was formed in 1980 from the amalgamation of the Chemical Society, the Royal Insti ...

(2013) * Fellow,

Indian National Science Academy The Indian National Science Academy (INSA) is a national academy in New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three b ...

(2005) * Fellow,

Indian Academy of Sciences The Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore was founded by Indian Physicist and List of Nobel laureates, Nobel Laureate Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, C. V. Raman, and was registered as a society on 27 April 1934. Inaugurated on 31 July 1934, it ...

(1999) * Fellow,

The National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Natio ...

, India (1998) * Fellow, West Bengal Academy of Science & Technology (2010) * Fellow, Andhra Pradesh Akademi of Sciences (2003) * Fellow, Telangana Academy of Sciences (2015)

References

External links

Google Scholar
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chattopadhyay, Amitabha Living people 1956 births University of California, Davis alumni Recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in Biological Science 20th-century Indian biologists Scientists from West Bengal TWAS laureates