Ghanshyam Swarup (born 1953) is an Indian

molecular biologist Molecular biology is a branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecule, molecular basis of biological activity in and between Cell (biology), cells, including biomolecule, biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactio ...

, a J. C. Bose National Fellow and the head of the ''Ghanshyam Swarup Research Group'' of the

Centre 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 ...

. He is known for his studies on

glaucoma Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that can lead to damage of the optic nerve. The optic nerve transmits visual information from the eye to the brain. Glaucoma may cause vision loss if left untreated. It has been called the "silent thief of ...

and the discovery of

protein tyrosine phosphatase Protein tyrosine phosphatases (EC 3.1.3.48, systematic name protein-tyrosine-phosphate phosphohydrolase) are a group of enzymes that remove phosphate groups from phosphorylated tyrosine residues on proteins: : proteintyrosine phosphate + H2O = ...

, a new protein influencing the regulation of cell proliferation. Swarup is an elected fellow of the

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 ...

, the

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 ...

and the

National Academy of Sciences, India The National Academy of Sciences, India, also known as NASI, was established in 1930 and is the oldest science academy of India. It is located in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Prof. Meghnad Saha was the founder president. Fellows * Suddhasatwa Bas ...

. The

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR; IAST: ''vaigyanik tathā audyogik anusandhāna pariṣada'') is a research and development (R&D) organisation in India to promote scientific, industrial and economic growth. Headquarter ...

, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology 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 B ...

, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 1996, for his contributions to biological sciences.

Biography

Ghanshyam Swarup, born on 23 November 1953 in the Indian state of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

, graduated in science from

Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University Aerial view of Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University Campus Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University (CSJMU), formerly Kanpur University, is a public state collegiate university located in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is administered un ...

and continued his studies there to secure a master's degree before moving to Mumbai to complete his PhD at

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 ...

(TIFR). His post-doctoral studies were at David L. Garbers' laboratory of

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM) is the graduate medical school of Vanderbilt University, a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee. The School of Medicine is primarily housed within the Eskind Biomedical Libra ...

where he had the opportunity to work alongside Stanley Cohen, the 1986

Nobel laureate The Nobel Prizes (, ) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make outstanding contributions in th ...

. Returning to India, Swarup joined the

as a scientist and is the head of ''Ghanshyam Swarup Group'' which carries out researches on

optineurin Optineurin is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''OPTN'' gene. Function This gene encodes the coiled-coil containing protein optineurin. Optineurin may play a role in normal-tension glaucoma and adult-onset primary open angle glauco ...

and the functional defects caused in humans by its

mutations In biology, a mutation is an alteration in the nucleic acid sequence of the genome of an organism, virus, or extrachromosomal DNA. Viral genomes contain either DNA or RNA. Mutations result from errors during DNA or viral replication, mitosi ...

Legacy

Swarup, while working with Stanley Cohen in the US on cellular signaling mechanisms, is reported to have discovered a new nuclear

(PTPase) and his subsequent work demonstrated that the protein plays a part in the regulation of cell proliferation. Later, during his early days at CCMB, he elucidated the molecular cloning of a protein tyrosine phosphatase and its bind with

DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...

and established the methodology for alternative splicing of a gene to form four different variations of PTPase. Swarup's studies are known to have assisted in identifying the ''first cargo (PTP-S4/TC48) for the putative cargo receptors in mammalian cells''. He has established a laboratory, ''Ghanshyam Swarup Group'', where his team focuses on researches on protein

and how disease-associated mutation affect humans. Associated with L. V. Prasad Eye Institute, he works on one of the mutated genes of optineurin as a causative factor of

, an eye disease leading to irrecoverable loss of vision and has elaborated on the

pathogenesis In pathology, pathogenesis is the process by which a disease or disorder develops. It can include factors which contribute not only to the onset of the disease or disorder, but also to its progression and maintenance. The word comes . Descript ...

in the disease from a molecular perspective. Swarup has published several articles detailing his research findings;

ResearchGate ResearchGate is a European commercial social networking site for scientists and researchers to share papers, ask and answer questions, and find collaborators. According to a 2014 study by ''Nature'' and a 2016 article in ''Times Higher Education' ...

, an online repository of scientific articles has listed 81 of them. He is a member of the editorial board of the ''Journal of Molecular Signaling'' and is known to be active in the researches done by others. Swarup has mentored several scholars in their doctoral and post-doctoral researches at his research group in CCMB as well as scholars from other institutions.

Awards and honors

Swarup, who was elected as a fellow by the

in 1988, received the Young Scientist Award of the

in 1989. The

made him their elected fellow in 1995 and the CSIR honored him again in 1996 with the

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize 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 B ...

, one of the highest Indian science awards. An elected member of the

Guha Research Conference Guha Research Conference (GRC) is a professional society set up by Indian scholars to develop the field of Biochemistry. It was established in 1960, and is named after Biresh Chandra Guha (1904-1962). The first four GRC meetings were held alongsid ...

, Swarup became an elected fellow of the

in 2003. In 2011, he was selected for the J. C. Bose National Fellowship of the Department of Science and Technology on which he pursues his current researches at CCMB.

Selected bibliography

* * * *

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Swarup, Ghanshyam Recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in Biological Science 1953 births Indian molecular biologists Indian geneticists Living people Fellows of the Indian Academy of Sciences Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy Fellows of the National Academy of Sciences, India Scientists from Uttar Pradesh Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University alumni Tata Institute of Fundamental Research alumni Vanderbilt University School of Medicine alumni 20th-century Indian biologists