Ambak Kumar Rai

Associate Professor
Department of Biotechnology
Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad, Prayagraj, India-211004
E-mail: ambakrai[at]mnnit[dot]ac[dot]in
Telephone: +91-532-2271241(O) +91-8765787601(M)

Other Academic Achievements

Keynote Address/Invited Talks in Conferences & Workshops:

Delivered talk in the online 7th International Conference on “ Challenges and Opportunities in Medical, Environmental and Biotechnological Research' (GenoPro-2020) during December 10-11, 2020 organized by Invertis University, Bareilly-U.P.

Delivered keynote address entitled ‘Immunophenotyping of rare immune cell subset(s) as well as delineation of their functional characteristic(s)’ in a One day National Seminar on “Recent Trends In Biotechnology” on 8th September, 2018 organized by Pillai College of Arts, Commerce and Science, New Panvel, Mumbai

Delivered a lecture entitled ‘Understanding metabolic pathway(s) of L. donovani for development of alternate treatment option’ in a workshop cum National Seminar on “Frontiers in Ethnomedicinal Research: Traditional to Translational” from 9-11th March, 2015 at Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Amarkantak (M.P.).

Delivered talk entitled ‘Application of flowcytometer in diagnosis and research’ in the short term training program ‘Biotechnology, Health and Diagnosis’ organized by Dr. Shivesh Sharma, Center for Medical Diagnosis and Research (CMDR), MNNIT Allahabad, from January 24-28, 2015

Conducted a practical workshop on ‘Data Analysis in Flowcytometer’ in the short term training program ‘Biotechnology, Health and Diagnosis’ organized by Dr. Shivesh Sharma, Center for Medical Diagnosis and Research (CMDR), MNNIT Allahabad

Delivered talk entitled ‘Understanding the immune response to nanoparticle: A litmus test for its efficacy’ in the short term training program ‘Bionanotechnology’ organized by Prof. Anjana Pandey, Department of Biotechnology, MNNIT Allahabad from January 23-29, 2015

Delivered talk entitled ‘Immunophenotyping of rare immune cell subset(s) as well as delineation of their functional characteristic(s)’ in the short term training program ‘Molecular Techniques in Biotechnology’ organized by Dr. Anjana Pandey, Department of Biotechnology, MNNIT Allahabad, from January 16-22, 2015

Delivered an invited talk entitled ‘Understanding the Immune Response to Nanoparticle: A Litmus Test for its Efficacy’ in one week Training program in Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Nanotechnology and Bioinformatics (June 06 -12, 2022) under STUTI program at Ram Manohar Lohia Awadh University, Ayodhya

Conferences Attended for Presenting Paper:

Delivered oral presentation entitled ‘Characterization of phosphate transporter(s) and understanding their role in promestigote form of Leishmania donovani.’ In WorldLeish-6 Congress held in Toledo, Spain, from 16 to 20 May 2017

Delivered oral presentation entitled “Characterization of phosphate transporter(s) and understanding their role in Leishmania donovani parasite, has been accepted for 4th International Congress on Infectious Diseases during May 11-12, 2017 at Barcelona, Spain for Oral Presentation.

Delivered oral presentation entitled ‘Differential transcription of E1A and E1B regulates expression of CD5 on blasts of acute T cell lymphoblastic leukemia’ in 7th International Conference on Stem Cells and Cancer (ICSCC-2016): Proliferation, Differentiation and Apoptosis from 21 – 23 October 2016 at Goa

Award and Honors:

CSIR Nehru Science Postdoctoral Fellowship which was availed at research at Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow w.e.f. 02/04/12.

WHIP fellowship ‘Woods Hole Immunoparasitology meeting-2011’ (funded by NIH) to attend the WHIP-2011 at Woods Hole, MBL, MA, USA.

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Global Health Award to attend the Keystone Symposia F2 Molecular Targets for Control of Vector-Borne Diseases: Bridging Lab and Field Research to be held at Copper Mountain Resort, Colorado on Apr 11-16, 2010.

Travel award from CSIR to attend “Molecular Biology of Leishmania” at ICGEB, Trieste, Italy in 2008

Travel award from CSIR to attend FOCIS-2008

Travel award from DBT (Department of Biotechnology), Government of India, to attend the WHIP-2011 at Woods Hole, MBL, MA, USA

Qualified CSIR Junior research fellowship in June 2003 in Life Sciences.

Qualified GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test of Engineering) 2003 in life Sciences

Conferences/ Workshops/Symposium/ Short-term Courses Organized:

Organizing Coordinator of International Conference on Biotechnological Interventions for Societal Development (BioSangam 2020) held at Motilal Nehru national Institute of Technology Allahabad, Allahabad from February 21-23, 2020

Organizing Coordinator of International Conference on Innovations and Translational Dimensions: Food, Health & Environmental Biotechnology (BioSangam 2018) held at Motilal Nehru national Institute of Technology Allahabad, Allahabad from March 09-11, 2018.

Organized two weeks Global Initiative of Academic Network (GIAN) course entitled ‘Genomics, Personalized Medicine and Ethics’ at Motilal Nehru national Institute of Technology Allahabad, Allahabad from March 21-23, 2017 with foreign faculty Dr. Vasu Punj, Associate Professor, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California

Organizing coordinators in National workshop on Biotechnological Intervention for Societal Development at Center for Medical Diagnosis and Research (CMDR), Motilal Nehru national Institute of Technology Allahabad, Allahabad from March 21-23, 2017

Organizing Coordinator of International Conference on Translational Biotechnology (BioSangam 2016) held at Motilal Nehru national Institute of Technology Allahabad, Allahabad from February 4-6, 2016

Organizing coordinators in self-financed short term workshop on Flow Cytometry: Applications in Research, Diagnostics and Health Care Innovation at Center for Medical Diagnosis and Research (CMDR), Motilal Nehru national Institute of Technology Allahabad, Allahabad from December 15-21, 2015

Organizing Coordinator of International Conference on Health, Environment and Industrial Biotechnology (BioSangam 2013) held at Motilal Nehru national Institute of Technology Allahabad, Allahabad from November 21-23, 2013

Organizing Coordinator and Main Teacher in the short term training program ‘Frontier in Biotechnology’ held at Motilal Nehru national Institute of Technology Allahabad, Allahabad from May 28-June 1, 2013

Organizing Coordinator and Main Teacher in the short term training program ‘Human Health and Environment Sustainability’ held at Motilal Nehru national Institute of Technology Allahabad, Allahabad from June 4-8, 2013

Organizing Secretary and Treasurer of National Symposium “Nanotechnology in Medicine” held on 13th January 2007 at AIIMS, New Delhi, INDIA organized by Society of Young Scientists (SYS)

Organizing Secretary and Treasurer of National Symposium “Immunity to Infection” held on 8th October 2007 at AIIMS, New Delhi, INDIA organized by Society of Young Scientists (SYS)

On-going Projects:

Title of project: Role of poly-aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) in exonal switch of cd5 gene of human T cells; Funding Agency: DST New Delhi under KIRAN:WOS-B scheme, funded to PhD student Ms. Smita Kumari; Amount: 25,26,750; Duration: 2016-18; Role: Mentor

Title of project: Understanding the human endogenous retrovirus mediated regulation of CD5 isoform expression and its functional characterization; Funding Agency: DBT, GoI under CRG scheme; Amount: 50,98,324; Duration: 2022-25; Role: Principal Investigator; Collaborating Institute: SGPGIMS Lucknow

Title of project: Study on therapeutic and preventive efficacies of linoleic acid in hamster model of visceral leishmaniasis; Funding Agency: ICMR, GoI; Amount: 40,73, 384; Duration: December 2023- November 24; Role: Principal Investigator; Collaborating Institute: IIT BHU and IIT Kharagpur

Projects Completed:

Title of project: Estimation of Vitamin A (VitA) and Arachidonic Acid (AA) among Visceral Leishmaniasis Patients, Funding Agency: MNNIT Allahabad (In-house), Amount: 2,00,000; Period: 2013-15 Role: Principal Investigator

Title of project: Study to investigate the function of CD6 on acute T cell lymphoblastic leukemia, Funding Agency: TEQIP, Amount: 5,00,000; Period: 2013-16; Role: Principal Investigator

Title of project: Study of arachidonic acid pathway in human visceral leishmaniasis: therapeutic efficacy of α-linoleic acid as a dietary supplement with sodium antimony, Funding Agency: Department of Science and Technology (DST), GoI, New Delhi; Amount: 20,50,000; Period: 2014-17; Role: Principal Investigator

Title of project: Study to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of CD5 blocking in treatment of T cell lymphoblastic leukemia, Funding Agency: Department of Biotechnology, New Delhi; Amount: 24,69,000; Duration: 2015-18; Role: Principal Investigator

Title of project: Study to establish infection of L. donovani through intradermal route in hamsters and its pathological validation, Funding Agency: Department of Biotechnology, New Delhi; Amount: 25,26,750; Duration: 2016-18; Role: Principal Investigator

Reviewer for Transactions / Journal / Conferences:

Associate Editor in Re:GEN Open Journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

Reviewer in Expert Review of Vaccines

Reviewer in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

Reviewer in Immunology and infectious diseases

Reviewer in Infection and drug resistance

Reviewer in International J of Oncology

Reviewer in International Journal of Molecular Medicine

Reviewer in Journal of wound care

Reviewer in Oncology letters

Reviewer in Plos One

Other Significant Achievements:

Selected and served as Jury Member in Young Scientists Conference in India International Science Festival 2020 held during December 22-24, 2020.