Dr Ajit Chande
Dr. Ajit Chande is a group leader of molecular virology laboratory and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at IISER Bhopal. His research focuses on understanding the fundamental aspects of retrovirus pathogenesis and developing effective gene delivery vectors for various applications, including CRISPR/Cas-mediated gene editing.
Dr. Chande received his Ph.D. in Virology from ACTREC, Tata Memorial Centre in 2012. He then held a research scientist position at ICGEB New Delhi, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Trento, Italy. In 2017, he established the Laboratory of Molecular Virology at IISER Bhopal.
Dr. Chande’s research has made significant contributions to the fundamental and translational aspects of retroviruses. His group has identified novel mechanisms of retrovirus pathogenesis, including hijacking of host encoded circular RNAs by HIV for its replication. Dr. Chande’s group also identified cellular processes that can be transiently inhibited to stimulate CRISPR/Cas-mediated gene editing in primary human cells, and his work has the potential to revolutionize the treatment of diseases.
Dr. Chande is a recipient of many prestigious awards, including the Ramanujan Fellowship, the Innovative Young Biotechnologist Award, and the Wellcome-Trust/DBT India Alliance Fellowship.
Dr. Chande is a passionate scientist who is committed to using his research to make a positive impact on the world. He is excited about the potential of CRISPR-Cas technology to treat diseases, develop point-of-care diagnostics, and improve human health. He is also committed to training the next generation of CRISPR scientists, and he is currently mentoring several Ph.D. students and postdoctoral researchers.