CPEES - Director Profile

Phone: 91-44-2235 8363/2235 8362

Email : ksankran@yahoo.com

Dr. K. SANKARAN

 DIRECTOR

Centre for Biotechnology & Centre with potential for Excellence in Environmental Science (CPEES),

 Anna University - Chennai

ACADEMIC BACKGROUND

Ph.D, University of Hyderabad

M.Sc, University of Hyderabad

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

            Protein Biotechnology, Protein Engineering, Molecular Pathogenesis & Preventive measures for diarrhoeal diseases including Instrumentation for Infectious diseases.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

1986 – 1990 Scientist, Astra Research Centre, India

1990 – 1995 Post Doctoral Fellow and a Research Associate at University of Health Sciences, USA

1995 – 2000 Visiting Faculty, Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University

2000 – 2007 Assistant Professor, Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University

2008 – Professor, Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University

2010 –            Director and Head, Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University

2002 – 2008   Dy. Director, Centre with Potential for Excellence in Environmental Science

2008 – Director, Centre with Potential for Excellence in Environmental Science

2010 – Coordinator, National Hub for Healthcare Instrumentation Development

PRODUCTS AND PROTOTYPES

 

A rapid enzymatic colorimetric kit for detection of Shigella and enteroinvasive E.coli from food and stool samples

 

Fluoropath – An immuno biosensor based portable fluorescence meter for bacterial pathogen detection developed under DST’s Instrumentation Development Programme

 

Antibiogram Device – Fluorescence Imager based device for determining bacterial sensitivity to commonly prescribed antibiotics.

 

 

PATENTS

 

 

INTERNATIONAL

 

 

  • A new method of diagnosis for virulent bacteria: European patent SE/05.04.89/SE

 

Inventors: Elango S., Shantha Rajarathnam, Vasanthi Ramachandran, Raman K. Roy, Sankaran K., and Subrahmanyam Y.V.B.K.

 

  •  Novel virulence-specific bacterial DNA sequence: Submitted for European Patent on 5 Aug 1992.

 Inventors: Sankaran, K., Subrahmanyam Y.V.B.K., Raman K. Roy and Ramachandran V.

 

  • Virulence Associated Shigella Apyrase: Patent No. AU 29617/92, CA 2083764, GB 9224716.2, IE 922841, Se 9203506-2 & SE93/0096.

Inventors: Ramachandran V., Roy R. K., Sankaran K., and Subrahmanyam Y.V.B.K

NATIONAL

  •   Enhancing the sensitivity of γ-Interferon detection in ELISA using bacterial lipid modification Patent Application No. 2569/CHE/2010 Shruthi Hamsanathan and K.Sankaran

 

  •   A Method to detect bacterial growth and antibacterial resistance based on Fluorescence quenching: Patent Application No. 1891/CHE/2010 T. Elavarasan, A. Alagumaruthanayagam and K. Sankaran

 

  •   A method to detect the microbial resistance to antibiotics using fluorescence: Application No: 239/CHE/2009 Sankaran K., Alagumaruthanayagam  A. and Pavankumar A.R.

 

  •   A process for lipid modification of peptides using bacterial lipid modification enzyme Lgt: Application No: 3231/CHE/2008 Sankaran K and Tamil Selvan A

 

  •   A process for the isolation of a protein: Patent Application No. 758/MAS/91, Inventors: Elango, S., Shantha Rajarathnam, Vasanthi Ramachandran, Raman K. Roy, Sankaran K., and Subrahmanyam Y.V.B.K.

 

  •  A process for the detection of virulence specific bacterial DNA sequence: Patent Application No. 874/MAS/91 Sankaran K., Subrahmanyam Y.V.B.K., Raman K and Vasanthi Ramachandran.

PUBLICATIONS

  •  Hamsanathan Shruthi, Prakash Anand, Vadivel Murugan and Krishnan Sankaran.,Twin arginine translocase pathway and fast-folding lipoprotein biosynthesis in E. coli: interesting implications and applications, Molecular BioSystems. Vol 6: 999-1007,2010

  • Hamsanathan Shruthi , Mohan Madan Babu, Krishnan Sankaran., TAT-Pathway-Dependent Lipoproteins as a Niche-Based Adaptation in Prokaryotes, Vol 70: 359-370,2010

  •  Alagumaruthanayagam A, Pavankumar AR, Vasanthamallika TK, Sankaran K ., Evaluation of solid (disc diffusion)- and liquid (turbidity)-phase antibiogram methods for clinical isolates of diarrheagenic E. coli and correlation with efflux, J Antibiot (Tokyo). 62(7):377-84, 2009

  • Sankaran K, Banerjee S, Pavankumar AR, Jesudason M, Reissbrodt R, Williams PH., Apyrase-based colorimetric test for detection of Shigella and enteroinvasive Escherichia coli in stool. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. Mar;63(3):243-50, 2009

 

  • Selvan AT, Sankaran K., Localization and characterization of prolipoprotein diacylglyceryl transferase (Lgt) critical in bacterial lipoprotein biosynthesis. Biochimie. 90 (11-12): 1647-55. 2008

 

  • Suresh Kumar P and Sankaran K, In vitro damage to rat intestine by enteropathogenic E.coli as revealed by release of β-glucosidases, Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research: 66, 640-646, 2007

 

  • Babu MM, Priya ML, Selvan AT, Madera M, Gough J, Aravind L, Sankaran K.., A database of bacterial lipoproteins (DOLOP) with functional assignments to predicted lipoproteins: J Bacteriol; 188: 2761-73. 2006

  •  Kamalakkannan, S., Murugan V and Sankaran K, Bacterial lipid modification of proteins and its potential applications, Bioforum Europe – Trends & Techniques in Life Science Research, 9, 44-46, 2005

 

  • Kamalakkannan S, Murugan V, Jagannadham MV, Nagaraj R, dification of proteins for novel protein engineering applications: Protein Eng Des Sel. 17:721-9. 2004

 

  • Paul D. Rick, Kathleen Barr, Sankaran K., Junko Kajimura, Jeffrey S. Rush, and Charles J. Waechter, Evidence that the wzxE gene of Escherichia coli K-12 encodes a protein involved in the transbilayer movement of a trisaccharide-lipid intermediate in the assembly of enterobacterial common antigen J Biol Chem. 278(19):16534-42. 2003.

 

  • N. Sitaram, K. Purna Sai., S.Singh, Sankaran K., R. Nagaraj, Structure-function relationship studies on the frog skin antimicrobial peptide Tigerinin-1: Design of analogs with improved activity and their action on clinical bacterial isolates, Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 46, 2279-83, 2002

 

  • Madan Babu and Sankaran K., DOLOP – Database Of Bacterial Lipoproteins Bioinformatics, 18, 641, 2002

 

  • M. Madan Babu, S. Kamalakkannan, Y.V.B.K. Subrahmanyam M. Sankaran K., Shigella apyrase - a novel variant of bacterial acid phosphatases, FEBS Letters, 512, 8, 2002

 

  • Sunil Kumar S., Sankaran K., Haigh R., Williams P. and Balakrishnan A Cytopathic effects of outer membrane preparations of enteropathogenic E. coli and coexpression of maltoporin with the secretory virulence factor EspB J. Medical Microbiol., 50, 602, 2001

 

  • S.S. Kumar, V. Malladi, Sankaran K., R. Haigh, P.H. Williams and A. Balakrishnan Extrusion of actin-positive strands from HEp-2 and Int-407 cells caused by outermembrane preparations of Enteropathogenic E. coli and specific attachment of wildtype bacteria to the strands. Canadian Journal of Microbiology, 47, 727, 2001

 

  • Ohara M, Wu H.C., Sankaran K., and Rick P.D. Identification and characterization of a new lipoprotein, NlpI, in Escherichia coli, Journal of Bacteriology, 181, 4318, 1999

 

  • Sankaran K., Gan K., Rash B., Qi H., Wu H.C., and Rick P. D. Roles of histidine-103 and tyrosine-235 in the function of the prolipoprotein diacylglyceryl transferase of Escherichia coli Journal of Bacteriology, 179 , 2944, 1997
  • Shamlal R., Rajarathnam R., Ramachandran R., Sankaran K, Subrahmanyam Y.V.B.K., Nair B.K., Macaden R. and Roy R.K.Detection of virulent Shigella and enteroinvasive Escherichia coli by induction of the 43 kDa invasion plasmid antigen, ipaC FEMS Immunology & microbiology, 17, 73, 1997

 

  • Hai-yan Qi, Sankaran K., Gan K. and Wu H. C., Structure - Function Relationship of Bacterial Prolipoprotein Diacylglyceryl Transferase - Functionally Significant Conserved Regions, Journal of Bacteriology, 177, 6820, 1995

 

  • Gan K., Sankaran K., Williams M. G., Aldea M., Rudd K. E., Kushner S. R., and Wu H. C., The umpA Gene of Escherichia coli Encodes Phosphatidylglycerol: Prolipoprotein Diacylglyceryl Transferase (Lgt) and Regulates Thymidylate Synthase Levels Through Translational Coupling, Journal of Bacteriology, 177, 1879, 1995

 

  • Bhargava T., Datta S., Ramachandran V., Ramakrishnan R., Roy R. K.., Sankaran, K., and Subrahmanyam Y.V.B.K. , Virulent Shigella codes for a soluble apyrase: Identification, characterization and cloning of the gene, Current Science, 68, 293, 1995 (originally accepted in molecular microbiol.),

 

  • Sankaran K. and Wu H. C Lipid Modification of Bacterial Lipoproteins - Transfer of Diacylglyceryl moiety from Phosphatidylglycerol., Journal of Biological Chemistry, 269, 19701, 1994

 

  • Gan K., Gupta S. D., Sankaran K., Schmid M. B., and Wu H. C., Isolation and Characterization of a Temperature-Sensitive Mutant of Salmonella typhimurium Defective in Prolipoprotein Modification Journal of Biological Chemistry, 268, 16544, 1993

 

  • Sankaran,K., RamachandranV., SubrahmanyamY.V.B.K., Rajarathnam S., Elango S., and Roy R.K Congo Red Mediated Regulation of Levels of Shigella flexneri 2a Inner Membrane Proteins, Infection and immunity, 57, 2364, 1989
  • Sankaran, K., Sivakami S., Radhakrishnan A. N., and Pandit M. W.Studies on the Size and Shape of Rabbit Intestinal Glucoamylase- Maltase Complex, Biochemical Journal, 213, 719, 1983

 

REVIEWS AND ARTICLES IN BOOKS

 

TITLE

AUTHORS

BOOK  & PUBLISHER

YEAR

EDN. NO

NO OF PAGES

Need and new tools for

Pavan A and

Food Technology and

2008

Vol 46

125-145

Surveillance of E.coli

Sankaran K

Biotechnology

 

 

 

Pathogens

 

Croatian Society of

 

 

 

 

 

Biotechnology and Slovenian

 

 

 

 

 

Microbiological Scoeity

 

 

 

Journal of Scientific &

Guest Editor

Premier Journal of C.S.I.R.

2007

Vol 66

No 8

Industrial Research

 

 

 

 

 

Bacterial Prolipoprotein

K. Sankaran

Handbook of Proteolytic

 

 

 

Signal peptidase

 

Enzymes Academic Press,

2004

2

201-204

 

 

London

 

 

 

Bacterial Prolipoprotein

K. Sankaran

Handbook of Proteolytic

 

 

 

Signal peptidase

 

Enzymes, Academic Press,

1998

1

982-985

 

 

London

 

 

 

Modification of Bacterial

K. Sankaran

Methods in Enzymology Vol.

 

 

 

Lipoproteins

Gupta S. D.

250 (Lipid Modification of

1995

1

683-697

 

Wu H. C.

Proteins) Academic Press Inc., USA

 

 

 

Bacterial Prolipoprotein

K. Sankaran

Methods in Enzymology vol 248

 

 

 

Signal Peptidase (E.C.

Wu H. C.

(Proteolytic Enzymes : Aspartic

1995

1

169-180

3.4.99.35)

 

and Metallo peptidases)

 

 

 

 

 

Academic Press Inc., USA

 

 

 

Signal Peptidase II - Specific

K. Sankaran,

Signal peptidases

 

 

 

Signal Peptidase For

Wu H. C.

R. G. Landes Company, USA

1994

1

17-29

Bacterial Lipoproteins

 

 

 

 

 

Bacterial Lipoprotein in Lipid

K. Sankaran,

CRC Press Inc., Florida, USA.

1993

1

163-181

Modification of Proteins

Wu H. C.

 

 

 

 

 

CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS  

1)     Coordinator, National Hub for Healthcare Instrumentation Development – DST (2010 onwards)

2)     Director,  Centre with Potential for Excellence in Environmntal Science - UGC, (2008 onwards)

3)     Deputy Coordinator, Centre of Excellence – Programme on Diagnostic Platform – DBT (2012)

4)     Deputy Coordinator, Departmental Special Assistance for Infectious Diseases Research - UGC (2013)

5)     Principal Investigator, Biosensor based portable fluorescence detector for pathogens - DST (2009)

6)     Principal Investigator, Instrumentation for Antibiogram  - DST (2009)

7)     Principal Investigator, Biodefense project DRDO (2011)

8)     Co-investigator, Development of a simple rapid test kit for the early diagnosis of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) Wellcome Trust (2011)

9)     Co-Investigator, Indo-Canadian project on microfluidic devices for infectious diseases funded by

Shastri Institute, Canada ( 2010)

10) Co-investigator, Indo-Norwegian project on vaccine development for marine animal infections, Innovac (2013)

11) Co-Investigator, Indo - Sweedish project on water purification for rural India, SIDA (2010)

 

 RESEARCH PROJECTS COMPLETED

 

 

1)     Principal Investigator, AICTE project on " Throughput assays for bacterial lipoprotein biosynthetic enzymes that are targets for broad-spectrum antibiotics (1998 - 2000)

 

2)     Co-investigator – DST project on "Intricacies involved in Enteropathogenic E. coli infection and pathogenesis" (1997-2000)

 

3)     Co-investigator – DBT Task force project on "Development of molecular and immunodiagnostic assays for characterization of pathogenic clinical isolates of Helicobacter pylori " (1997-2001)

 

4)     Co-investigator - UGC project on "Development of Affinity Aqueous Two Phase Extraction Processes for Purification of Recombinant Proteins" (1998 - 2001)

 

5)     Contractor, Each Child – European-Asian Challenge to Childhood Diarrhoea  - EC (2006)

 



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