The ViStA LAB is a melting pot of ideas and innovation. Though it debuted as a lab devoted to Vibrio lifestyle and structural analysis (read, protein-protein, protein-nucleotide and miRNA), it has grown along multiple correlated dimensions.
Presently, we are working on:
Biofilm formation and disruption: Beginning with our investigations in Vibrio cholerae and it's proteins which induce biofilm formation, we have now expanded our vision to Staphylococcus aureus biofilms, and marine biofilms as well. Our group looks into the biology of biofilms through structural studies and novel biocompatible ways of disruption. Scroll done for more.
Horseshoe Crabs: Unfolding a 400 million old story: Amazing creatures as they are themselves, horseshoe crabs face extinction threats. Our group has been working on the understanding of their developmental stages, their unique proteome, the microbiota they harbour, and other life processes to chronicle the survival strategies of this living fossil.
Quest for therapeutic molecules: The ocean is a vast repository of novel bioactive natural products, with structural and chemical features which differ from others. Being very near the coast, and in a place with a unique ecosystem (read the Konkan region), we strive to investigate the traditional folklores as well as aim to conserve the resources that have been the storehouse of therapeutic potential over the centuries.
Microplastics in the environment: The biggest threat facing humankind is the abundance of plastics (more specifically, microplastics) in our environment. Our group looks for genetically engineered as well as mechanical interventions towards reducing the plastic load of the planet.
An Institute of Eminence
