Invitation to discussion by RSU Tenured Professor on concepts of host-pathogen interactions
We invite you to a discussion with Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) Tenured Prof. Bhupesh Kumar Prusty on concepts of host-pathogen interactions. The discussion will take place in the RSU Senate Hall at 16 Dzirciema iela.
The event will be opened by RSU Vice-Rector for Science Agrita Kiopa, followed by Prof. Prusti's presentation, "Advanced concepts of host-pathogen interactions in single cells to 3D organoids". This will be followed by an informal part and refreshments.
Moderator: Justīne Krūmiņa
Language: English
About the speaker
Bhupesh K Prusty is a Tenured Professor at Rīga Stradiņš University. Bhupesh’s research primarily focuses on understanding fine details of host-virus interactions during herpesvirus infection and latency. Herpesviruses live harmoniously within human hosts, yet sometimes things go wrong, and they start to contribute to the development of major diseases, including post-viral chronic illnesses like ME/CFS, long COVID, and other autoimmune diseases like Multiple sclerosis. The Prusty lab uses interdisciplinary approaches to unravel the biological mechanisms that convert a friend to a foe and its consequences on the host cell.
Prof. Prusti akadēmiskais ceļš aizsākās Indijas laukos, kur tika likti pamati viņa spožajai karjerai. Viņš saņēma Indijas Zinātnisko un rūpniecisko pētījumu padomes (CSIR) piešķirto prestižo doktorantūras stipendiju. Doktorantūras laikā pētīja cilvēka papilomas vīrusu (HPV) nozīmi dzemdes kakla vēža attīstībā. Par doktora darbu viņš saņēma vairākus apbalvojumus, tostarp Indijas Zinātnes kongresa piešķirto Jaunā zinātnieka balvu Medicīnas zinātņu sekcijā un Indijas Medicīnas pētījumu padomes (ICMR) piešķirto Shakuntala Amir Chand balvu (2005).
Bhupesh Prusty’s academic journey began in rural India, where he laid the foundation for his illustrious career. His path led him to a prestigious doctoral fellowship from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India. During his PhD, Bhupesh delved into the role of human papillomaviruses (HPVs) in cervical cancer development. His doctoral work was recognized through several awards, including a Young Scientist Award in the Medical Science Section from the Indian Science Congress and the Shakuntala Amir Chand Prize from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) (2005).
Bhupesh was trained as a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of Nobel laureate Prof. Harald zur Hausen at the DKFZ. Bhupesh started his independent research career at the Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg, Germany. Bhupesh’s groundbreaking work on HHV-6 pathophysiology has earned him several international awards, including the Best Trainee award and Koichi Yamanishi Young Investigator Award from HHV-6 Foundation, USA; the prestigious Experiment! research grant from Volkswagen Stiftung, Germany; Ramsay Research Award from Solve ME/CFS Initiative, USA. His innovative research ideas have been supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG); Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF); HHV-6 Foundation, USA; Amar Foundation, USA; ME Research UK; Solve ME/CFS Initiative, USA; TEMPI Foundation, Austria; Helmholtz Center for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI), Würzburg, Germany; Fatigatio, Germany; and Deutsche Gesellschaft für ME/CFS, Germany.
Building on his extensive research experience and earning his habilitation in Virology from the Faculty of Medicine, Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg, Germany, Bhupesh has recently established a new laboratory at RSU that is dedicated to investigating the role of viral infections in the development of post-viral chronic illnesses and autoimmune diseases, a crucial area of research with significant implications for public health.
