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Dr. Vibha Gupta
Professor
vibha.gupta@jiit.ac.in
Biography

Vibha Gupta joined the Department of Biotechnology, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology as an Assistant Professor in June 2011. Vibha’s doctoral dissertation was conducted under the joint direction of Dr. Dinakar M. Salunke at National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi and Dr. Lode Wyns at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium. She carried out her master’s studies in Molecular Biology at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium and is a recipient of European Economic Community (EEC) fellowship. Her PhD focused on investigating the structure of Ribonuclease A from rat pancreases using X-ray crystallography, molecular biology, and computational approaches. She has extensive research experience, gained by working in reputable organizations both abroad and in India. Before joining JIIT, she was at the University of Delhi South Campus, where she determined the 3D structures of essential proteins from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Vibha has publications in high-impact international journals and has attended several national and international conferences
 

Vibha is a structural biologist with expertise in the field of macromolecular X-ray crystallography and interdisciplinary areas of protein chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, biophysics and bioinformatics. She is dedicated to facilitating and proliferate research that enhances the understanding of biomacromolecules. At JIIT, she has initiated research efforts for early-stage rational drug discovery for novel antimicrobial agent(s) with the help of DBT and ICMR funding, wherein structure-function information of a drug target from pathogenic bacteria and viruses paves the way for the development of new therapeutics.
 

Research Highlights

Structural Biologist by training, Vibha’s research interest involves deciphering the structure-function of a biological molecule in a cell with a broader intent of understanding how a cell functions as a living unit, respond to external cues, communicate with other cells, and contribute to the virulence processes in pathogenic systems. The most common ailments faced by an Indian family are: Enteric & Diarrheal infections, Pneumonia, Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, Typhoid, Malaria, worm infections etc. Antibiotics resistance has been observed in almost all the pathogens and hence the need for new antibacterial compounds cannot be overemphasized. It is important to keep the pipeline on new antimicrobials flowing by ensuring a continuous supply of leads and validated novel targets. Vibha’s research efforts are focused towards early-stage rational drug discovery for a novel anti-infective(s).  Research techniques employed to unravel the molecular structure and functional mechanism of a target protein of interest are recombinant DNA technology, protein purification, X-ray crystallography, biochemistry, binding affinity studies, bioinformatics tools including molecular dynamic simulations. My current focus is:

  • To determine structure and function of Serine Acetyl Transferase (also known as CysE) from P. aeruginosa, M. tuberculosis, A. baumannii and C. perfringens for rational drug design.
     
  • To develop molecular level understanding of importance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis ICLs for lipid utilization 
     
  • Early-stage rational drug discovery for inhibiting (i) biofilm formation by ESKAPE pathogens as well as (ii) class A β-lactamases for tackling antimicrobial resistance 
     
  • Reverse pharmacology and multi-target approach for designing of novel therapeutics for commonly prevalent human SARS-CoV-2 variants in India.
     
Areas Of Interest
  • Structural Biology
  • Genetic Engineering
  • Rational drug design
Projects
  • Reverse pharmacology and multi-target approach for designing of novel therapeutics and candidates for Covid-19. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Grant value: Rs. 42.98 lakhs, PI: Vibha Gupta (JIIT); co-PI: Punit Kaur (AIIMS); co-PI: Jyoti Sharma (Institute of Bioinformatics); 2022-24
     
  • Development of computational framework for COVID-19 multi-omics data analysis. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Grant value: Rs. 28.3 lakhs, PI: Jyoti Sharma (Institute of Bioinformatics); co-PI: Vibha Gupta (JIIT) 2022-24
     
  • Targeting biofilm formation by inhibiting Cysteine biosynthesis pathway enzymes in ESKAPE pathogens with natural products. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Grant value: ~Rs. 42.3 lakhs, co-PI: Vibha Gupta. 2020-2023
     
  • Development of inhibitors to target glyoxylate and methyl citrate cycles essential for persistence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Govt. of India. Grant value: ~Rs 32 lakhs, PI: Vibha Gupta (2015-2018)
     
  • Nanoparticles based amperometric biosensor for detection of thyroid dysfunctioning. Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India. Grant value: Rs. 37.3 lakhs, PI: Sudha Srivastava; co-PI:  Vibha Gupta (2014-2017).
     
  • Structural Biology of CysE from pathogenic organisms – Potential for rational drug design. Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Govt. of India. Grant value: Rs. 44 lakhs, PI: Vibha Gupta; co-PI: Dr Punit Kaur (AIIMS) (2013-2017).
     
  • “Structure, function and inhibition of isocitrate lyases of Mycobacterium tuberculosis” DST INSPIRE scheme. Grant value: ~Rs 21.9 lakhs (till date), PhD scholar: Ms. Monika; Supervisor: Vibha Gupta (2016-2021)
     
  • “Crystallization of Cysteine Synthase A from Klebsiella pneumoniae” International mobility MOBLILEX scholarship to Mr. Shubham Semwal (student of 5th year Integrated dual degree Biotechnology program) under joint supervision with Dr. Julie Bouckaert (Université de Lille, France); Grant value: ~650€/month; (Feb-July 2020)
     
  • “Rational structure-based development of potent inhibitors targeting mycobacterial cysteine biosynthetic pathway: in-silico and experimental drug design against M. tuberculosis CysE” under DST WoS-A scheme. Grant value: ~Rs 15.95 lakhs, PI: Ms. Sunita Gupta; Mentor: Vibha Gupta (2015-2019)