Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology

Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology

Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology

Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology

Professor (Dr.) Tapas Kumar Bandyopadhyay

Head of the Department

The Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology was initiated in 2003. The department has played a pivotal role in the formation of several successful students who are presently engaged in research at several institutions of national and international reputations. The academic environment and close association between the students, researchers, staffs and the faculty members has been the key to this success.

Programmes offered

Sl. No. Programme Duration Intake capacity Admission criteria
1 M. Sc. in Molecular Biology & Biotechnology 2 years 33

80%: B. Sc. in Molecular Biology & Biotechnology honours.

20%: Students having B.Sc. with honours in any branch of Life Sciences and Chemistry are eligible for admission. Candidates must have Chemistry or Biochemistry either as honours or general paper in undergraduate course and papers on Chemistry (and/or Biochemistry).

2 PhD in Molecular Biology & Biotechnology 5 years 20

Students having M. Sc. in Chemistry and any branches of Life Sciences are eligible for admission to Ph.D. programme. NET and GATE qualified Candidates are preferred. Candidates who have qualified KURET are also eligible to enroll in Ph.D. programme.

Faculty Profile(Alphabetical Order)

Tapas Kumar Bandyopadhyay
Tapas Kumar Bandyopadhyay Click here for details

Department Details

  • Development of commercially applicable in vitro propagation protocols for florist crops, medicinally important plants, timber & fiber yielding plants and molecular anatomical characterization of regenerants.
  • Development of abiotic stress resistant plants and vernalization insensitive mutants through in vitro mutagenesis and genetic transformation
  • Studies on regulation of utrophin expression with a focus on development of strategy to upregulate it in the muscle cells. Utrophin has therapeutic importance as it can functionally compensate dystrophin whose deficiency results Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), the most frequent genetic disorder worldwide.
  • Understanding the specialized gene regulatory mechanisms and stress tolerance strategies those are adapted by pathogenic microorganisms during utilization of specialized sugars and environmental insults at the time of establishment in the host niche. To understand these molecular circuitries, both eukaryoticand prokaryotic pathogens namely Candida albicansand Vibrio cholerae are employed.
  • The understanding of fundamental cellular processes like Endosomal traffiking and vesicular dynamics at TransGolgiNetwork (TGN) in the model fungal pathogen, Candida albicans.
  • Studies on microbial enzymes of potential industrial importance. Large-scale production of these biomolecules utilizing agro-industrial wastes.

The department has already developed a facility for research in Molecular Biology, Plant, Fungal and Animal tissue cultures. The laboratory is equipped with Small Volume spectrophotometer, Thermal Cycler, -20oC and -80oC Refrigerator, Luminometer, Sequencing Gel Electrophoresis System, Horizontal Gel Electrophoresis, Transilluminator, Gel Dryer, Centrifuges, 2D Gel Electrophoresis, UV Crosslinker, CO2 Incubator, BOD Incubator with Shaker, Laminar Air Flow and Biosafety Cabinet, Inverted and Upright Microscopes, GM Counter, RT-PCR, ChemiDoc, Isoelectric Focusing Electrophoresis, Gel Dryer, Sonicator, GM Counter, Fraction Collector, Ultra-Filtration Unit,  Greenhouse etc.

Ongoing:

  1. Evaluation of in vitro propagated mutant lines of Limonium ‘Misty Blue’ on saline soil 
    Funding Agency: Higher Education, Science & Technology and Biotechnology (Govt. of West Bengal)
    PI: Dr. T. K. Bandyopadhyay
  1. Title: Dissecting the molecular mechanism of N-acetylglucosamine utilization in Candida albicans for a targeted drug therapy”
    Funding Agency: WBHEST (Govt. of West Bengal)
    PI: Dr. Swagata Ghosh
    Amount: Rs. 19,99,600/-
  1. CRISPR-Cas9 mediated editing of the utrophin-A 5’UTR for its translational upregulation in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. (Funding: Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy India Chapter; Rs. 40.82 Lakh; 1/9/2021- )

 

Completed:

  1. Investigation of agro-residues for the production of cellobiose dehydrogenase using Termitomyces clypeatus. 17.04.2013 – 16.04.2015, 5.4 lakhs, UGC-BSR Start-Up-Grant for Newly Recruited Faculty: PI: Tanima Saha
  2. Isolation, characterization and use of agriculturally important zinc solubilizing microbes from arsenic contaminated rice cultivating zones of Nadia. 27.01.2015 – 26.1.2016, 3.256 lakhs, NASI, DST [Scientist Mentor: Tanima Saha to PI Ms. Rinku Debnath]
  3. A study of nutraceutical properties and anti-microbial activity of some pigmented Indian Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Landraces. 24/06/2019 – 23.06.2021, 8.80 lakhs, ICMR-SRF [Mentor: Tanima Saha to PI Mr. Priyabrata Roy]
  4. Title: Development of vernalization insensitive mutants of Limonium sinensis through in vitro induced mutagenesis and molecular studies of mutants. Funding agency: DAE/BRNS PI: Dr. T. K. Bandyopadhyay
  5. Entrepreneurship development for utilizing rural flora for preparation of value added products using dehydration technique in three districts of West Bengal. Funding agency: DST/WOSB Supervisor: Dr. T. K. Bandyopadhyay
  6. Biochemical Fingerprinting and potentiation of novel bioactive phenolics and acemannan of Aloe veral L. gel with high UV opacity. Funding agency: UGC DSK PDF Supervisor: Dr. T. K. Bandyopadhyay
  7.           7. Title: Genome-wide protein DNA binding dynamics and protein interaction studies to  understand sugar specific responses of  a transcription in the model prokaryotic pathogen Vibrio cholerae Funding agency: DST-SERB PI: Dr. Swagata Ghosh Amount: Rs. 54,99,566/-
  8. Investigation on translational regulation through secondary structural elements in utrophin-A 5’UTR. (Funding: SERB; Rs. 34.934 Lakh, 5/3/2018-4.3.2021)
  9. Investigation on variation in 5’UTR of utrophin-A transcripts in mouse
    myoblast C2C12 cells. (Funding: SERB; Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of West Bengal, Rs. 26.332 Lakh, 23.8.16 to 31.3.2021)
  10. Identification and Characterization of Utrophin-A Internal Ribosome Entry Site (IRES) Interacting proteins . (Funding; DBT, Govt. of India, Rs. 38. 3, 28.6.2021 to 27.6.2014)
  11. Molecular Characterization of Utrophin-A IRES. (Funding: DST, Govt. of India, Rs. 16.71 Lakh, 7.09.2009 to 30.12.2012)

Details of assistance/recognition under SAP, COSIST (ASSIST)/DST, FIST, and other programmes:

  1. WBDST FIST Sponsored Department (WBDST FIST/ Memo No. 10 (Sanc.)/ST/P/S&T/Misc.-9/14 dt.04.05.17. Amount Rs. 11 lacs.)
  2. WB DBT BOOST Program (2017-18) sponsored Department (1088/BT (Estt)/1P-17/2018, dated 24.10.2019. Sanctioned Amount Rs 65 Lacs, Coordinator- Prof. Tapas Kumar Bandyopadhyay)
  1. Full Time: Number: 14
  2. Part Time: Number: Nil
  1. Details of Training on Dehydration Technology of Flowers and Floral Crafts Organised by Dr. Supria Roy, under DST WOSB Program & Prof. T. K. Bandyopadhyay, Superviser, Department of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology
Batch No Venue No            of

participants

Period of training
1st Batch Molecular Biology                      and Biotechnology Department, university of Kalyani 14(Tribal Women) 7th June-10th June 2018
2nd Batch Kalyani Mahavidyalaya, Kalyani 86 students 4th July-9th July 2018
3rd Batch Swami Vivekananda Institute of Modern Science, Sonarpur,24

Pgs(S)

76 students 26thSeptember-28th September 2018
4th Batch Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Department,

university                        of Kalyani

10(Tribal Women) 10th October-13th October, 2018
5th Batch KVK,               Ramsai, Jalpaiguri 24 tribal women and girls and 6

boys

26th        February-              27th February, 2019
6th Batch KVK, Gayespur, Nadia 16 women 26th March, 2019
7th Batch KVK,

Sonamukhi, Bankura.

41 women 27th March
8th Batch NGO MARAMI,

Santipur

25    Women and Men 20th May to 22nd May, 2019
9th Batch SN

Greenovation, Kolkata

10 girls and women 21st December, 2019
  1. “Certificate Course on Dry Flower Processing and Floral Crafts” in blended mode for the session 2021-22 (27rd November,2021 to 13thFebruary, 2022) organized by the Department of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, University of Kalyani, Kalyani-741235 under RUSA Component 10 (Entrepreneurship & Carrier Hub) under the supervision of Prof. Tapas Kumar Bandyopadhyay.
  2. The project entitled “Development of Banana Tissue Culture Technology for Dissemination among the Entrepreneurs” under RUSA Component 10 (Entrepreneurship & Carrier Hub) is implementing by the Department of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, University of Kalyani, Kalyani-741235 under the supervision of Prof. Tapas Kumar Bandyopadhyay.

Title of the Project: In vitro mutagenesis of Limonium Misty Blue to develop novel red color flower.

Sanction order: UGC-DAE-CSR-KC/CRS/19/RB-08/1043/1065 dated 10.05.2019

Collaboration with: UGC-DAE, Kolkata.