GROUP LEADER

Qualifications

  • BSc Physiology, Presidency College, University of Calcutta, India
  • MSc Biotechnology, Madurai Kamaraj University, India
  • PhD Medical Genetics, Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, UK
  • Postdoctoral Research Associate, Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, UK
  • Postdoctoral Associate, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

Selected achievements

  • Rajiv Gandhi Science Talent Research Fellow (2000)
  • Gates Cambridge Scholarship (2002)
  • Junior Research Fellowship at Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge (2007-2010)
  • Former Fellow distinction at Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge (2010-Life)
  • Biochemical Society Early Career Research Award (2012)
  • Birmingham Fellowship (2014)
  • Identified mTOR-independent autophagy modulators and pathways for therapeutic intervention in human diseases
Dr Sovan Sarkar is a Birmingham Fellow (equivalent to Assistant Professor) at the University of Birmingham, and holds the distinction of Former Fellow for life at Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge. He studies the biological process of autophagy, which is an intracellular degradation pathway essential for cellular survival. Utilizing human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and disease-specific human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) to establish human cellular platforms, his lab works on the regulation and therapeutic application of autophagy in relation to human physiology and diseases. He aims to develop a pipeline originating from basic biology to drug discovery, and potentially translate the findings for biomedical applications. He has made several contributions in the field of autophagy including the identification of mTOR-independent signalling pathways and small molecules modulating autophagy. These findings not only provided mechanistic insights into the cell biology of this process, but also generated potential therapeutic candidates for diverse human diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases where upregulating autophagy acts as a protective pathway. His work also involves the fundamental regulation of autophagy in physiologically-relevant hESCs, and its deregulation in disease-relevant cell-types differentiated from hiPSC models. He has co-authored more than 50 scientific publications, which have collectively received over 15000 citations (Google Scholar), and have generated a number of patents and research features. He is also involved in scientific engagements with institutions in India as part of the University of Birmingham India Institute.

Affiliations

Associations

PRESENT LAB MEMBERS

Malgorzata Zatyka received her PhD from the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics at Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, previously worked at the University of Birmingham. She is currently a senior postdoctoral scientist studying the mechanisms of defective autophagy underlying rare, childhood-onset neurodegenerative disorders using mammalian cell lines and human induced pluripotent stem cell-based neuronal models.
Dewi Astuti received her PhD from the University of Wales (Swansea). She previously worked at the University of Indonesia (Jakarta) and University of Birmingham, and is currently a postdoctoral scientist. Her work involves establishing chemical screening platforms using human pluripotent stem cell-based platforms.
Congxin Sun received her BSc in Pharmacology and MSc in Drug Design from University College London in UK. She is interested in the application of human pluripotent stem cell based platforms for understanding disease mechanisms and drug discovery. Her PhD work involves establishing chemical screening platforms and studying the homeostatic role of autophagy in human neurons.
Miriam Korsgen received her BSc in Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine from the University of Notthingham in UK, where she received the best student award in her graduating class. She is currently a PhD student, having received the BBSRC and University of Birmingham funded MIBTP PhD studentship. She is working on the regulation and metabolic functions of autophagy using human embryonic stem cell-based platforms.
Gamze Kocak is a PhD student at Dokuz Eylul University in Izmir, Turkey. She is currently a visiting PhD student funded by TUBITAK Fellowship from the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey. Using human pluripotent stem cell models, she is studying the role of autophagy in the generation of organoids, and the mechanisms and consequences of defective autophagy in neurodegenerative diseases.
Georgina Wynne Hughes is currently doing MSc by Research at the University of Birmingham where she also completed her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Science. She is investigating the mechanisms and consequences of autophagic and mitochondrial defects in a rare, early-onset neurodegenerative disorder using human neuronal and induced pluripotent stem cell models.
Yi (Doris) Yau is in her final undergraduate year of Biomedical Science degree course at the University of Birmingham. She is working on the mechsnisms of autophagy defect in a rare early-onset neurodegenerative disorder using human neuroblastoma cell models.
Bethan Wiseman is in her final undergraduate year of Biomedical Science degree course at the University of Birmingham. She is working towards establishing screening platforms for autophagy regulators using human pluripotent stem cell models.

PAST LAB MEMBERS

COLLABORATORS

LAB GROUP PHOTOS