We are new group focusing on different aspects of infectious intracellular protozoan pathogens using Leishmania, Toxoplasma and Plasmodium as model system. My research has always focused on different immunological and cellular aspects of parasite biology, that enables these intracellular pathogens to survive within the hostile host enviornment. My scholarship has rendered around theories and methods of protozoan parasitic diseases with applications to clinical importance. We have contributed significantly in the field of drug resistance leishmaniasis one of the major emerging problem for India with new cases reported every year. For a better understanding of protozoan mediated infectious disease I started working on Plasmodium and Toxoplasma causative agents of Malaria & Toxoplasmosis as an EMBO-Post-doctoral fellow. My post-doctoral scholarship primarily articulate in successfully characterized key factors involved in establishing successful infection and dissemination of apicomplexan parasites into or out of the host. During this peroid I also managed a collaborative project with industrial partner UCB Pharma S.A and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) to design biochemical assays for therapeutic development.
My research interest is interdisciplinary in nature, and our lab want to explore the possibility to establish a potent CRISPR-Cas9 based genome editing techniques in protozoan biology, which in turn could be implemented in characterization of key components of disease pathogenesis & intra/inter species-transmission of these intracellular pathogens. Another focus of the lab would be to develop biochemical assays for activity-based protein profiling to study parasite biology with a particular view of developing them with potential translational value for pharma industries. This should also serve as the base to challenge the existing problem of drug resistance and absence of vaccine, and help in designing of novel drug targets against these pathogens which currently is affecting a huge part of population each year.

Visit Us at: https://molecularparasitol.wixsite.com/idi-lab

All Publications

HLA polymorphisms shape divergent outcomes of Toxoplasma and Plasmodium infection in Eastern Indian HbE/ -thalassemia cohort by Bhattacharya S., Rahaman . , Suman . , Rout . K., Mondal . , Purwar, S. , Dhingra B. , Shukla P. C., Mukherjee G. , Gupta M. , Adhya D. G., Bhattacharyya . K., Dolai T. K., Chakravorty N. , Mukherjee B. Communications Biology - (2026)
Characterisation of antimony-resistant Leishmania donovani isolates: biochemical and biophysical studies and interaction with host cells by Mukhopadhyay R., Mukherjee S. , Mukherjee B. , Naskar K. , Mondal D. , Decuypere S. , Ostyn B. , Prajapati V. , Sundar S. , Dujardin J. , Roy S. Int J Parasitol 41(13-14) 1311-1321 (2011)
Coupling DNA intercalation with redox catalysis: selective killing mechanism of glioblastoma by daidzin by Banerjee S., Paul S. , Majumder R. , Manna D. , Mondal S. , Dhar D. , Karmakar S. , Das Sharma J. , Das A. , Pradeep N. D., Das S. , Mukherjee B. , Anup A. , Mandal M. Nucleic Acids Research 54 - (2026)
FibroPrep protocol for rapid enzyme-free isolation of primary dermal fibroblasts from adult mouse skin for biological assays by Chakraborty S., Pradhan S., Srinivasan D., Mukherjee B. STAR Protocols 7 - (2026)
Oxidative Stress-driven Enhanced Iron Production and Scavenging through Ferroportin Reorientation Worsens Anemia in Antimony-resistant Leishmania Donovani Infection by Ghosh S., Chigicherla K. V., Dasgupta S. , Goto Y. , Mukherjee B. PLoS Pathogens 21 1-36 (2025)
Scrutinized lipid utilization disrupts Amphotericin-B responsiveness in clinical isolates of Leishmania donovani by Pradhan S., Dhar D. , Manna D. , Chakraborty S. , Bhattacharyya A. , Chauhan K. , Mukherjee R. , Sen A. , Pandey K. , Das S. , Mukherjee B. Elife - (2025)
Deciphering the intricate dynamics of inflammasome regulation in visceral and post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis: A meta-analysis of consistencies by Bhattacharya S., Chakraborty S., Manna D., Thakur P., Chakravorty N., Mukherjee B. Acta Tropica 257 - (2024)
Leishmania protein KMP-11 modulates cholesterol transport and membrane fluidity to facilitate host cell invasion by Sannigrahi A., Ghosh S., Pradhan S., Jana P., Jawed J.J., Majumdar S., Roy S., Karmakar S., Mukherjee B., Chattopadhyay K. EMBO Reports 25 5561-5598 (2024)
Linking membrane fluidity with defective antigen presentation in leishmaniasis by Pradhan S., Ghosh S., Hussain S., Paul J., Mukherjee B. Parasite Immunology - (2021)
A multi-stage antimalarial targets the plasmepsins IX and X essential for invasion and egress by Pino P., Caldelari R. , Mukherjee B. , Vahokoski J. , Klages N. , Maco B. , Collins C. ., Blackman M. J., Kursula I. , Heussler V. , Brochet M. , Soldati-favre D. Science 358(6362) 522-528 (2017)

Completed Projects

Principal Investigator

EMBO GlN Grant European Molecular Biology Organization- EMBO
Exploring selective lipid trafficking, tethering and transfer mechanism in providing fitness gain to drug resistant clinical isolates of Leishmania donovani DBT, NEW DELHI
Investigating a possible role of higher iron acquisition with rapid emergence of drug resistance in clinical isolates of Leishmania donovani Scheme for Transformational and Advanced Research in Sciences (STARS), Ministry of Education (MoE)
Unravelling differential metabolic regulation in drug-resistant and sensitive clinical Leishmania donovani (LD) isolates as possible cause of altered immune metabolic phenotype in infected host INDIAN COUNCIL OF MEDICAL RESEARCH (ICMR)

Co-Principal Investigator

Epigenetic Regulation of HbF: Mechanistic Dissection of lncRNA - PRC Interactions in Beta -Thalassemia BRNS, DAE, MUMBAI
Exploring the Complex Influence of TGFbeta-1 on EMT Transition, Angiogenesis, Therapy Resistance and Microenvironment in Cervical Cancer INDIAN COUNCIL OF MEDICAL RESEARCH (ICMR)
Harnessing the Drug Repurposing potential of LipoNor (Liposomal Norclomipramine) as a promising anti-leishmanial INDIAN COUNCIL OF MEDICAL RESEARCH (ICMR)
Institute Small Animal House IIT KHARAGPUR

Alumni members