Short Bio

ACADEMIC BACKGROUND

 Ph.D, University of Hyderabad

 M.Sc, University of Hyderabad 

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

 Protein Biotechnology, Protein Engineering, Molecular Pathogenesis & Preventive measures for diarrhoeal diseases including Instrumentation for Infectious diseases. 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 

1986 – 1990 Scientist, Astra Research Centre, India 

1990 – 1995 Post Doctoral Fellow and a Research Associate at University of Health Sciences, USA 

1995 – 2000 Visiting Faculty, Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University 

2000 – 2007 Assistant Professor, Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University 

2008 – Professor, Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University 

2010 –            Director and Head, Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University 

2002 – 2008   Dy. Director, Centre with Potential for Excellence in Environmental Science 

2008 – Director, Centre with Potential for Excellence in Environmental Science 

2010 – Coordinator, National Hub for Healthcare Instrumentation Development 

PRODUCTS AND PROTOTYPES

  A rapid enzymatic colorimetric kit for detection of Shigella and enteroinvasive E.coli from food and stool samples 

Fluoropath – An immuno biosensor based portable fluorescence meter for bacterial pathogen detection developed under DST’s Instrumentation Development Programme 

Antibiogram Device – Fluorescence Imager based device for determining bacterial sensitivity to commonly prescribed antibiotics.

PATENTS

INTERNATIONAL 

A new method of diagnosis for virulent bacteria: European patent SE/05.04.89/SE 

Inventors: Elango S., Shantha Rajarathnam, Vasanthi Ramachandran, Raman K. Roy, Sankaran K., and Subrahmanyam Y.V.B.K. 

 Novel virulence-specific bacterial DNA sequence: Submitted for European Patent on 5 Aug 1992. 

 Inventors: Sankaran, K., Subrahmanyam Y.V.B.K., Raman K. Roy and Ramachandran V. 

Virulence Associated Shigella Apyrase: Patent No. AU 29617/92, CA 2083764, GB 9224716.2, IE 922841, Se 9203506-2 & SE93/0096. 

Inventors: Ramachandran V., Roy R. K., Sankaran K., and Subrahmanyam Y.V.B.K 

NATIONAL

   Enhancing the sensitivity of γ-Interferon detection in ELISA using bacterial lipid modification Patent Application No. 2569/CHE/2010 Shruthi Hamsanathan and K.Sankaran 

  A Method to detect bacterial growth and antibacterial resistance based on Fluorescence quenching: Patent Application No. 1891/CHE/2010 T. Elavarasan, A. Alagumaruthanayagam and K. Sankaran 

  A method to detect the microbial resistance to antibiotics using fluorescence: Application No: 239/CHE/2009 Sankaran K., Alagumaruthanayagam  A. and Pavankumar A.R.

   A process for lipid modification of peptides using bacterial lipid modification enzyme Lgt: Application No: 3231/CHE/2008 Sankaran K and Tamil Selvan A 

  A process for the isolation of a protein: Patent Application No. 758/MAS/91, Inventors: Elango, S., Shantha Rajarathnam, Vasanthi Ramachandran, Raman K. Roy, Sankaran K., and Subrahmanyam Y.V.B.K. 

 A process for the detection of virulence specific bacterial DNA sequence: Patent Application No. 874/MAS/91 Sankaran K., Subrahmanyam Y.V.B.K., Raman K and Vasanthi Ramachandran.

PUBLICATIONS

  Hamsanathan Shruthi, Prakash Anand, Vadivel Murugan and Krishnan Sankaran.,Twin arginine translocase pathway and fast-folding lipoprotein biosynthesis in E. coli: interesting implications and applications, Molecular BioSystems. Vol 6: 999-1007,2010 

Hamsanathan Shruthi , Mohan Madan Babu, Krishnan Sankaran., TAT-Pathway-Dependent Lipoproteins as a Niche-Based Adaptation in Prokaryotes, Vol 70: 359-370,2010 

 Alagumaruthanayagam A, Pavankumar AR, Vasanthamallika TK, Sankaran K ., Evaluation of solid (disc diffusion)- and liquid (turbidity)-phase antibiogram methods for clinical isolates of diarrheagenic E. coli and correlation with efflux, J Antibiot (Tokyo). 62(7):377-84, 2009 

Sankaran K, Banerjee S, Pavankumar AR, Jesudason M, Reissbrodt R, Williams PH., Apyrase-based colorimetric test for detection of Shigella and enteroinvasive Escherichia coli in stool. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. Mar;63(3):243-50, 2009 

Selvan AT, Sankaran K., Localization and characterization of prolipoprotein diacylglyceryl transferase (Lgt) critical in bacterial lipoprotein biosynthesis. Biochimie. 90 (11-12): 1647-55. 2008 

Suresh Kumar P and Sankaran K, In vitro damage to rat intestine by enteropathogenic E.coli as revealed by release of β-glucosidases, Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research: 66, 640-646, 2007 

Babu MM, Priya ML, Selvan AT, Madera M, Gough J, Aravind L, Sankaran K.., A database of bacterial lipoproteins (DOLOP) with functional assignments to predicted lipoproteins: J Bacteriol; 188: 2761-73. 2006 

 Kamalakkannan, S., Murugan V and Sankaran K, Bacterial lipid modification of proteins and its potential applications, Bioforum Europe – Trends & Techniques in Life Science Research, 9, 44-46, 2005 

Kamalakkannan S, Murugan V, Jagannadham MV, Nagaraj R, dification of proteins for novel protein engineering applications: Protein Eng Des Sel. 17:721-9. 2004

 Paul D. Rick, Kathleen Barr, Sankaran K., Junko Kajimura, Jeffrey S. Rush, and Charles J. Waechter, Evidence that the wzxE gene of Escherichia coli K-12 encodes a protein involved in the transbilayer movement of a trisaccharide-lipid intermediate in the assembly of enterobacterial common antigen J Biol Chem. 278(19):16534-42. 2003. 

N. Sitaram, K. Purna Sai., S.Singh, Sankaran K., R. Nagaraj, Structure-function relationship studies on the frog skin antimicrobial peptide Tigerinin-1: Design of analogs with improved activity and their action on clinical bacterial isolates, Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 46, 2279-83, 2002 

Madan Babu and Sankaran K., DOLOP – Database Of Bacterial Lipoproteins Bioinformatics, 18, 641, 2002 

M. Madan Babu, S. Kamalakkannan, Y.V.B.K. Subrahmanyam M. Sankaran K., Shigella apyrase - a novel variant of bacterial acid phosphatases, FEBS Letters, 512, 8, 2002 

Sunil Kumar S., Sankaran K., Haigh R., Williams P. and Balakrishnan A Cytopathic effects of outer membrane preparations of enteropathogenic E. coli and coexpression of maltoporin with the secretory virulence factor EspB J. Medical Microbiol., 50, 602, 2001 

S.S. Kumar, V. Malladi, Sankaran K., R. Haigh, P.H. Williams and A. Balakrishnan Extrusion of actin-positive strands from HEp-2 and Int-407 cells caused by outermembrane preparations of Enteropathogenic E. coli and specific attachment of wildtype bacteria to the strands. Canadian Journal of Microbiology, 47, 727, 2001 

Ohara M, Wu H.C., Sankaran K., and Rick P.D. Identification and characterization of a new lipoprotein, NlpI, in Escherichia coli, Journal of Bacteriology, 181, 4318, 1999 

Sankaran K., Gan K., Rash B., Qi H., Wu H.C., and Rick P. D. Roles of histidine-103 and tyrosine-235 in the function of the prolipoprotein diacylglyceryl transferase of Escherichia coli Journal of Bacteriology, 179 , 2944, 1997

Shamlal R., Rajarathnam R., Ramachandran R., Sankaran K, Subrahmanyam Y.V.B.K., Nair B.K., Macaden R. and Roy R.K.Detection of virulent Shigella and enteroinvasive Escherichia coli by induction of the 43 kDa invasion plasmid antigen, ipaC FEMS Immunology & microbiology, 17, 73, 1997 

Hai-yan Qi, Sankaran K., Gan K. and Wu H. C., Structure - Function Relationship of Bacterial Prolipoprotein Diacylglyceryl Transferase - Functionally Significant Conserved Regions, Journal of Bacteriology, 177, 6820, 1995 

Gan K., Sankaran K., Williams M. G., Aldea M., Rudd K. E., Kushner S. R., and Wu H. C., The umpA Gene of Escherichia coli Encodes Phosphatidylglycerol: Prolipoprotein Diacylglyceryl Transferase (Lgt) and Regulates Thymidylate Synthase Levels Through Translational Coupling, Journal of Bacteriology, 177, 1879, 1995 

Bhargava T., Datta S., Ramachandran V., Ramakrishnan R., Roy R. K.., Sankaran, K., and Subrahmanyam Y.V.B.K. , Virulent Shigella codes for a soluble apyrase: Identification, characterization and cloning of the gene, Current Science, 68, 293, 1995 (originally accepted in molecular microbiol.), 

Sankaran K. and Wu H. C Lipid Modification of Bacterial Lipoproteins - Transfer of Diacylglyceryl moiety from Phosphatidylglycerol., Journal of Biological Chemistry, 269, 19701, 1994 

Gan K., Gupta S. D., Sankaran K., Schmid M. B., and Wu H. C., Isolation and Characterization of a Temperature-Sensitive Mutant of Salmonella typhimurium Defective in Prolipoprotein Modification Journal of Biological Chemistry, 268, 16544, 1993 

Sankaran,K., RamachandranV., SubrahmanyamY.V.B.K., Rajarathnam S., Elango S., and Roy R.K Congo Red Mediated Regulation of Levels of Shigella flexneri 2a Inner Membrane Proteins, Infection and immunity, 57, 2364, 1989

Sankaran, K., Sivakami S., Radhakrishnan A. N., and Pandit M. W.Studies on the Size and Shape of Rabbit Intestinal Glucoamylase- Maltase Complex, Biochemical Journal, 213, 719, 1983