Vinod Bhakuni

Vinod Bhakuni (24 May 1962 – 15 July 2011) was an Indian molecular biophysicist and the head of the Molecular and Structural Biology Division of the Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI). He was the founder of the Protein Chemistry laboratory of CDRI and was known for his contributions to the study of protein folding. A recipient of the National Bioscience Award for Career Development, he was an elected fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Indian National Science Academy and the National Academy of Sciences, India. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 2006, for his contributions to biological sciences.

Biography Vinod Bhakuni was born on 24 May 1962 in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, did his graduate and master's studies at the University of Lucknow and joined Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI) for his doctoral studies under the guidance of C. M. Gupta, a Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar laureate. He was known to have worked deeply on the protein folding pathways and elucidated the folding patterns as well as the role of 8-Anilinonaphthalene-1-sulfonic acid (ANS) in protein refolding. His group at CDRI is credited with the first demonstration of stoichiometry of the cofactor in serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and were the pioneers in deciphering the mechanism of action of hyaluronate lyases (HLs) from Streptococci and bacteriophages. He mentored over 20 scholars in their doctoral researches and held one US patent for his work. His efforts were also reported in founding the protein chemistry laboratory at CDRI. CSIR would again honor him a decade later with the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 2006. and the Uttarakhand State Council for Science and Technology (UCOST) has named an auditorium, Dr. Vinod Bhakuni Memorial Hall, in his honor.

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