Dipyaman Ganguly , M.B.B.S, Ph.D., Ph.D.

Principal Scientist & Associate Professor (AcSIR)
Cancer Biology & Inflammatory Disorder
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Research Focus

Ours is a human immunology laboratory. Our research broadly concentrates on role of innate immune axis in the crossroads of sterile and non-sterile inflammatory contexts in humans (Nat Rev Immunol, 2013; Diabetes, 2016; Trends Immunol, 2018; J Immunol, 2019; Front Immunol, 2019; Front Immunol, 2021; Nat Commun, 2021). Dendritic cells (DCs) are the innate immune cells with most of the decision-making responsibilities for an ensuing immune response or tolerance. We try to decipher the governing principles of dendritic cell functions and dysfunctions in different clinical contexts. Our major focus is on a specific subset of dendritic cells called the plasmacytoid dendritic cells (Diabetes, 2016; Trends Immunol, 2018; J Immunol, 2019; Front Immunol, 2019; Immunol, 2021; Obesity, 2023). Our laboratory is also interested in how mechanical cues can modulate immune function in different immune cells, in terms of their migration, activation and other cell biological phenomena (J Immunol, 2018; Crit Rev Immunol, 2020; eLife, 2023). Our research interest in the interface between infections and systemic inflammation has also led to our new-found interest in COVID-19 pathogenesis since 2020 (mBio, 2023; Gut Pathog, 2023; Viruses, 2023; Mayo Clin Proc IQ&O, 2023; JAMA Netw Open, 2022; Comput Biol Med, 2022; Nat Commun, 2022; JAMA Netw Open, 2022; Front Immunol, 2021; eLife, 2021; J Infect Dis, 2021; Front Immunol, 2020). We collaborate with medicinal chemists to develop small molecules that can target different innate immune therapeutic usage (ChemMedChem, 2022; J Med Chem, 2022; Molecules, 2022; J Med Chem, 2021; J Med Chem, 2020; Eur J Med Chem, 2020; J Med Chem, 2019; Eur J Med Chem, 2018; Eur J Med Chem; 2017). We are also inspired by a holobiotic view of the immune system, wherein a multidimensional regulatory model is envisaged to influence systemic immune functions, which include genome, epigenome, microbiome and metabolome.

Research Interest

Innate immune response; dendritic cell biology; autoimmune diseases; metabolic disorders; mechanosensing in immune cells; COVID-19; gut microbiome.

Credentials

  • PhD in Immunology and Biomedical Science, 2010, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA.
  • PhD in Biotechnology, 2006, Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India.
  • MBBS, 2002, Medical College & Hospitals, Calcutta, India.

Honours & Awards

  1. 2019- Merck Young Scientist Award in Life Sciences, from Merck, India.
  2. 2019- CDRI Award for Excellence in Drug Research in Life Sciences, from Central Drug Research Institute, India.
  3. 2017- National Bioscience Award for Career Development, from Dept. Of Biotechnology, Govt. of India
  4. 2017- Swarnajayanti Fellowship in Life Sciences, from Dept. of Science & Technology, Govt. of India.
  5. 2017- NASI Scopus Young Scientist Award in Medicine, from National Academy of Science India and Elsevier.
  6. 2016- Invited to deliver Plenary lecture in the 14th International Symposium on Dendritic cells, Shanghai, China.
  7. 2015- Invited to Overseas Outstanding Young Scholars Forum, Sun Yat-sen University & Zhongshan Medical School, Guangzhou, China.
  8. 2011- Ramanujan Fellowship, Dept. of Science & Technology, Govt. of India.
  9. 2011- Lupus Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship from the S.L.E. Foundation, New York.
  10. 2009- Keystone Symposium Scholarship.
  11. 2007- Vivian L. Smith Outstanding Young Immunologist Award from the Center for Cancer Immunology Research, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.

Grants & Supports

(Selected ones)

  • Indo-Italian Significant Research Project (Collaborator: Roberto Lande, Istuto Superiore di Sanita, Rome), 2022-2025
  • CEFIPRA Indo-French Collaborative Grant (Collaborators: Patrick Blanco & Vanja Sisirak, University of Bordeauex), 2021-2024
  • CSIR Intramural (MLP129), Convalescent Plasma Therapy Trial in COVID-19, 2020
  • Indo-Australian Strategic Fund, with Dr. Arindam Talukdar (Collaborators: Jonathan Bael, Monash University; Malcolm McConville, University of Melbourne), 2017-2021
  • Swarnajayanti Fellowship, from DST, 2017-2022
  • Ramanujan Fellowship, from SERB, 2013-2018

 

Patents & Publications

PUBLICATIONS:

 

  1. Liu CSC, Mandal T, ..Sinha B, Ganguly D*. Piezo1 mechanosensing regulates integrin-dependent chemotactic migration in human T cell. eLife, 2023, in production, doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.08.16.504114v2
  2. Ghosh AR#, Bandopadhyay P#, .. Ganguly D*. Mitochondrial sourcing of interferogenic ligands and an autoantigen in human obesity-associated metaflammation. Obesity. 2023 Jul 26.
  3. Sinha BP, Mehta P, .. Ganguly D*. Deficient phagocytosis in circulating monocytes from patients with COVID-19-associated mucormycosis. mBio, 2023 Jun 27;14(3):e0059023.
  4. Ganguly D*. Multi-omics studies in interpreting the evolving standard model for immune functions (Review). Briefings in Functional Genomics, 2023. Mar 10:elad003.
  5. Raychaudhuri D, .. Ganguly D*. Clinical trial sub-group analyses to investigate clinical and immunological outcomes of convalescent plasma therapy in severe COVID-19. Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovation, Quality & Outcome. 2022 Dec;6(6):511-524.
  6. Das N#, Bandopadhyay P#, Roy S#, .. Ganguly D*, Talukdar A*. Development, Optimization and In-vivo Validation of New Imidazopyridine Chemotype as Dual TLR7/TLR9 Antagonists Through Activity Directed Sequential Incorporation of Relevant Structural Sub-units. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 2022 Sep 8;65(17):11607-11632. 
  7. Ray Y*, .. Ganguly D*. A Phase 2 Single Center Open Label Randomised Control Trial for Convalescent Plasma Therapy in Patients with Severe COVID-19. Nature Communications, 2022, 13(1):383.
  8. Park H, Tarpey T, Liu M, Goldfeld K, Wu Y, Wu D, Li Y, Zhang J, Ganguly D, .., Petkova E*. Development and Validation of a Treatment Benefit Index to Identify Who May Benefit from Convalescent Plasma among Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19. JAMA Network Open. 2022 Jan 4;5(1):e2147375.
  9. Sarif J#, Raychaudhuri D#, D'Rozario R#, Bandopadhyay P#, Singh P#, Mehta P#, .. Ganguly D*. Plasma Gradient of Soluble Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator Receptor Is Linked to Pathogenic Plasma Proteome and Immune Transcriptome and Stratifies Outcomes in Severe COVID-19. Frontiers in Immunology. 2021 Oct 28;12:738093.
  10. Liu B, Huang J, Ashraf A, Rahaman O, Lou J, Wang L, Cai P, Wen J, Anwaar S,  Liu X, Ni H, Ganguly D, Zhao J, Yang CY*. The RNase MCPIP3 promotes skin inflammation by orchestrating myeloid cytokine response. Nature Communications, 2021 Jul 2;12(1):4105.
  11. Naushin S et al. and CSIR Phenome India Cohort Investigators. Insights from a Pan India Sero-Epidemiological survey (Phenome-India Cohort) for SARS-CoV2. eLife 2021;10:e66537.
  12. Kundu B#, Raychaudhuri D#, Mukherjee A#, Sinha BP#, Sarkar D, Bandopadhyay P, Pal S, Das N, Dey D, Ramarao K, Nagireddy K, Ganguly D*, Talukdar A*. Systematic Optimization of Potent and Orally Bioavailable Purine-Scaffold Dual Inhibitor for Toll-Like Receptors 7 and 9. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 2021. Jul 8;64(13):9279-9301.
  13. Talukdar A*, Ganguly D, Roy S, Das N, Sarkar D. Structural Evolution and Translational Potential for Agonists and Antagonists of Endosomal Toll-like Receptors. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 2021 Jun 24;64(12):8010-8041. 
  14. Rahaman O, Ganguly D*. Endocannabinoids in immune regulation and immunopathologies. Immunology. 2021. Oct;164(2):242-252.
  15. Ferriere A, Santa P, Garreau A, Bandopadhyay P, Blanco P, Ganguly D, Sisirak V*. Self-Nucleic Acid Sensing: A Novel Crucial Pathway Involved in Obesity-Mediated Metaflammation and Metabolic Syndrome. Frontiers in Immunology. 2021 Jan 26;11:624256.
  16. Bandopadhyay P#, .. Ganguly D*. Nature and dimensions of the systemic hyper-inflammation and its attenuation by convalescent plasma in severe COVID-19. Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2021. Aug 16;224(4):565-574. 
  17. Mukherjee A#, .. Ganguly D*, Talukdar A*. A chemical switch for transforming a purine agonist for toll-like receptor 7 to a clinically relevant antagonist. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 2020 May 14;63(9):4776-4789. 
  18. Raychaudhuri D, .. Chattopadhyay S, Ganguly D*. Lactate Induces Pro-tumor Reprogramming in Intratumoral Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells. Frontiers in Immunology. 2019 Aug 7;10:1878. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.01878. 
  19. Liu CSC, Ganguly D*. Mechanical Cues for T Cell Activation: Role of Piezo1 Mechanosensors. Critical Reviews in Immunology 2019. Epub. DOI: 10.1615/CritRevImmunol.2019029595 
  20. Rahaman O, ..  Ganguly D*. Cutting Edge: Dysregulated endocannabinoid-rheostat for plasmacytoid dendritic cell activation in a systemic lupus endophenotype. Journal of Immunology, 2019 Mar 15;202(6):1674-1679. 
  21. Liu CSC, .. Ganguly D*. Cutting Edge: Piezo1 mechanosensors optimize human T cell activation. Journal of Immunology, 2018 Feb 15;200(4):1255-1260.
  22. Ganguly D*. Do type I interferons link systemic autoimmunities and metabolic syndrome in a pathogenetic continuum? Trends in Immunology, 2018 Jan;39(1):28-43. 
  23. Nargis T, .. Ganguly D*, Chakrabarti P*. KLK5 induces shedding of DPP4 from circulatory Th17 cells in Type 2 Diabetes. Molecular Metabolism, 2017 Nov;6(11):1529-1539. 
  24. Ghosh AR, .. Ganguly D*. Adipose Recruitment and Activation of Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells Fuel Metaflammation. Diabetes. 2016 Aug 25. 65 (11): 3440-3452.
  25. Meller S, Di Domizio J, Voo KS, Friedrich HC, Chamilos G, Ganguly D, .. Gilliet M*. TH17 cells promote microbial killing and innate immune sensing of DNA via interleukin 26. Nature Immunology. 2015 Sep;16(9):970-9. 
  26. Lande R#, Chamilos G#, Ganguly D#, .. Gilliet M*. Cationic antimicrobial peptides in psoriatic skin cooperate to break innate tolerance to self-DNA. European Journal of Immunology. 2015 Jan;45(1):203-13. doi: 10.1002/eji.201344277.
  27. Sisirak V#, Ganguly D#, .. Reizis B* (#equal contribution). Genetic evidence for the role of plasmacytoid dendritic cells in systemic lupus erythematosus. Journal of Experimental Medicine. 2014. Sep 22;211(10):1969-76. 
  28. Ganguly D, Haak S, Sisirak V, Reizis B*. Role of dendritic cells in autoimmunity. Nature Reviews Immunology. 2013 Aug;13(8):566-77. 
  29. Di Domizio J, Dorta-Estremera S, Gagea M, Ganguly D, .. Cao W*. Nucleic acid-containing amyloid fibrils potently induce type I interferon and stimulate systemic autoimmunity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Sep 4;109(36):14550-5. 
  30. Lande R, Ganguly D, .. Gilliet M*. Neutrophils activate plasmacytoid dendritic cells by releasing self-DNA-peptide complexes in systemic lupus erythematosus. Science Translational Medicine. 2011 Mar 9;3(73):73ra19. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3001180. 
  31. Ganguly D, .. Gilliet M*. Self-RNA-antimicrobial peptide complexes activate human dendritic cells through TLR7 and TLR8. Journal of Experimental Medicine. 2009 Aug 31;206(9):1983-94. doi: 10.1084/jem.20090480. 
  32. Ganguly D, .. Bandyopadhyay S*. Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor drives monocytes to CD14low CD83+ DCSIGN- interleukin-10-producing myeloid cells with differential effects on T-cell subsets. Immunology. 2007 Aug;121(4):499-507. 

 

PATENTS:

  1. Inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase and nitric oxide.
    • US Patent: US-20120190738-A1, granted in 2016.
  2. Blocking toll-like receptor 9 signalling using small molecule antagonists. 
    • US Patent: US-10662177-B2, granted in 2020.
  3. Purine derivatives as toll-like receptor 9 antagonists. 
    • US Patent: US-11168084-B2, granted in 2021.

 

BOOK CHAPTERS: 

  1. Mukhopadhyay S, Dutta D, Ganguly D. Psoriasis and Diabetes: An association likely missed. Book chapter in 'Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis: Pathophysiology and Therapeutic Interventions' 1st edition 2018, Taylor & Francis.
  2. Mukhopadhyay S, Dutta D, Ganguly D. Lipid induced insulin resistance: Molecular Mechanisms and Clinical Implications. Book chapter in ‘Nutritional and Therapeutic Interventions for Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome' 2nd edition 2018, Elsevier.
  3. Talukdar A, Ganguly D. Small Molecule Inhibitors of Toll-like Receptors. Book chapter in ‘Protein–Protein and Protein–Nucleic Acid Interaction Regulators; Drug Discovery Series’ 1st edition 2020, Royal Society of Chemistry.
  4. Ghosh AR, Bandopadhyay P, Ganguly D. Type I Interferons in Metabolic Syndrome. Book chapter in ‘Metabolic Syndrome: From mechanisms to interventions’ 1st edition in press, Elsevier.
  5. Bandopadhyay P, Ganguly D. Dysbiosis of Human Microbiome and Metabolic Diseases. Book Chapter in ‘Human Microbiome in Health and Diseases, Volume A’ 1st edition, Elsevier.
  6. Ganguly D. The endocannabinoid system in the immunobiology of dendritic cells. Book Chapter in ‘Cannabis, Cannabinoids and endocannabinoids’ 1st edition in press, Elsevier.

 

PREPRINTS:

  1. Ray Y*, Paul SR, Bandopadhyay P, D’Rozario R, Sarif J, Lahiri A, Bhowmik D, Vasudevan JS, Maurya R, Kanakan A, Sharma S, Kumar M, Singh P, Roy R, Chaudhury K, Maiti R, Bagchi S, Maiti A, Perwez MM, Mondal A, Tewari A, Mandal S, Roy A, Saha M, Biswas D, Maiti C, Chakraborty S, Sharma Sarkar B, Haldar A, Saha B,  Sengupta S, Pandey R, Chatterjee S, Bhattacharya P, Paul S, Ganguly D*. Clinical and immunological benefits of convalescent plasma therapy in severe COVID-19: insights from a single center open label randomised control trial. medRxiv November 2020. Doi: 10.1101/2020.11.25.20237883 
  2. Bandopadhyay P, D'Rozario R, Lahiri A, Sarif J, Ray Y, Paul SP, Roy R, Maiti R, Chaudhuri K, Bagchi S, Maiti A, Parwez MM, Sharma Sarkar B, Roy D, Chakraborty R, Vasudevan JS, Sharma S, Biswas D, Maiti C, Saha B, Bhattacharya P, Pandey R, Chatterjee S, Paul S*, Ganguly D*. Nature and dimensions of the cytokine storm and its attenuation by convalescent plasma in severe COVID-19. medRxiv September 2020. Doi: 10.1101/2020.09.21.20199109
  3. Raychaudhuri D, Lahiri A, Ray Y, Paul S*, Ganguly D*. Lung epithelial response to SARS-CoV2 and diabetes. Authorea May 2020. Doi: 10.22541/au.159050897.79923734