Member SpotlightsImmunology & Veterinary Microbiology Studies at GADVASU, India Hari Mohan Saxena, Ph.D. 2008 Steering Committee Member & Science Advisory Board Member since 2007.  Hari Saxena (far left) with family. Hari Saxena, Ph.D., is Professor of Immunology and Head of the Veterinary Microbiology Department at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary & Animal Sciences University (GADVASU), India. Saxena received a Bachelor’s in Veterinary Science from Bikaner, a Master’s in Veterinary Pathology from Haryana Agricultural University, and his Ph.D. in Immunology from the University of Nottingham Medical School, UK. He took courses in Immunolgy & Cellular Pathology from the University of Cambridge, UK, and also has a Diploma in Immunology & Infectious Diseases from Tokyo Medical School, Japan. In addition to these, he has obtained specialized training in molecular biology, electron microscopy, flow cytometry and bioinformatics, and attended an International Space Training program specializing in Space Life Sciences organized by the International Space University at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has won a number of awards including most recently, the ISVIB Scientist Award (Gold Medal 2007) of the Indian Society for Veterinary Immunology and Biotechnology (ISVIB) for best published paper in Immunology and a Summer Research Fellowship (2004) of the Indian Academy of Science, Bangalore for conducting research work at the Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow. Saxena is also committed to the transfer of scientific knowledge to developing countries, an area he pursued when acting as Counselor for the Embassy of India where he helped with agreements of technology transfer between India & Russia. This Member Spotlight presents Saxena’s research in academia and his opinions on the promotion of scientific collaboration between different countries. Teaching Responsibilities I teach a course entitled, “Veterinary Immunology and Serology” to undergraduate veterinary students and the following courses to postgraduate students (MVSc, Ph.D.): Molecular Immunology, Immunobiotechnology, Immunobiologicals, Immunity and Disease, Techniques in Immunology and Advances in Immunology. Previously, I taught the following courses: Tumor Immunology, Immunology of Reproduction, Comparative Immunology, and Transplantation Immunology. I have also taught the courses, Advances in Immunoregulation and Advances in Molecular Immunology, to Ph.D. students at the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar. I have guided four postgraduate students in the areas of Tumor Immunology, Immunology of Reproduction, Viral Immunology and Molecular Immunology, respectively. This research work supervised by me has led to the following significant outcomes: 1. Identification of species- and tissue-unrestricted tumor associated antigens in blood plasma of tumor affected animals. 2. Identification of a marker of repeat breeding (non-infectious infertility) in uterine secretions of cattle 3. Significant clues to the identity of the target molecule on chicken B lymphocytes on which the Infectious Bursal Disease Virus binds. Research Interests I am the Principal Investigator of a research project on Infectious Bursal Disease (IBD) of chickens funded by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology of India. The main objective of this project is to find out the identity of the target molecule on chicken B lymphocytes to which the IBD virus binds to cause B cell destruction and immunodeficiency. I am also working on other projects on novel modifications for enhancement of the sensitivity of available immunodiagnostic tests like the agglutination test, complement fixation test, etc. I am also trying to develop a simple and cheap penside serological test for quick identification of different serotypes of the virus causing the Foot and Mouth Disease in domestic animals. Other areas of interest are Cancer Immunology, Transplantation Immunology, Immunology of Reproduction, Immunoregulation, Autoimmunity and Immunodeficiency. I have identified species- and tissue-unrestricted conformation-dependent epitopes on immune complexes in plasma from cancer-affected animals. I have shown for the first time that delayed types of hypersensitivity can be abrogated by calcium inhibitors. I have identified a maker of repeat breeding (infertility) of non-infectious origins in uterine secretions of cattle. Also, the presence of autoantibodies against cytoskeletal proteins in systemic lupus erythematosus was shown for the first time by myself. Career Motivations & Expectations I like to confront challenges in the biomedical and life sciences and enjoy developing ideas and strategies to solve problems related to these fields. I get a thrill from my innovations and discoveries. My aim in life is to contribute something useful to mankind with my knowledge and intellectual capabilities. I have developed many original ideas to address challenging problems like the cure for cancer and AIDS, prevention of rejection of mismatched transplants and transfusions, and control of chronic infectious diseases like tuberculosis, leprosy, etc. and blood protozoan diseases. I try to experiment with my ideas whenever the opportunity arises. My quest for safer and effective immunotherapies started when I was working on immunopathology of bovine horn cancer during my MVSc research at Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, India. My career path has been progressing more or less as I had expected, albeit at a slower pace. However, I would like to reach top positions faster so that I may get enough time for action at the global level. Future Endeavors I aspire to become the Director General of a global scientific organization under the United Nations (like FAO, WHO, UNESCO, etc.). In research, I aim to help cure diseases like cancer, AIDS, autoimmune diseases and to prevent rejection in mismatched transplantation and blood transfusions through my original ideas in Immunology. Other than academia, you also have a strong interest in intergovernmental transfer of scientific technology and knowledge. What were your motivations in serving as Counselor for the Embassy of India, and working with Russia to help facilitate agreements on transfer of intellectual property & future cooperation? I believe that there are many important technologies already available elsewhere which could be of great benefit if applied in India. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Russia has developed many useful technologies, which can be directly implemented in different sectors in India for great profit with low investment. My motivation in facilitating cooperation between the two countries was to serve my country through my scientific knowledge, awareness, understanding and the available opportunities. Being a scientist myself, I could easily understand the importance of new technologies, their spin-offs, and applications in a variety of subjects which a non-scientific bureaucrat or a career diplomat may not be able to do. Furthermore, I used to enjoy learning new subjects totally different from my own profession. I tried to make full use of the rare exposure to the unique technologies and meeting great scientists from top institutes of Russia and India. How would you rate the success of the Indo-Russian collaborations you contributed to? I think I justified my job. I feel satisfied that I put my capabilities to the best possible use by promoting and facilitating scientific cooperation between the two nations. How important do you think it is for transfer of technology / knowledge to developing countries, and do Western countries have an obligation to take the initiative in these efforts? Transfer of technologies / knowledge to developing countries is extremely important to patch up the wide gap of inequalities. Scientific knowledge and technologies accumulated worldwide are the heritage of the entire mankind. It is cruel on the part of those who intentionally deprive the less privileged to reap the benefits of efforts, which were aimed at benefiting everyone in the first place. Ironically, technologies generated from funding by people’s money are patented to prevent the people from using them freely. It is the moral obligation of the developed countries to share the available knowledge and resources with the developing countries. What are your predictions for future technological agreements between India and other countries? India is rapidly emerging as a major consumer of the latest scientific technologies and products developed anywhere in the world. On the other hand, it is striving to transform itself into a knowledge-based economy on the strength of its own scientific and technical manpower ranked among the largest in the world. In this fast changing scenario, neither India nor the developed world can ignore the importance of mutual cooperation between their scientific communities. The potential of cooperation is great in most of the advanced areas in science and technology, e.g., nuclear energy, space exploration, telecommunications, medicine, environment friendly technologies etc. I foresee a very significant presence of Indian scientists in almost every top international scientific establishment of the world in the near future. Life Outside the Lab My hobbies are photography, trekking, paleontology and archaeology, and writing poems in Hindi language. I have trekked in the Himalayas up to an altitude of 19,000 feet. I have discovered several million-year-old fossils of dinosaurs and extinct reptiles at Bikaner in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan, India, and identified bone marrow cells and isolated DNA from a fossilized bone of a dinosaur. If you'd like to comment on this article, or join in discussion on other topics with SAB members, please visit our community forums. Publications 1. H. M. Saxena & Madhu Dikshit (2005) Abrogation of DTH response and mitogen- and alloantigen- induced lymphocyte activation by calcium inhibitors TMB-8 and BAPTA-AM. Immunology Letters 101: 60-64. 2. H. M. Saxena, R. A. Robins & R. W. Baldwin (1989) Carrier presentation: A possible strategy for selective in vivo amplification of specific T lymphocytes. Medical Hypotheses 29(4): 255-259. 3. H. M. Saxena (1994) Autoantibodies reactive to cytoskeleton – associated antigens in serum samples from systemic lupus erythematosus patients. Biomedical Research 5(2): 181-191. 4. H. M. Saxena (1999) Identity of subsequences of some pregnancy - associated proteins with SERPIN signature sites of some serine protease inhibitors and a carcinoma antigen. Current Science 77(5): 101. 5. H. M. Saxena & R. A. Robins (1996) Comparison of Mel-14 homing receptor expression on lymphocytes MLC activated by static or roller method in medium with or without serum or serum – free supplement. Indian J. Comp. Microbiol. Immunol. Infect. Dis. 17(1): 57-66. 6. H. M. Saxena & R. A. Robins (1996) Roller versus plate mixed lymphocyte culturing and lymphocyte MHC-II and IL-2 receptor expression. Indian J. Comp. Microbiol. Immunol. Infect. Dis. 17(1): 67-72. 7. H. M. Saxena (1996) Recognition of putative oncoproteins and cell cycle – associated antigens by autoantibodies in sera from autoimmune human patients – I. Resting cells. Biomedical Research 7(1): 62-73. 8. H. M. Saxena (1996) Recognition of putative oncoproteins and cell cycle – associated antigens by autoantibodies in sera from autoimmune human patients –II. Dividing cells. Biomedical Research 7(1): 74-81. 9. H. M. Saxena (1999) Predictions of immunological cross-reactions of c-terminal peptide of human chorionic gonadotrophin beta chain based contraceptive vaccine with autoantigens. Russian Journal of Immunology 4(2): 152-158. 10. R Chopra & H M Saxena (2008): Detection of species – and tissue - unrestricted conformation – dependent tumor associated antigen(s) in immune complexes from plasma of tumor affected cattle and buffaloes: The Internet Journal of Veterinary Medicine. 4(1): 1-6. 11. H. M. Saxena (2004) Science and Technology for development and peace: The need for an Initiative for Digital Equality for All (IDEA) for conflict prophylaxis. In Conflict Resolution, Peace and Development. N. Prakash and M. L. Dash (eds.) Jain Brothers, New Delhi pp 47-53. ### << Previous Next >> [ View All Member Spotlights ] |
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