Biosciences Tag

We are delighted to announce that Mrs. B. Anusha, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biosciences at Anantapur Campus, has been awarded the 2nd runner-up for the Best Young Scientist Oral Presentation at the prestigious International Conference on Central Nervous System Disorders: From Mechanisms to Medicine (ICCNS-2M-2025). This esteemed event was organized by the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education & Research (NIPER), Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and took place from February 17th to 19th, 2025.

Mrs. Anusha is also currently pursuing her doctoral research under the guidance of Prof. S. Venketesh and the co-guidance of Dr. Sujith Kumar, Department of Biosciences. Her acclaimed paper, titled “Neuroprotective Effects of Withaferin A as a Gsk3β Inhibitor in Huntington Disease,” showcases the innovative research being conducted in our department.

The conference successfully brought together leading scientists, healthcare professionals, and distinguished keynote speakers from around the globe, fostering invaluable discussions and collaborations in the field of brain research. The event also featured insightful panel discussions and plenary talks from distinguished neurologists and scientists worldwide.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Pallab Bhattacharya, Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, NIPER, Ahmedabad, for hosting this significant event and for their continued support of our research initiatives.

Congratulations to Mrs. Anusha for her well-deserved recognition, which reflects the innovative spirit and dedication of our team!

The Department of Biosciences, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (SSSIHL), Anantapur Campus, achieved a remarkable milestone at the National Botany Fest 2025, proudly representing Andhra Pradesh.

Led by Assistant Professor Ms. B. Anusha, a team of six outstanding bioscience students—Apoorva Gurung, Gouri Nandana S, Krishtina Thapa Mangar, Thudumula Jayalakshmi, Taradutta Thatoi, and Yerram Srinidhi—emerged as the overall champions of the prestigious national competition, showcasing exceptional skill, teamwork, and dedication.

About the Event

The National Botany Fest 2025 was organized by the Valley of Flowers Society, Souadtga, Ekta Nagar, in collaboration with the Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Gujarat, from January 19–22, 2025. Themed “Love, Live, Learn from Nature to Conserve Nature,” the fest brought together participants from 31 states and 30 esteemed institutions, celebrating India’s rich biodiversity and emphasizing environmental sustainability.

Competitions and Achievements

With over 15 innovative competitions designed to foster creativity, ecological awareness, and teamwork, the SSSIHL team emerged victorious against participants from across India. Their stellar performance reflected their academic rigor, environmental consciousness, and commitment to sustainability.

Key Competitions

1. Flora Fauna Fusion: A treasure hunt combining puzzles, riddles, and an educational jungle safari.
2. Tent Making: Eco-friendly crafting using sustainable materials collected from the jungle by non-destructive methods.
3. Cactus Trivia: Exploring the world of cacti and succulents.
4. Natural Painting: Crafting artworks using biodegradable materials and natural colors from plants.
5. Jungle Ka Khana Khazana: Cooking challenge using edible wild plants from the jungle.
6. Plant-Animal Interaction: Observing butterfly-plant interactions to understand ecological relationships.
7. Parliament of the Jungle: Debates on environmental issues and conservation.
8. Vanaspatishodh (Phytohunt): Discovering plant diversity along specific routes.
9. Test the Senses: A multi-sensory botanical experience engaging all five senses.
10. Bird Niche and Tree Habitat: Observing bird-plant relationships in natural habitats.
11. Audio Visual: Identifying plants from songs and videos.
12. Cultural Program: Celebrating India’s cultural heritage through performances inspired by nature.
13. Innovation and Nature: Designing solutions inspired by nature without harming natural resources.
14. Arts, Crafts, and Fashion Design: Crafting outfits using natural materials from the forest.
15. Shri Yantra Nakshatra Krida: Knowledge-testing program on plants related to Shri Yantra and Nakshatra.

The event was inaugurated by eminent personalities, including Dr. Ashiho A. Mao, Director of the Botanical Survey of India, and Prof. Bhushan Patwardhan, National Research Professor, who highlighted the importance of biodiversity and experiential learning.

At the valedictory ceremony, Dr. A.P. Singh, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, commended the efforts of Dr. Padmanabhi S. Nagar, the organizing secretary, for fostering environmental awareness among the youth.

SSSIHL’s triumph at the National Botany Fest 2025 reaffirms its dedication to academic excellence, ecological innovation, and environmental responsibility. As a center of integral education, the institute continues to inspire students to blend learning with service, shaping a sustainable and harmonious future.

The Department of Biosciences at Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (SSSIHL), in collaboration with the Institution’s Innovation Council, successfully celebrated International Microorganisms Day on 16 & 17 September 2024 at Prasanthi Nilayam. The two-day event featured a hands-on workshop, a prestigious memorial lecture, and an engaging exhibition.

Day 1 focused on a workshop in microbial handling and biosafety, teaching participants key microbiological techniques like media preparation, bacterial streaking, Gram staining, and antibiotic testing. A special session on microbial art allowed students to design bacterial cultures creatively. The workshop saw an active participation of 65 enthusiastic students from Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School, Smt. Eswaramma High School, and Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Whitefield, enriching their technical skills and practical knowledge.

Day 2 included the Dr. K. Gopinatha Rao Memorial Lecture by Prof. V. Nagaraja who discussed the challenges of drug-resistant tuberculosis followed by a talk from Prof. D. Narasimha Rao on the human microbiome. The day concluded with the exhibition “Into the Microbial World,” featuring posters and live demonstrations of microbial cultures and innovative microbial technologies like Microbial Fuel Cells.

The event successfully fostered an appreciation for microbes’ roles in health, environment, and research, inspiring future exploration in microbiology.

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Watch Recording: Dr. K. Gopinatha Rao Memorial Lecture

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Our original short video entry by the Wastewater Analysis Treatment and Energy Recovery (WATER) Lab, Department of Biosciences, has been featured in the Science in Shorts video library on the Nature Portfolio YouTube channel. This entry, part of the ‘Science in Shorts 2024 competition’ organized by Springer Nature, highlights the innovative research conducted by our team.

The video, titled ‘Our DREAM – Measuring Bacterial Electron Transfer,’ showcases the indigenously developed Dye Reduction-based Electron-transfer Activity Monitoring (DREAM) assay. It stands out among the 82 entries shortlisted from a total of 250 submissions worldwide. The video was created by Ph.D. students Mr. Shakthi Thangavel and Mr. Sahashransu Satyajeet Mahapatra, under the supervision of Dr. A. S. Vishwanathan, Assistant Professor, Department of Biosciences. The team dedicated their work to our Founder Chancellor, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

The Science in Shorts competition, organized by Springer Nature in partnership with Merck, invited active researchers to submit one-minute videos that presented their research in an informative, engaging, and entertaining manner.

SSSIHL congratulates the team from WATER Lab for their outstanding achievement and for showcasing their excellent work on a global stage.

Identifying the Issue

• In silico technique to replace or assist and reduce the cumbersome experimental techniques in protein engineering.
• In silico validation using mutations with known functional implications in homologs.

Objective of the Research

• To use in silico techniques as a replacement for experimental techniques for protein engineering.
• To validate the findings using experimentally verified mutations with known functional implications from homologous proteins.

Who should read this?

It is helpful for all the experimentalists who are interested in protein engineering and understanding the role of single nucleotide polymorphisms from genomic studies after high throughput analysis.

Solution

Protein engineering by directed evolution is time-consuming. Hence, in silico techniques using software for ∆∆G calculation, and predicting propensity for aggregation, amyloid formation, and chaperone binding are employed to design proteins. We employed these techniques to engineer BDNF-NTF3 interactions. The effect of different mutations was screened for their favourable, unfavourable, and lack of effect in the BDNF NTF3 system. The unfavourable mutants showed fewer hydrophobic interactions and higher hydrogen bonds compared to the wild-type or other mutants with similar solvent-accessible surface area, suggesting solvent-mediated disruption of hydrogen-bonded interactions.

The predictions in the BDNF system were validated using mutations with known functional effects in the NGF system where similar results were obtained. The results suggest that mutations with known effects in homologous proteins could help validation, and in silico-directed evolution, experiments could be a viable alternative to or for arriving at informed decisions or as a supplement to the experimental technique used for protein engineering.

Key Features and Benefits

• High throughput data generation for informed decisions to aid protein engineering.
• Validation from the experimentally available data using in silico
• The method can help to understand the effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms from the genomic data.

Impact

• This workflow helps to make informed decisions before performing or helping replace experiments.
• This workflow will help to reduce the cumbersome experiments required in protein engineering.
• The method can help to understand the effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms from the genomic data.
• Validation from the experimentally available data using in silico methods/techniques.

Team

• V.M. Datta Darshan, Department of Biosciences, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning
• Venketesh Sivaramakrishnan, Department of Biosciences, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning
• Subbarao Kanchi, Department of Physics, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning
• Natarajan Arumugam, Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud University
• Abdulrahman I. Almansour, Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud University

Title of paper: “In silico energetic and molecular dynamic simulations studies demonstrate potential effect of the point mutations with implications for protein engineering in BDNF”

Read Paper Here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.132247

The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning’s Centre for Excellence in Mathematical Biology (CEMB) is excited to announce its Popular Talk Series – I in Mathematical Biology, from June 2024 to January 2025 in an online format.

In this series, domain experts from prestigious institutions will explore topics such as Mathematical Ecology & Epidemiology, AI/ML in Healthcare, Bioinformatics, and more. Scheduled for the first Friday of each month, the talks will be held from 3 pm to 4 pm IST.

Aligned with CEMB’s dedication to enhancing the nation’s capacity in Infectious Disease Modeling and Mathematical Biology, these talks are part of a broader initiative that includes conferences, workshops, and training programs.

SSSIHL CEMB is committed to harnessing mathematical innovation for societal benefit, focusing on providing cutting-edge solutions for public well-being. By leveraging mathematical modeling and analysis, the center aims to produce practical solutions that significantly impact society, translating scientific knowledge into tangible applications for the betterment of humanity.

Dr. Darshan Gera will coordinate the talk series from the Department of Mathematics & Computer Science and Dr. K. N. Naresh from the Department of Biosciences, SSSIHL.

Download Flyer

Last date for Registrations: 5 June 2024

Register Here  https://forms.gle/5XUsyAVMDgTFfkFY7

Speaker Details:

7 June 2024 – Dr. Mohit Kumar Jolly
5 July 2024 – Dr. Ananth Vedururu Srinivas
2 Aug 2024 – Dr. Jai Prakash Tripathi
6 Sep 2024 – Dr. B S R V Prasad
4 Oct 2024 – Dr. Bapan Ghosh
15 Nov 2024 – Dr. Bishal Chhetri

The spirit of scientific inquiry and innovation once again found its vibrant expression at the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (SSSIHL) during the celebration of National Science Day 2024 (NSD – 2024). This year’s festivities marked a collaborative effort between SSSIHL, Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School, Smt Eswaramma High School, Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vahini, and Nexus Consulting, culminating in a memorable event held at the Prasanthi Nilayam campus.

Engaging Competitions:

From December 2023 to February 2024, a series of engaging competitions were organized, catering to the curious minds of students from Class 8 to Class 12 across India. The competitions spanned diverse fields including Essay Writing, Painting, Science Quiz, and Modeling. These competitions not only provided a platform for showcasing talent but also fostered a spirit of healthy competition and camaraderie among participants. With over 250 registrations from various corners of the country, the event witnessed a rich tapestry of intellect and creativity.

Grand Finale:

These competitions culminated on February 27th and 28th, 2024, at the Prasanthi Nilayam Campus. The air was electric with anticipation as participants showcased their prowess in their respective domains. The finalists, hailing from different regions, brought forth a diverse array of perspectives and ideas, enriching the atmosphere with their enthusiasm and passion for science.

Felicitation Ceremony:

On the auspicious occasion of February 28th, the winners were accorded due recognition and honor during the Valedictory Ceremony. The event was graced by the esteemed presence of the Honorable Vice-Chancellor Prof. B Raghavendra Prasad, Campus Director Dr. R Raghunatha Sarma, and Dean of Academic Affairs Prof. R Gowrishankar. Their presence not only added prestige to the occasion but also served as an inspiration to the budding scientists and innovators present.

Encouraging Excellence:

The felicitation ceremony served as a fitting tribute to the indomitable spirit of scientific inquiry and excellence. The winners, through their outstanding performances, demonstrated the transformative power of curiosity and dedication. Their achievements underscored the importance of fostering a conducive environment that nurtures and encourages scientific temper and innovation.

A Glimpse into the Future:

As the curtains drew to a close on the festivities of NSD – 2024, they left behind a legacy of inspiration and aspiration. The event served as a beacon of hope, illuminating the path for future generations to tread upon. It reinforced the belief that science, with its boundless possibilities, holds the key to addressing the myriad challenges facing humanity and charting a course toward a brighter, more sustainable future.

In conclusion, the celebration of National Science Day 2024 at SSSIHL is a testament to the institution’s unwavering commitment to fostering a culture of scientific inquiry, innovation, and excellence. It is a celebration not just of past achievements but also of the limitless potential that lies ahead, waiting to be unlocked through the relentless pursuit of knowledge and truth.

A detailed report with photographs is enclosed here.

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NSD 2024 – Quiz Finals https://www.youtube.com/live/wyDMk0U1zvo?si=mv4eRKy7N7ri0WuX

NSD 2024 – Valedictory Ceremony https://www.youtube.com/live/GOuJ5x-3QNE?si=H0aYW4AqWkiTwfoC

Press Release (16 Dec 2023) https://www.sssihl.edu.in/sri-sathya-sai-institute-of-higher-learning-hosts-inspiring-science-modeling-exhibition-as-part-of-national-science-day-2024-celebrations/