New investigator: Prasanta Kumar Dash, PhD
Prasanta Kumar Dash, PhD |
This profile is part of a series to highlight the researchers who will be honored at a ceremony for UNMC's 2020 Scientist Laureate, Distinguished Scientist and New Investigator Award recipients.
- Name: Prasanta Kumar Dash, PhD
- Title: Assistant professor, UNMC Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, College of Medicine
- Joined UNMC: Fall 2008
- Hometown: Nayagarh, Odisha, India
New Investigator Award
New Investigator Awards go to outstanding UNMC scientists who in the past two years have secured their first funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense or other national sources. New investigators also had to demonstrate scholarly activity such as publishing their research and/or presenting their findings at national conventions.
Research focus:
- HIV elimination
The goal of my research is:
- To target HIV latent reservoirs (such as lymphoid, myeloid, peripheral and central nervous system) using multimodal approach for its complete elimination.
- To develop ultrasensitive methods to detect infectious HIV from different body compartments for HIV cure validation.
- To evaluate the genomic variability of rebound viruses that escape our treatment paradigm.
My research will make a difference because:
More than a year ago, we were the first group in the world to show HIV-1 elimination from a subset (30%) of infected animals using a combinatorial treatment approach. Our next aim is to improve the targeting strategy that can reach most of the reservoir compartments where the virus resides, recognize and excise it. Our ultimate goal is to find a cure for HIV-infected people.
The best advice I've ever been given is:
- Put your best effort in what you do, but don't expect the outcome.
- Stay grounded in spite of whatever you achieve.
- Aim high but stay happy and be grateful to God for every abundance in your life.
Three things you may not know about me:
- I am very close to my family.
- I am a foodie.
- I was awarded Melinda and Bill Gates Foundation International Fellowship in 2007 while studying in India.
