Ranchi: The Department of Bioengineering and Biotechnology at Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra has secured a coveted Core Research Grant (CRG) from the Anusandhan National Research Foundation to undertake cutting-edge research in plant science and crop protection.
The funded project focuses on decoding the complex molecular interaction between wheat and Puccinia triticina, the pathogen responsible for leaf rust disease. Titled “Unraveling the Roles of Wheat and Puccinia triticina microRNAs Through Dual RNA Sequencing During Leaf Rust Infection and Characterization of microRNA-Encoded Peptides Associated in the Process”, the study aims to open new pathways for disease-resistant wheat varieties.
The research is led by Prof. Kunal Mukhopadhyay as Principal Investigator, with Prof. Manish Kumar as Co-Principal Investigator, and research scholar Rishav Kumar Das playing a key role in the project execution.
As part of the Scientific Social Responsibility (SSR) component of the ANRF initiative, the Molecular Biology Laboratory at BIT Mesra also organized a one-day hands-on workshop titled “Computational Interaction of Biomolecules”. The programme was designed to enhance conceptual clarity and provide practical exposure to computational tools increasingly vital to modern life sciences.
The highlight of the workshop was an expert lecture by Dr. Shubhra Ghosh Dastidar, Professor of Biological Sciences and Coordinator of the Bioinformatics Centre at Bose Institute, who spoke on “Molecular Dynamics Simulations in Biotechnology and Drug Design: Principles and Applications”.
The event saw enthusiastic participation from students and research scholars, underlining the growing importance of bioinformatics and computational biology in addressing complex biological and agricultural challenges.
