Pratik Shah

Research

RESEARCH INTEREST
Synthetic biology is an emerging field that involves the engineering of biomolecules and the re-design of existing biological molecules. Our research within synthetic biology utilizes the knowledge of biochemistry and molecular biology of DNA and RNA to exploit them as nanoscale building blocks to construct diverse unnatural nucleic acids-based structures. This allows us to use DNA as biomaterial that not only can be engineered to form complex and dynamic structures but can also interact with biological system.

Specific research areas include:

1-DNA nanotechnology: Design, synthesis, characterization, and application of DNA based nanodevices and complex nanostructures for biomedical applications including drug-delivery, bioimaging and biomarker detection.

2- Nucleic acid chemistry: DNA is designed to act as scaffold to form unnatural metal-mediated base pairing. We have identified unnatural nucleic acid chemistry driven by fluorescent silver nanoclusters. Current aim is to gain better understanding of the mutual effect of silver nanoclusters and DNA on the structure-function relationship of both the components.

3-RNA biology: Development of DNA nanotechnology-based approaches for the detection and visualization of RNAs for better understanding of RNA biology and for rapid, inexpensive, easy-to-use, accesible in-vitro diagnostics including in resource-strained environment.

4-Enzymatic synthesis of nucleic acid incorporating non-canonical/modified nucleic acid bases.

EDUCATION
2014 - Ph.D. Synthetic Biology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark 
2010 - M.Sc. Biotechnology, Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom 
2009 - B.Sc. Biotechnology, Wilson College, University of Mumbai, India

 
ACADEMIC AFFILIANTIONS
02/2022 - Present Assistant Professor, Roskilde University, Denmark
07/2017 - 01/2022 Research Professor, Yonsei University, South Korea
09/2015 - 06/2017 Postdoc, University of California Irvine, USA
06/2015 - 09/2015 Visiting Researcher, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
05/2014 - 05/2015 Postdoc, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

RESEARCH FUNDING
1.National Research Foundation Basic Research grant, South Korea
Principal Investigator, US$ 250,000
2.Korea Research Foundation Fellowship, South Korea
Principal Investigator, US$ 350,000

RESEARCH SUPERVISION EXPERIENCE
Supervisor/Co-supervisor of 2 PhD students, 1 postdoc, numerous bachelor and master's theses. 

REVIEWING ACTIVITY
Peer Reviewer for numerous high-profile international journals including Small, Chemical Science, Nucleic Acids Research, Chemical Communications, Nanoscale advances, and Analytical Chemistry, among others.

SELECTED INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
International Conference on Nanomaterials in Biology 2023, European Biological Inorganic Chemistry 2022, Artifical Biology 2022, NanoKorea 2021, 6th Nanotoday conference, European Biological Inorganic Chemistry 12, 3rd Nanotoday conference, Keystone Symposium- RNA Silencing 2014, Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC) Research symposium among others.

TEACHING

General Molecular Biology (Course co-ordinator, Bachelor course)

Cell Biology (Bachelor course)

Biological Chemistry (Bachelor course)

Protein Biochemistry (Masters course)

General Molecular and Medical Biology (Masters course)

Projects in Molecular Biology