Nishith Gupta

Prof. Nishith Gupta is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the Hyderabad Campus of Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani (BITS Pilani). He founded the Intracellular Parasite Education And Research Labs (iPEARL) and the "One-Health Initiative" - Veterinary And Medical Parasite Infection Research Ensemble (VAMPIRE), establishing himself as a leading researcher in parasitology in India.

His educational background includes:

• Dr. Habil. (DSc), Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
• Postdoctoral Fellow, National Jewish Medical Research Center, Denver, USA
• Dr. rer. nat. (PhD), University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
• MSc (Biotechnology), Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
• BSc (Biology), Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Rohilkhand University, Bareilly, India

Prof. Gupta's research focuses on clinically-relevant parasitic protists, particularly Toxoplasma, Plasmodium, and Eimeria. His laboratory employs integrated multi-omics approaches, mechanobiology, and optogenetics to study parasite-host interactions, metabolism, and signaling pathways. His work has revealed critical insights into calcium homeostasis, lipid biogenesis, and metabolic plasticity in intracellular pathogens, identifying potential therapeutic targets for intervention.

Analysis of Prof. Gupta's recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on metabolic pathways in Toxoplasma gondii, particularly carbon metabolism, lipid biogenesis, and signaling mechanisms. His research demonstrates how these parasites adapt to host environments through metabolic crosstalk between organelles, phospholipid synthesis pathways, and specialized transporters - all of which represent promising targets for novel anti-parasitic drugs.

Prof. Gupta's laboratory, iPEARL, operates as a state-of-the-art bioscience facility generously supported by the Wellcome Trust, Department of Biotechnology (India), and BITS-Pilani. The lab is structured into specialized research teams focusing on SIGNALLING SENSORS, LIPID LOVERS, HOST HUNTERS, and METABOLIC MASTERS.

His professional affiliations include:

• Robert Koch Foundation, Germany
• German Society of Parasitology (DGP), Germany
• International Society of Infectious Diseases (ISID)
• American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, USA
• European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID)
• Biochemical Society (FEBS constituent), United Kingdom
• Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (FEBS constituent), Germany

Prof. Gupta is deeply committed to education, public outreach, and the promotion of early-career scholars. iPEARL serves as a hub for training the next generation of parasitologists and contributes significantly to the internationalization of research in India through active global collaborations.