Kunwar, A.

Dr. Ambarish Kunwar
Professor

Phone: +(91-22) 2576 7799
E-mail: akunwar [at] iitb.ac.in
Location: Lab No. 204, BSBE Building
Lab web page

Research Interest

Our lab works in the area of biophysics and computational biology.
We use Monte-Carlo Simulations to study

  • Transport and force generation by motor Proteins
  • Microtubule dynamics

We use Molecular Dynamics simulations to study

  • Interaction of potential anti-cancer drugs with microtubules
  • Interaction of microtubule associated proteins (MAPs) with microtubules
  • Effect of pathogenic variation on proteins involved in Endocrine diseases

We also work on development of various robotic and non-robotic disinfection /sterilization devices based on

  • Germicidal UVC radiation
  • Far-UVC radiation
  • Ozone

Academic Background

  • B.Sc. (Honours): Banaras Hindu University, 1999
  • M.Sc. (Physics): Banaras Hindu University, 2001
  • Ph.D.: Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, 2006

Professional Experience

  • Professor: Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, 2022
  • Associate Professor: Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, 2016-2022
  • Assistant Professor : Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, 2012-2016
  • Assistant Professor : Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, 2011-2012
  • Postdoctoral Scholar : Department of Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior, University of California Davis, 2008-2011
  • Postdoctoral Scholar : Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California Irvine, 2006-2008

Awards / Honors

  • Innovative Young Biotechnologist Award for the year 2012 (IYBA 2012), Department of Biotechnology, India
  • Young Faculty Award, IIT Bombay
  • Excellence-in-Research Fellowship, IIT Gandhinagar

Selected Recent Publications

  • Khushnandan Rai, Bajarang Vasant Kumbhar, Dulal Panda and Ambarish Kunwar. Computational study of interactions of anti-cancer drug eribulin with human tubulin isotypes. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 24, 16694 (2022)
  • Saumya Yadav and Ambarish Kunwar. Sliding of motor tails on cargo surface due to drift and diffusion affects their team arrangement and collective transport. Physical Biology. 20 016002 (2022)
  • Saumya Yadav and Ambarish KunwarTemperature-Dependent Activity of Motor Proteins: Energetics and Their Implications for Collective Behavior, Frontiers in cell and developmental biology vol. 9 610899. 26 Feb. 2021, doi:10.3389/fcell.2021.610899
  • Vishwambhar Bhandare, Bajarang Vasant Kumbhar and Ambarish KunwarDifferential binding affinity of tau repeat region R2 with neuronal specific β-tubulin isotypesScientific Reports 9, 10795 (2019)
  • Carlos M. Guardia, Raffaella De Pace, Aritra Sen, Amra Saric, Michal Jarnik, David A. Kolin, Ambarish Kunwar, Juan S. Bonifacino, Reversible association with motor proteins (RAMP): A streptavidin-based method to manipulate organelle positioningPLoS Biology 17(5): e3000279 (2019)
  • Bajarang Vasant Kumbhar, Vishwambhar Bhandare, Dulal Panda and Ambarish KunwarDelineating the Interaction of Combretastatin A-4 with αβ tubulin Isotypes present in Drug Resistant Human Lung Carcinoma using a Molecular Modeling ApproachJournal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics. DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2019.1577174 (2019)
  • Bajarang Vasant Kumbhar, Dulal Panda and Ambarish KunwarInteraction of microtubule depolymerizing agent indanocine with different human αβ tubulin isotypesPLoS ONE 13(3): e0194934 (2018)
  • Anjneya Takshak, Tanushree Roy, Parag Tandaiya and Ambarish KunwarEffect of Fuel Concentration and Force on Collective Transport by a Team of Dynein MotorsProtein Science, Vol. 26, 186–197 (2017) 2015 Journal Impact Factor = 3.039
  • Weili Hong, Anjneya Takshak, Olaolu Osunbayo, Ambarish Kunwar and Michael Vershinin, The Effect of Temperature on Microtubule-Based Transport by Cytoplasmic Dynein and Kinesin-1 MotorsBiophysical Journal, Vol. 111, 1287 (2016)
  • Bajarang Vasant Kumbhar, Anubhaw Borogaon, Dulal Panda and Ambarish KunwarExploring the Origin of Differential Binding Affinities of Human Tubulin Isotypes αβII, αβIII and αβIV for DAMA-colchicine using Homology Modelling, Molecular Docking and Molecular Dynamics SimulationPLoS ONE 11(5): e0156048 (2016)
  • Anjneya Takshak and Ambarish KunwarImportance of anisotropy in detachment rates for force production and cargo transport by a team of motor proteinsProtein Science, Vol. 25, 1075 (2016) 2015 Journal Impact Factor = 3.039
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