Main research interest

My research interest focusses broadly on establishing the communication pattern between cyanobacteria and its co-existing epibiont. Another major research interest of our group is to screen and isolate quorum sensing inhibitory molecules/anti-virulence compound from cyanobacteria.

Scientific expertise

Bioassay guided fractionation HPLC-HRMS/MS techniques for small molecules identification, compound purification, screening methods for antimicrobial, quorum sensing inhibitory and anti-virulence activity. Biosensor and TLC based screening for quorum sensing molecules. 

Description of the academic carrier

• 201–now     Senior scientist/Post doctorate at laboratory of Algal Biotechnology, Center Algatech, Institute of Microbiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic
• 2013–2016   Postdoctoral fellow at the Leon H Carney School of Marine Sciences, Department of Marine biology, University of Haifa, Israel. Advisor: Dr. Laura Steindler.
• 2011–2013   Postdoctoral fellow at CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology Center for Marine Microbiology, RNAM, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese academy of Sciences (CAS), Guangzhou, China. Advisor: Prf. Dr. Changsheng Zhang.

Education

• 5’ 2011  Ph.D. in Marine natural product at the Biomolecules and Genetics Division, VIT University, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India. Advisor: Dr. Krishnan Kannabiran
• 5’ 2006  M.Phil. in Microbiology at Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India
• 5' 2005  M.Sc. in Microbiology at Al-Ameen college, Bangalore University, Bangalore, India

Most important research projects

• 2019–2021 Junior Czech Science Foundation Project GAČR (19-17868Y, 2019-2021) – Co-existence of quorum sensing and quorum sensing inhibition in cyanobacteria: Chemical warfare or cooperation? – Principal investigator (PI)
• 2018–2020 H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual fellowship, CZ.02.2.69/0.0/0.0/18_070/00104932018-2020, Role of cyanobacterial lipopeptides in the development of alveld disease – Individual fellowship
• 2019–2020 Mobility Plus AVCR (Czech CAS-NSFC China) 2019-2021- Quorum quenching compounds from sponge-associated actinobacteria – Co-Investigator (PI)
• 2013–2016 Post doctorate excellence, VATAT fellowship by Council of Higher Education, for a post-doctoral position in the Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
• 2015 Awarded fellowship for visiting lab of Prf. Valeria Costantino, Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Napoli, Italy for a duration of two months.
• 2011–2013 Awarded as first-class China postdoctoral fellowship by China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2011M500133), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Guangzhou, China.

The most important poster presentations (4 in total)

• Britstein M, Saurav K, Costantino V, Burgsdorf I, Venturi V and Laura Steindler. New insights on AHL-Quorum Sensing in Polymicrobial Symbiotic Communities Associated to Sponges. The Israel Society for Microbiology: Annual Meeting 2014. Haifa.
• Kumar Saurav, Rinat Bar-Shalom, Markus Haber and Laura Steindler. Bacterial Biodiversity Associated With Mediterranean And Red Sea Sponges And Their Potential For Anti Virulence Therapy. The Israel Society for Microbiology: Annual Meeting 2015. Bar Ilan University, Israel.
• Pratibha Sanjeban, Kumar Saurav, Krishnan Kannabiran. Biosorption of Mercury and Lead by aqueous solution of Streptomyces sp. VITSVK9 isolated from marine sediments of Bay of Bengal coast of Puducherry, India.  Asian Congress on Biotechnology 2011 held on May 11-15, 2011 in Shanghai, China.

The most important conference talks(4 in total)

• Kumar Saurav, Rinat Bar-Shalom and Laura Steindler. Quorum Sensing and its inhibitor coexistence in Mediterranean and Red sea sponges and their potential for anti-virulence therapy. International Summer School of natural products held on 9th July to 13th July 2015. Naples, Italy.
• Vadim Dubinsky, Ilia Burgsdorf, Kumar Saurav, Elad Rachmilovitz, Eddie Fadeev, Daniel Sher and Laura Steindler. Photoheterophy in a mesoscale anticyclonic eddy in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The 11th annual conference of the Israeli association of aquatic Sciences (IAAS), 2014 held on 22th of May in Jaffo, Israel. 
• Kumar Saurav, Krishnan Kannabiran. Antagonistic activity of marine actinomycetes against drug resistant Aspergillus sp. isolated from immunocompromised patients. 15th international symposium on biology of actinomycetes, (20th-25th August ‘09) Shanghai, China.
• Kumar Saurav, Krishnan Kannabiran. Bioactivity guided extraction of 5-(2, 4-dimethylbenzyl) pyrrolidin-2-one from marine Streptomyces VITSVK5 spp. and its anti-Aspergillus activity against drug resistant clinical isolates. Asian Congress on Biotechnology 2011 held on May 11-15, 2011 in Shanghai, China.

Key current international cooperation

• Prof. Krishnan Kannabiran (Biomolecules and Genetics Division, VIT University, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India)
• Dr. Laura Steindler (Leon H Carney School of Marine Sciences, Department of Marine biology, University of Haifa, Israel)
• Prof. Changsheng Zhang (CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology Center for Marine Microbiology, RNAM, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese academy of Sciences (CAS), Guangzhou, China)
• Prof. Valeria Costantino (Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Napoli, Italy)

Teaching and Tutoring

• 2017–now Teaching cum research assistantship. VIT University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic (Lecture on Natural bioactive compounds)

Ongoing student supervision

• Macho M. Study of cyanobacterial secondary metabolites anticancer effects using rat isogenic WB Neo/Ras cells. Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia – PhD supervisor
• Saha S. Love, betrayal and metabolism between cyanobacteria and it's epibiont - a metagenomic approach– Ph.D. thesis – Post Doc supervisor

Prices and awards

• 2016 Awarded by the Czech Academy of Sciences by Oto Wichterle medal for young scientists

Non-scientific skills and other activities

During my pass time apart from work I love playing cricket and badminton. I also love cooking.