Cover Legend: Gopal Kundu; a Member of the Editorial Academy of the International Journal of Oncology
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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 58: MAY, 2021 Cover legend: Gopal Kundu; a member of The Editorial Academy of The International Journal of Oncology the area of research specific to disease known as ‘Coronary Artery Restenosis after angioplasty’ and published a study on this topic (Potential roles of osteopontin and avb3 integrin in the development of coronary artery restenosis after angioplasty. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 94: 9308‑9313,1997). In addition, he filed a US patent along with his team on ‘Methods and compositions for treatment of restenosis. US Patent No. US 6,458,590 B1' in 2002 and received a Fellows Award for Research Excellence (FARE) for best research from NIH, USA in 1997. Professor Kundu subsequently returned to India in 1998 and Professor Gopal C. Kundu, was born into a very poor family acquired the position of Scientist‑D (equivalent to Assistant in a remote village of West Bengal, India. He completed his Professor) at the National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS), Pune, undergraduate (1977‑1980) and postgraduate (1980‑1983) India under the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government studies in Chemistry at the University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India of India. He was then promoted to Scientist‑E, Scientist‑F and and then obtained his Ph.D. degree in Chemistry from Bose then Scientist‑G (equivalent to Professor). He spent his valuable Institute (Sir J. C. Bose), Kolkata, India in 1989. time at NCCS, Pune, India from 1998 to 2019 and his area of Professor Kundu undertook his post‑doctoral research at research at NCCS was in the area of Tumor biology, cancer stem the Department of Heart and Hypertension (now known as the cells, tumor‑stromal interaction, angiogenesis, cancer Department of Molecular Cardiology), The Cleveland Clinic therapeutics, biomarker development and nanomedicine. During Foundation, Cleveland, USA and the Department of Chemistry this period, Professor Kundu made tremendous progress in and Biochemistry, The University of Colorado, Boulder, understanding tumor heterogeneity in the tumor Colorado, USA in the area of cardiovascular research from microenvironment, particularly in different subtypes of breast 1988 to 1992. He moved to the Department of Molecular cancer, and developed nanomedicines for the targeted therapy of Biology, The University of Wyoming, Laramie, USA and breast cancer. Moreover, Professor Kundu has deciphered the worked on structure‑functional studies of G‑Protein coupled molecular mechanisms through which osteopontin (OPN), a receptors (hCG and LH‑receptors) and their function in chemokine‑like ECM‑associated protein and its associated genes reproductive biology using genetic engineering approaches regulate the metastatic potential of breast and other types of from 1992 to 1993. Professor Kundu then moved to The cancer. He has dissected the mechanism through which OPN National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA promotes tumor‑stromal interaction that leads to tumorigenesis and worked in the area of anti‑inflammatory, immunomodulatory and may act as novel therapeutic target for OPN‑based anticancer and renal glomerular diseases from 1993 to 1998. During this therapy. Thus, targeting OPN and its regulatory signaling period, he published a study together with his team in network may be a novel strategy with which to block tumor (Zhang et al: Severe fibronectin‑deposit renal glomerular growth and angiogenesis, and may lead to the development of an disease in mice lacking uteroglobin. Science: 276, 1408‑1412, effective therapeutic strategy for the management of cancer. In 1997) and another study (Zheng et al: Uteroglobin is essential another study, he delineated the mechanisms through which in preventing immunoglobulin A nephropathy in mice. Nat hypoxia, which generates ROS, regulates the crosstalk between Med 5: 1018‑1025, 1999). Moreover, he was also involved in Syk and Lck (non‑receptor protein tyrosine kinase) leading to INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 58: MAY, 2021 breast cancer progression and angiogenesis. In another study, USA in 2012, Platinum Jubillee Award Lecture, 99th Indian Professor Kundu reported that class 3A Semaphorin (Sema 3A) Science Congress Association, 2012 and 7th National Grassroot suppressed the tumor growth and angiogenesis in melanoma and Innovation Award, Rashtrapati Bhaban (The House of President breast cancer models and further demonstrated that Sema 3A of India), New Delhi, India in 2013 and the Shri R.J. Kinariwala along with sulforaphane (SFN) suppressed the growth of these Research Award for Life Time Research Achievement in Cancer types of cancer. He has recently demonstrated that the Research form Gujarat Cancer Research Institute (GCRI), India, Notch1‑MAPK signaling axis regulates CD133+ cancer stem 2020. cell‑mediated melanoma growth and lung metastasis and Professor Kundu is a Fellow of the National Academy of andrographolide, a druggable molecule suppresses CD133+ Sciences and Indian Academy of Sciences. He has published 100 cancer stem cell‑mediated lung metastasis. studies in international journals including Nature Medicine, During this time, Professor Kundu has published a series of Science, PNAS (USA), Cancer Research, J. of Invest. studies in the Journal of Biological Chemistry (276: 44926‑44935, Dermatology, J. of Biol. Chem, Trends in Cell Biol., Oncogene, 2001; 278: 6209‑6221, 2003a; 278: 14487‑14497, 2003b; 278: Nanomedicine (London), Molecular Cancer, Nanoscale, 24233‑24241, 2003c; 278: 28593‑28606, 2003d; 278: Carcinogenesis, EMBO Reports, BMC Cancer etc and one US 52598‑52612, 2003e; 279: 9733‑9742, 2004a; 279: 11051‑11064, patent and filed four Indian Patients. 2004b; 279: 38921‑38935, 2004c; 281: 11322‑11331, 2006; 290: Professor Kundu serves as an Associate Editor of Molecular 3936‑3949, 2015). Moreover, he and his team have also published Cancer (IF 15.3). Moreover, he is an Editorial Academy Member a review article (Osteopontin: Role in cell signaling and cancer of International Journal of Oncology, Editorial Board Member of progression. Trends Cell Biol 16: 79‑87, 2006) with a citation Current Molecular Medicine, Molecular Medicine Reports, number of 707 (as of 15th Sept, 2020). Based on these and many Current Chemical Biology, Senior Editor of American Journal of other high impact publications, Professor Kundu has received Cancer Research and Associate Editor of Journal of Cancer two prestigious National awards; i.e., the National Bioscience Metastasis and Treatment (JCMT). He is also serving as Adjunct Award from Department of Biotechnology, Government of India Visiting Professor at Curtin University, Perth, Australia. in 2003 and the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (SSB) Prize from the Professor Kundu also serves as Dean, Acting Director and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Govt. of Director (i/c) at the National Centre for Cell Science, Pune, India India in 2004. The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize is the highest from 2018‑2019. Currently, Professor Kundu is Director, R&D honor and prize in Science by Govt. of India. of KIIT Deemed to be University (KIIT DU), Institute of Furthermore, Professor Kundu and his team have published a Eminence, Bhubaneswar, India. Professor Kundu has been given series of studies in Cancer Research (66: 6638‑6648, 2006; 68: additional charge as Professor of Biotechnology, School of 152‑161, 2008a; 68: 7750‑7759, 2008b; 70: 10381‑10391, 2010), Biotechnology (KIIT DU) and Professor of Medicine and Oncogene (33: 2053‑2064, 2014a; 33: 2295‑2306, 2014b; 34: Molecular Research, Kalinga Institute of Medical Science 1584‑1595, 2015; 35: 4937‑4948, 2016), Molecular Cancer (9: (KIMS), KIIT DU, Bhubaneswar, India. His affiliation and 101, 2010a; 9: 178, 2010b; 16: 7, 2017; 17: 34, 2018), EMBO profile link is https://biotech.kiit.ac.in/faculties/Gopal‑C‑Kundu. Reports 18: 2030‑2050, 2017), and the Journal of Investigative html. Dermatology (136: 2462‑2474, 2016). Based on these high‑quality cancer research‑related publications and citations etc., Professor Kundu is considered one of the very top‑grade and leading cancer researchers in India. His total citations are 7,141 with an h‑index of 46 and i10 index of 83 (google scholar) as of 15th September, 2020. Professor Kundu has received the International Journal of Oncology Award for his outstanding achievement in Oncology from Greece in 2007, the International Young Investigator Award, Mayo Clinic, .