August 2018
Our August Ambassador of the is Rushikesh Patil, Post-Doctoral Fellow at theINSPIRE Faculty, supported by Dept. of Science and Technology, Govt. of India. Rushikesh joined the Immunopaedia team this year, and has contributed to the Breaking news page. Thank you Rushikesh for all your hard work
Name: Rushikesh Patil
Position: INSPIRE Faculty, supported by Dept. of Science and Technology, Govt. of India
Research Institute: Advanced Centre for Treatment Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC) – Tata Memorial Centre, Navi Mumbai
Research Interests: Research interest: Tumour immunology, immune dysfunctions in cancer patients, metabolic regulation of immune cells’ function
Recent Publications:
Patil RS, et al., 2017. Immunosuppressive role of γδ T cells in cancer: The other side of the coin. Translational Cancer Research.
Patil RS, et al., 2016. IL17 producing γδ T cells induce angiogenesis and are associated with poor survival in gallbladder cancer patients. International Journal of Cancer.
Patil RS, et al., 2015. The Jekyll and Hyde story of IL17 producing γδT (Tγδ17) cells. Frontiers in Immunology.
Dar AA, Patil RS, et al., 2014. Insights into the relationship between toll like receptors and gamma delta T cells responses. Frontiers in Immunology.
Why do you love immunology: Because Immunology teaches us to fight for right. As the immune system has inherent tendency to battle for providing protection to the host, it gives me motivation and courage to conquer the challenges. The immune system strategically uses arsenal of ammunitions in the form of immune cell subtypes, secreted soluble factors and immune effector mechanisms to protect us from pathogenic invaders. The intelligent nexus of different immune compartments, although complex to understand, regulate the immune response like a coveted military operation. It gives me a thrilling experience to resolve a mystery behind the failure of such a competent system during disease condition.
If I wasn’t an immunologist I would be: Science student!
Tips for young people who want to enter the field of immunology: Welcome to Immunology. It is not a single subject but encompasses many facets of health sciences. It has a potential to revolutionize the medical treatment strategies as we have noticed the success of vaccines in infections and immunotherapy in cancer treatment. First ask yourself whether you like reading immunology articles. Identify the niche you are comfortable with. More you read more you benefit. Discuss with colleagues and seniors about every experiment, exciting or disappointing results, any new article you come across and ask questions. Always fuel your passion but at the same time be open-minded. It is really an exciting field if it interests you.
What being an Immunopaedia Ambassador means to me: It’s a valuable opportunity I got to contribute in the noble cause of education. Being an ambassador I am privileged to access the literature available on Immunopaedia and spread this knowledge to others. Being part of Immunopaedia, encourage me to communicate and be more connected with others working in the field of Immunology. I am glad to contribute to the growth of Immunopaedia.
How I have contributed to Immunopaedia so far: I contributed to Immunopaedia by writing a breaking news article on “Metabolic reprogramming: Novel strategy to improve cancer immunotherapy”. I have promoted the website among my friends and colleagues at our centre. I am also promoting breaking news articles by posting them onto my facebook page. I am preparing multiple choice questions for an article on “T cell mediated autoimmune diseases” available on Immunopaedia. I am planning to contribute further by taking interviews of the eminent immunologist visiting the institute.
You can get in touch with me by: email: rpatil@actrec.gov.in, Researchgate