Deepak Shukla

Deepak Shukla
File:Dshukla.jpg
Born	Varanasi, India
Nationality	USA
Alma mater	BHU, Varanasi, India.
Known for	Herpesvirus Entry Receptor, Virus Host Interactions, Herpes Simplex Keratitis
Awards	American Herpes Foundation - Award for Excellence in meritorious Herpesvirus Research(2001), Lew Wasserman Merit Award from Research to Prevent Blindness INC.(2009)
Scientific career
Fields	Herpes Virologist
Institutions	University of Illinois at Chicago.

Deepak Shukla is a world-known herpes virus researcher. His most famous work was the discovery of a herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) entry receptor (Shukla et al., 1999, Cell). This receptor called 3-O sulfated heparan sulfate is expressed by virtually all known cell types that the virus normally infects.

Deepak Shukla, (born in India) is an American molecular virologist with expertise in herpesviruses. He was awarded the American Herpes Foundation award for excellence in meritorious herpesvirus research in 2001 for his discovery of a receptor for herpes simplex virus type-1(HSV-1) entry receptor. This receptor called 3-O sulfated heparan sulfate is expressed by all natural target cells for the virus. His work on HSV-1 and its effect on eye diseases (keratitis, retinitis) was most recently recognized by the Research to Prevent Blindness Inc., which awarded him the prestigious Lew Wasserman Merit Award in 2009. He became a naturalized citizen of the US in 2007. He currently lives in Chicago, Illinois serving as the director of the ocular virology laboratory of the University of Illinois at Chicago. He has authored over 50 internationally recognized papers on herpesviruses and how they interact with their human hosts.

Early life and Education

Shukla was born in Varanasi, (Sir Sunderlal Hospital of Banaras Hindu University). Varanasi (Banaras) is considered one of the most ancient living cultural and religious cities of India and possibly the world. He was studied at Kendriya Vidyalaya, BHU and then obtained his bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from BHU. He also obtained a master’s degree in Biochemistry before joining UIC for a PhD degree in Microbiology and Immunology. 1996 he was awarded his PhD. He received his postdoctoral training with Dr. Patricia Spear (a member of the national academy of Sciences, USA) at Northwestern University in Chicago. In 2001 he joined UIC, as an assistant professor of virology. He is jointly employed by the UIC department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences and Microbiology & Immunology. Currently he serves as an associate professor of virology and the director of the Ocular Virology Laboratory of UIC.

Family

Shukla married Arunima Dixit in Chicago in 1992. They have three children: Navika, Shivali and Sajal. Shukla’s father, Ram Chandra Shukla, is a well-known artist from India. His mother, Kala Rani Shukla and father have seven children, Rekha, Pradeep, Dileep, Prakash, Rachana, Anand. Deepak is the youngest of the seven siblings. They all, accept Deepak Shukla, live in India.

Shukla’s work & International Awards

Shukla has been directly associated with the discoveries of HSV-1 entry receptors. Besides 3-O sulfated heparan sulfate, he also cloned and characterized the receptors for HSV-1 infection in mouse. His more recent works include identifaction of a phagocytosis-like pathway for HSV-1 entry into ocular cells and significance of heparan sulfate as a regulator of cell-to-cell fusion. He also discovered viral surfing in herpesviruses. Based on his scientific discoveries he has been recognized by various research and merit awards from the American Herpes Foundation (2001), Illinois Society to Prevent Blindness (2004), The Glaucoma Foundation (2007) and Research to Prevent Blindness Inc. He is most famous for the discovery for of HSV-1 entry receptors and establishing a link between the receptors and HSV-1 induced ocular disease such as keratitis and retinitis. He has authored over 50 internationally recognized papers on herpesviruses and two book chapters.

External Links

Deepak Shukla