Kaushik Laboratory

Azad K. Kaushik

Associate Professor of Immunology,

Molec. & Cell. Biol., SCIE 4248, University of Guelph,

Guelph Ontario N1G 2W1 Canada

Phone: +1 (519) 824 4120 Extension 54389

Email: akaushik@uoguelph.ca

Expertise:

Immunology: Autoimmunity and Systemic Autoimmune Disease, Clinical Veterinary Immunology/Immunodiagnostics, Molecular Immunogenetics, Protective Immunity, Genomics, Proteomics, Immunoinformatics, Antibody Engineering (single chain Fv) and Transgenesis, Vaccinology and Therapy, Idiotypy. (Curriculum vitae)

Research Interests:

Antibody Genetics, Antibody Engineering and Transgenesis, Autoimmunity and Systemic Autoimmune Disease, Clinical Veterinary Immunology

I was intrigued by the mechanisms of immunity, especially generation of diversity (GOD), that protect and are tolerant to self at the same time. The loss of tolerance, however, leads to development of autoimmune disease occasionally. While in France, United States and Switzerland, our research on construction and regulation of immune system in health and disease demonstrated that same genetic elements of the immune system, earlier identified by us, that defended host against harmful substances or agents also generated pathogenic autoantibodies responsible for many autoimmune diseases. Our laboratory also demonstrated that B-cell selection during development influences generation of pathogenic autoantibodies. Studies of the construction of immune system across species led us to examine the bovine immune system that has limited germline diversity, but this species employs alternate strategies, for example, exceptionally long CDR3H, for antibody diversification. Our research focuses on basic and functional aspects of antibody engineering, e.g., construction of single chain Fv (scFv) relevant to immunodiagnosis and therapy. Other studies involve autoimmunity and clinical veterinary immunology.

Education:

B.V.Sc. (Honours) Haryana Ag. University, Veterinary Medicine, 1976

M.V.Sc. Haryana Ag. University, Immunology, 1978

D.Sc. (Tres Honorable) Pasteur Institute (Universite Paris VII), 1987

Advanced Studies:

•‘Phage Display Technology’, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York, USA (1997)

•‘Bioinformatics’, Lawrence National Laboratory, Berkley, USA (2004)

•‘Gene transfer Technology’ (Mouse Developmental genetics), Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, USA (2004)

Honors: Indo-French Research Scholar (1983-86)

Medical Scholar, French Medical Research Foundation, Paris, France (1986-87)

Lupus Fellow, The SLE Foundation, New York, USA (1988)

The Esther Z. Greenberg Honors Chair in Biomedical Research and Visiting Professor, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, USA (1998)