Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra

Assistant Professor

Dr. Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra graduated with a BTech in Biotechnology in 2012 from Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) University, Vellore, Tamil Nadu. Subsequently, in 2014 he obtained his Master’s degree in Molecular Biosciences with a major in Cancer Biology and PhD degree in 2019 in the field of Cancer Metabolomics, both from Germany’s prestigious Ruprecht-Karls-Universität, Heidelberg. He carried out his post-doctoral work at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany. He has extensively worked in the field of molecular and metabolic signaling in cancer with a special focus on amino acid metabolism in brain tumors. Dr. Mohapatra is currently studying metabolic signaling in Head and Neck cancers, infection and inflammatory diseases. His specific focus area is on hypoxic and cytokine mediated regulation of tryptophan metabolism and its resultant immunomodulatory effects effects carried out through the activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR). He is also involved in bioinformatics and machine learning based development of activators/inhibitors of metabolic enzymes for effective cancer theranostics. He is currently establishing the new KIIT-KIMS Translational Research Bridge laboratory and also acts as a liaison between KSBT and KIMS to facilitate basic and translational research at both institutions.

Profile Links

Email :
[email protected]
Scopus Id :
ORCID ID: 0000-0002-4350-6410
Google Scholar :
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=1elDJPUAAAAJ&hl=en

Social Links

Educational Qualification
PhD (Ruprecht-Karls-Universität, Heidelberg, Germany)

Administrative Responsibility
  • Establish and head the new KIIT-KIMS Translational Research Bridge laboratory
  • Scientific liaison between School of Biotechnology and School of Medicine, KIIT University.


Awards & Honours
  1. Subject Matter Expert for Grant Applications submitted to National Science Center, Poland.
  2. Recipient of €1500 as travel grant from Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, Germany for travel to Hikone, Shiga Prefecture, Japan to attend the ISTRY 2018 conference.
  3. Recipient of German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) training grant 2018 for travel to University of Cambridge, United Kingdom; for attending Cancer and Metabolism Conference, 2018.
  4. Recipient of Helmholtz International Graduate School (HIGS) Travel Grant 2016 for travel to attend a course on brain tumors at Karolinska Institute, Stockholm.
  5. Recipient of Helmholtz International Graduate School (HIGS) for Cancer Research Fellowship 2015, awarded by the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg.
  6. Recipient of Summer Research Fellowship (SRF), 2011 instituted by Indian Academy of Sciences (IAS), Bangalore.
  7. Merit Scholarship for the Year 2008-09 for being among the top entrants into VIT University, Vellore.


Outreach Activity
Patents:
  1. AHR signature marker set. Mohapatra SR, Opitz CA, Somarribas-Patterson LF, Sadik A, Trump S, Schäuble S, Faessler E. International Patent Publication Number: WO2020201825A3
  2. Interleukin-4-induced gene 1 (IL4I1) as a biomarker and uses thereof. Mohapatra SR, Opitz CA, Somarribas-Patterson LF, Sadik A, Trump S, Prentzell MT, Secker PF. International Patent Publication Number: WO2020208190A1

Journals/Conferences :
1. Mohapatra SR, Sadik A, Sharma S, Poschet G, Gegner H, Lanz TV, Lucarelli P, Klingmṻller U, Platten M, Heiland I, Opitz CA. Hypoxia routes tryptophan homeostasis towards increased tryptamine production, Frontiers in Immunology. 2021, Vol. 12, 590532.
2. Sadik A*, Patterson LFS*, Öztürk S*, Mohapatra SR*, Panitz V, Secker PF, Pfӓnder P, Loth S,…., Trump S¶, Seiffert M¶, Opitz CA¶. IL4I1 is a metabolic immune checkpoint that activates the AHR and promotes tumor progression, Cell. 2020, Vol 182, 1-19. *Joint co-first Authors ¶Joint co-last Authors.
3. Mohapatra SR, Sadik A, Tykocinski LO, Dietze J, Poschet G, Heiland I, Opitz CA. Hypoxia inducible factor 1a inhibits the expression of immunosuppressive tryptophan-2,3-dioxygenase in glioblastoma, Frontiers in Immunology. 2019, Vol. 10, 2762.
4. Opitz CA, Patterson LFS, Mohapatra SR, Dewi DL, Sadik A, Platten M, Trump S. The therapeutic potential of targeting tryptophan catabolism in cancer, British Journal of Cancer. 2020, Vol. 122, 30–44.
5. Sonner JK, Keil M,…., Mohapatra SR,…., Platten M. Dietary tryptophan links encephalogenicity of autoreactive T cells with gut microbial ecology, Nature Communications. 2019, Vol. 10, 4877.
6. Kaul NC, Mohapatra SR, Adam I, Tucher C, Tretter T, Opitz CA, Lorenz HM, Tykocinski LO. Hypoxia decreases the t helper cell suppressive capacity of fibroblasts by downregulating ido1-mediated tryptophan metabolism, Rheumatology 2019, KEZ587.
7. Adam I, Dewi DL, Mooiweer J, Sadik A, Mohapatra SR, Berdel B, Keil M, Sonner JK, Thedieck K, Rose AJ, Platten M, Heiland I, Trump S, Opitz CA. Upregulation of tryptophanyl-tRNA synthethase adapts human cancer cells to nutritional stress caused by tryptophan degradation. OncoImmunology. 2018. 7(12):e1486353.
8. Dewi DL, Mohapatra SR, Cabañes SB, Adam I, Somarribas Patterson LF, Berdel B, Kahloon M, Thürmann L, Loth S, Heilmann K, Weichenhan D, Mücke O, Heiland I, Wimberger P, Kuhlmann JD, Kellner KH, Schott S, Plass C, Platten M, Gerhäuser C, Trump S, Opitz CA. Suppression of indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase 1 expression by promoter hypermethylation in ER-positive breast cancer. OncoImmunology. 2017. 6(2):e1274477.
9. Lanz TV, Becker S, Mohapatra SR, Opitz CA, Wick W, Platten M. Suppression of Th1 differentiation by tryptophan supplementation in vivo. Amino Acids. 2017. 49:1169–1175.
10. Tykocinski LO, Lauffer AM, Bohnen A, Kaul NC, Krienke S, Tretter T, Adam I, Mohapatra SR, Saikali P, Löhning M, Neidhart M, Oezen I, Platten M, Opitz CA, Lorenz HM. Synovial Fibroblasts Selectively Suppress Th1 Cell Responses through IDO1-Mediated Tryptophan Catabolism. J Immunology. 2017. 198(8):3109-3117.
11. Lanz TV, Williams SK, Stojic A, Iwantscheff S, Sonner JK, Grabitz C, Becker S, Böhler LI, Mohapatra SR, Sahm F, Küblbeck G, Nakamura T, Funakoshi H, Opitz CA, Wick W, Diem R, Platten M. Tryptophan-2,3-Dioxygenase (TDO) deficiency is associated with subclinical neuroprotection in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis. Scientific Reports. 2017. 7:41271.
12. Sonner JK, Deumelandt K, Ott M, Thomé CM, Rauschenbach KJ, Schulz S, Munteanu B, Mohapatra S, Adam I, Hofer A, Feuerer M, Opitz CA, Hopf C, Wick W, Platten M. The stress kinase GCN2 does not mediate suppression of antitumor T cell responses by tryptophan catabolism in experimental melanomas. OncoImmunology. 2016. 5(12): e1240858.
13. Mohapatra SR, Shanthi V, Ramanathan K. Identification of stable anti-viral peptides for Therapeutic applications – a computational approach. Asian J. Pharm. & Clin. Res. 2012. 5(1): 47-53.
14. Mohapatra SR, Ramanathan K, Shanthi V, Srivastava S, Sethumadhavan R. Computational investigation of N-H…π interactions in the structural stability of transmembrane proteins. Int. J. Pharm. & Pharm. Sci. 2011. 3(3): 106-111.