A.M. Chakrabarty is a Distinguished Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and Ph.D. degree in Biochemistry from the University of Calcutta St. Xavier's College in India. He also served as a postdoctoral associate in Microbial Genetics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Chakrabarty has been honored numerous times for his excellence in research and teaching. His honors have included the Merit Award from National Institutes of Health; the Distinguished Scientist Award from the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Distinguished Service Award from the U.S. Army.

Dr. Chakrabarty's current grant funding is centered on the study of biodegradation of synthetic chlorinated compounds such as Agent Orange, and the determination of the pathogenicity of the remediating organisms. His laboratory also researches pseudomonas infection in cystic fibrosis.

About the lecture

"It has been known for almost 100 years that when human or animals, harboring tumors, are infected with pathogenic microorganisms, the cancers regress. Mycobacterium bovis BCG is used in bladder cancer therapy and recent reports indicate that anaerobic bacteria, when deliberately introduced in tumor-bearing mice, will grow in the core of the tumor and allow tumor shrinkage; however, infection with live bacteria leads to immune response, resulting in undesirable side effects.

This talk will deal with more recent attempts at developing anticancer agents from microbial sources that may trigger apoptosis in various cancer cells through modulation of the body's own tumor suppressive effects."

Quoted from the 2002-2003 College of Pharmacy Loyd E. Harris Distinguished Lecture Series Lecture Announcement Brochure