Website Last Updated on 22/09/2026
Latest Updates: For updates on MBBS online counseling visit MCC website Medical Counselling Committee website.
NABH NABL
Admissions Open Allied Healthcare
NMC Hospital NAAC

Faculty Profiles

Profile Overview

Dr. Gundeep Kaur
Dr. Gundeep Kaur
Ph.D. (Biophysics and Structural Biology)
Associate Professor
gundeep.kaur@smcw.siu.edu.in
NA
2026-05-04

Research Publication

Title / Topic Role Journal / Conference Year Outcome
Structure of human lymphoid-specific helicase HELLS in its autoinhibited state First Author Nucleic Acids Research (IF 15.0) 2026 Published
Structural basis of substrate specificity of Helix pomatia AMP deaminase and a chimeric ADGF adenosine deaminase First Author Journal of Biological Chemistry (IF 4.0) 2025 Published
Allosteric autoregulation of DNA binding via a DNA mimicking protein domain: a biophysical study of ZNF410–DNA interaction by SAXS First Author Nucleic Acids Research (IF 19.1) 2023 Published
The inactive Dnmt3b3 isoform preferentially enhances Dnmt3b-mediated DNA methylation Co-First Author Genes & Development (IF 12.89) 2020 Published
Crystal structure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis CarD, an essential RNA polymerase binding protein, reveals a quasidomain-swapped dimeric structural architecture First Author Proteins: Structure, Function and Bioinformatics (IF 2.8) 2014 Published
Mycobacterium tuberculosis CarD, an essential transcription regulator, forms amyloid-like fibrils First Author Nature Scientific Reports (IF 4.9) 2018 Published
Bacillus subtilis HelD, an RNA polymerase interacting helicase, forms amyloid-like fibrils First Author Frontiers in Microbiology (IF 5) 2018 Published
Structure-Guided Designing and Evaluation of Peptides Targeting Bacterial Transcription First Author Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology (IF 5.8) 2020 Published
Molecular and Biochemical Characterization of YeeF/YezG, A Polymorphic Toxin-Immunity Protein Pair from Bacillus subtilis Co-author Frontiers in Microbiology (IF 5) 2020 Published
RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of predominant human norovirus forms liquid-liquid phase condensates as platforms for viral replication Co-author Science Advances (IF 14.9) 2024 Published
MBD5 and MBD6 couple DNA methylation to gene silencing through the J-domain protein SILENZIO Co-author Science (IF 47.3) 2021 Published
Discovery and characterization of bromodomain 2-specific inhibitors of BRDT Co-author Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) (IF 9.5) 2021 Published
An auto-inhibited state of protein kinase G and implications for selective activation Co-author eLife (IF 6.4) 2023 Published
KRAB domain of ZFP568 disrupts TRIM28 mediated abnormal interactions in cancer cells Co-author Nucleic Acid Research Cancer (IF 4.6) 2020 Published
Enzymatic characterization of three human RNA adenosine methyltransferases reveals diverse substrate affinities and reaction optima Co-author Journal of Biological Chemistry (IF 4.1) 2021 Published
Biochemical and structural characterization of the first-discovered metazoan DNA cytosine-N4 methyltransferase from the Bdelloid rotifer Adineta vaga Co-author Journal of Biological Chemistry (IF 4.1) 2023 Published
Early Detection of Buffalo Sperm Apoptosis at various stages of Cryopreservation First Author and Corresponding Author International Advanced Research Journal in Science, Engineering and Technology (IF 3.2) 2018 Published
Chiral 13-HODE oxylipins enhance antitumor immunity via HDAC8 inhibition and immunoproteasome activation Co-author Under Communication 2026 Under Review

Clinical & Community Engagement

  • Teach for India Fellowship Awardee (2025), recognizing contribution to educational access and community-oriented teaching initiatives.
  • Hot Start Virtual Summer Teaching Program for undergraduate and high school students, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston (2020–2025) outreach and science education for students from the wider community.
  • Mentored summer undergraduate students at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, fostering early-career research engagement (2018–2019).

Leadership & Committees & Administrative Roles

  • Co-Chair, 32nd Annual Keck Research Conference “Structural Biology: Past, Present & …”, Houston, Texas (2022).
  • Founder, Structural Biology Interest Group, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston (2021).
  • Contact Person, Joint Journal Club, Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston (2021).
  • Served as a Poster Judge: GCC Cellular and Molecular Biophysics Conference (2025), USA; GCC Machine Learning and Computation in Structural Biology (2024); MD Anderson Summer Experience Poster Exposition (2023); RCSB Poster Prize (2021), American Crystallographic Association Annual Meeting (2020).
  • Editorial Board Member: Frontiers in Immunology, Bioprotocol, Frontiers in Genetics, Frontiers in Epigenetics and Epigenomics, International Journal of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology.
  • Peer Reviewer for numerous journals including Scientific Reports, Biomolecules, Epigenomes, Cells, Frontiers in Microbiology, Frontiers in Pharmacology, and others.
  • Actively contributed as a member in professional scientific societies including American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), American Society for Microbiology (ASM), American Crystallographic Association (ACA), and Electron Microscopy Society of India (EMSI).

Teaching & Mentoring Highlights

  • techniques.
  • Supervised and mentored summer undergraduate researchers, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Mentored undergraduate and Ph.D. trainees, trained new researchers in advanced experimental (2018–2019).
  • Delivered instruction through the Hot Start Virtual Summer Teaching Program for undergraduate and high school students, MD Anderson Cancer Center (2020–2025).
  • Delivered invited lectures (>5) at multiple seminars.

Awards, Honors & Recognition

  • ANRF–Ramanujan Faculty Fellow (2025), Amity University, Noida, India.
  • Teach for India Fellowship Awardee (2025).
  • Shortlisted for interview, DBT Ramalingaswami Re-entry Research Programme (2026–27).
  • DST–British Council Newton Bhabha Fellow, University of Oxford, UK (2016).
  • DST–INSPIRE Fellow, CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology (2012–2017).
  • Multiple Travel Awards (USD 2000 each for three times), Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis, MD Anderson Cancer Center, for attending 20th Annual UltraScan Analytical Ultracentrifugation Workshop in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada (2023), ASBMB Meeting (2023), and SECM4 cryo-EM Workshop, Florida, USA (2024).
  • Qualified GATE Life Sciences (2011)
  • Gold Medalist, M.Sc. Animal Biochemistry (2011);
  • Fellowship for M.Sc. Animal Biochemistry from ICAR-NDRI, Karnal, India (2009-2011)
  • Roll of Honour, B.Sc. (2008)
  • Merit Fellowship for B.Sc., Dyal Singh College, Karnal, India (2005-2008)
  • Antriksh Pari Kalpana Chawla Award (2003)
  • CBSE Certificate of Merit in Science (2003)

Skills & Additional Competencies

  • Proficient in molecular biology, recombinant protein expression, purification, including challenging protein–protein and protein–nucleic acid complexes.
  • Expertise in protein engineering
  • Expertise in structural biology (X-ray crystallography, single-particle cryo-electron microscopy and Small Angle X-ray Scattering), molecular modeling and visualization.
  • Proficient in biophysical, biochemical characterization of macromolecular complexes
  • Experienced in grant writing, scientific publishing, peer review, student mentoring, oral/scientific presentation skills and interdisciplinary research collaborations.
  • Strong track record of research leadership with publications in high-impact journals including Science, Nucleic Acids Research, Genes and Development, Science Advances, PNAS, eLife, JBC, Frontiers in Microbiology and many more.

Extracurricular & Co-Curricular Activities

  • Actively participate in national and international scientific conferences, workshops, and professional society activities.
  • Contribute to academic community service through student mentoring, poster judging, and research training programs.
  • Value teamwork, lifelong learning, and community engagement through collaborative academic and social initiatives.
  • Volunteered and won prizes at state, national, and international level in various curricular and extracurricular activities (2006–2012).
  • Active professional society member: American Society of Microbiology; Electron Microscopy Society of India (Life Member); Texas Postdoc Association; American Crystallographic Association; Biophysical Society of Canada.

Career Aspirations / Current Focus Areas

My long-term vision is to establish an internationally recognized Structural Epigenetics and Genome Surveillance Research Group that integrates chromatin biology with structural biology (cryo-electron microscopy) to uncover the molecular principles governing epigenetic regulation and genome integrity. By combining structural, biochemical, biophysical, and functional genomic approaches, my research seeks to elucidate how epigenetic complexes regulate chromatin architecture, maintain genome stability, and control gene expression in both physiological and pathological contexts. Ultimately, this work aims to bridge fundamental mechanistic discoveries with translational applications, enabling the development of next-generation diagnostics and targeted therapeutics.

My current research focuses on three interconnected areas:

  1. Structural mechanisms of genome surveillance and chromatin remodeling: Understanding how ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers and epigenetic silencing complexes distinguish self from non-self genetic elements, and how defects in these pathways contribute to cancer, viral infections, and rare genetic disorders.
  2. Structure-guided therapeutic discovery: Leveraging structural biology to identify and develop novel therapeutic strategies, including peptide-based inhibitors, molecular glue degraders, and targeted protein degradation approaches for diseases driven by epigenetic dysregulation.
  3. Precision epigenetic diagnostics for cervical cancer: Developing minimally invasive liquid biopsy platforms by integrating circulating tumor DNA, epigenetic biomarkers, and multi-omics approaches for early detection, prognostic stratification, treatment monitoring, and disease surveillance.