Pathophysiological Aspects of Proteases

Dr. Sajal Chakraborti is a Professor of Biochemistry in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, West Bengal, India. He received his PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Calcutta in 1982, and DSc in Biochemistry from the University of Kalyani in 2004. His main areas of interest are regulation of phospholipase A2 and -D, Na+/K+ -ATPase, Ca2+ATPase and NADPH oxidase in pulmonary vascular cells; biochemistry of proteases and anti-proteases; and oxidant and calcium signalling by different stimulants such as angiotensin-1, thromboxan A2, endothelin-1 and Leukotriene D4 in regulating pulmonary vascular tone.He received a Fulbright visiting fellowship to pursue research at the Department of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University, USA from 1987 to 1989, and at the Pulmonary Division, University of Utah Medical School and New York Medical College, New York, USA from 1989 to mid-1990. He joined the University of Kalyani as a Reader in Biochemistry in 1998. Dr. Chakraborti is actively involved in research and has more than 100 publications in prominent journals to his credit. He has also contributed chapters to books published by Springer and Elsevier. He has edited four books with Springer, namely: Proteases in Health and Disease; Role of Proteases in Cellular Dysfunction; Regulation of Membrane Na/K-ATPase; and Regulation of Ca2+ ATPases, V-ATPases and F-ATPases.Dr. Naranjan S. Dhalla is Distinguished Professor at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. His expertise includes the subcellular and molecular basis of heart function in health and disease. He has been engaged in multidisciplinary research and education for promoting the scientific basis of cardiology, as well as training of professional manpower for combating heart disease for over 45 years.