Victor Banerjee, PhD

Biography

Dr. Victor Banerjee specializes in structural biology, focusing on prion-like protein transmission. After completing his undergraduate studies in chemistry at Jadavpur University, he developed an early interest in the intersection of chemistry and biology, which laid the foundation for his current research. Dr. Banerjee began his scientific career at Bose Institute under the guidance of Prof. K.P. Das, where he explored the role of misfolded proteins in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s (AD), Parkinson’s (PD), and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). His doctoral work, which focused on protein aggregation mechanisms, inspired his transition to ALS research in Prof. Niv Papo’s lab, where he developed protein-based agents to inhibit the aggregation of SOD1, a key protein involved in ALS.

During his postdoctoral work at UCSF with Nobel laureate Prof. Stanley Prusiner, Dr. Banerjee honed his expertise in electron cryo-microscopy (cryoEM). He used this technique to study the structural aspects of tau and α-synuclein (αSyn) proteins in diseases like AD and PD. In Prof. Claudio Soto’s lab, he worked on developing biochemical assays for detecting misfolded proteins in ALS patients, correlating the structures with their biological effects. There, he further investigated the structural aspects of infectious prion proteins that cause Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in deer and elk. He used cryoEM to reveal the structure of CWD prions and explored their zoonotic risks. Dr. Banerjee has published multiple articles in reputed journals. His primary research interest involves understanding how the structure of protein aggregates influences disease phenotypes.