Department of Medicine
Faculty Profiles by Division

Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology

Faculty Profiles
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photo Partha S Biswas, BVSc, MVSc, PhD

Associate Professor

Email: psb13@pitt.edu

Phone: 412-648-8708
Contact
Office: Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology
S725 Biomedical Science Tower, 3500 Terrace Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
 
Phone: 412-648-8708
Fax: 412-383-8753
E-mail: psb13@pitt.edu
Administrative Assistant:
Linda Sadej
Address: Biomedical Science Tower South, 7th Flr.
3500 Terrace Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
Phone: 412-383-8123
Fax: 412-383-8753
Education and Training
Education
Bachelor of Veterinary Sciences, WBUAFS, India, 1998
Master of Veterinary Sciences, CCSHAU, India, 2000
PhD, Comparative and Experimental Medicine, The University of Tennessee, USA, 2005
Training
Research Fellow, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 2005
Associate Research Scientist, Columbia University Medical Center, 2007
Associate Research Scientist, The Hospital for Special Surgery, 2010
Research Interest
The research focus in the Biswas laboratory is centered around understanding the impact of Interleukin-17 receptor signaling in renal immunity and autoimmunity by combining basic and translation research. The kidney is often subject to irreversible damage caused by infections and auto-inflammatory conditions. The incidence of end-stage kidney damage is increasing worldwide and represents a major clinical and economic burden. Currently there are no effective treatments for this fatal condition. The complex inflammatory cytokine network and renal inflammatory events that drive the progression of kidney injury to irreversible damage is poorly understood. The research program in the Biswas laboratory is divided into several areas, focused around IL-17 receptor signaling in the kidney:

1. One of the main focuses of the Biswas laboratory is to determine how IL-17 drives irreversible kidney damage, with the ultimate goal of revealing effective therapeutic approaches to block IL-17 signaling in chronic kidney diseases including lupus nephritis.

2. Another major focus of the Biswas laboratory is to define the mechanisms of IL-17-mediated renal immunity against disseminated candidiasis and uropathogenic E. coli infection.

3. Finally, we are actively involved in understanding the role of IL-17 receptor signaling in renal fibrosis, the final outcome of acute or chronic kidney diseases leading to kidney dysfunction.
Publications
For my complete bibliography, Click Here.
Selected Publications:
Ramani K., Jawale C.V., Verma A.H., Coleman B.M., Kolls J.K., Biswas P.S. Unexpected kidney-restricted role for IL-17 receptor signaling in defense against systemic Candida albicans infection. JCI Insight. 2018; 3(9): pii:98241.
Verma, A. H., Richardson, J. P., Zhou, C., Coleman, B. M., Moyes, D. L., Ho, J., Huppler, A. R., Ramani, K., McGeachy, M. J., Mufazalov, I. A., Waisman, A., Kane, L. P., Biswas, P. S., Hube, B., Naglik, J. R., Gaffen, S. L. Oral epithelial cells orchestrate innate type 17 responses to Candida albicans through the virulence factor candidalysin. Sci Immunol. 2017; 2(17).
Biswas, P. S., Khatun, H., Das, N., Sarker, M. M., Anisuzzaman, M. Mapping and validation of QTLs for cold tolerance at seedling stage in rice from an indica cultivar Habiganj Boro VI (Hbj.BVI). 3 Biotech. 2017; 7(6)359.
Tan, J., Tedrow, J. R., Nouraie, M., Dutta, J. A., Miller, D. T., Li, X., Yu, S., Chu, Y., Juan-Guardela, B., Kaminski, N., Ramani, K., Biswas, P. S., Zhang, Y., Kass, D. J. Loss of Twist1 in the Mesenchymal Compartment Promotes Increased Fibrosis in Experimental Lung Injury by Enhanced Expression of CXCL12. J Immunol. 2017; 198(6): 2269-2285.
Ramani, K., Garg, A. V., Jawale, C. V., Conti, H. R., Whibley, N., Jackson, E. K., Shiva, S. S., Horne, W., Kolls, J. K., Gaffen, S. L., Biswas, P. S. The Kallikrein-Kinin System: A Novel Mediator of IL-17-Driven Anti-Candida Immunity in the Kidney. PLoS Pathog. 2016; 12(11).
Tan, J., Tedrow, J. R., Dutta, J. A., Juan-Guardela, B., Nouraie, M., Chu, Y., Trejo Bittar, H., Ramani, K., Biswas, P. S., Veraldi, K. L., Kaminski, N., Zhang, Y., Kass, D. J. Expression of RXFP1 Is Decreased in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. Implications for Relaxin-based Therapies. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2016; 194(11): 1392-1402.
Ramani K, Biswas PS. Interleukin 17 signaling drives Type 1 Interferon induced proliferative crescentic glomerulonephritis in lupus-prone mice. Clin Immunonol. 2016; 162: 31-36.
Ramani, K., Biswas, P. S. Emerging roles of the Th17/IL-17-axis in glomerulonephritis. Cytokine. 2016; 77: 238-244.
Whibley N, Jaycox JR, Reid D, Garg AV, Taylor JA, Clancy CJ, Nguyen MH, Biswas PS, McGeachy MJ, Brown GD, Gaffen SL. Delinking CARD9 and IL-17: CARD9 protects against Candida tropicalis infection through a TNF-a-dependent, IL-17-independent mechanism. J Immunol. 2015; 195: 3781-92.
Garg AV, Amatya N, Chen K, Cruz JA, Grover P, Whibley N, Conti HR, Hernandez Mir G, Sirakova T, Childs EC, Smithgall TE, Biswas PS, Kolls JK, McGeachy MJ, Kolattukudy PE, Gaffen SL. MCPIP1 endoribonuclease activity negatively regulates interleukin-17-mediated signaling and inflammation. Immunity. 2015; 43: 475-87.
Sponsored Research/Activities
Title: Twist1 Subphenotypes and Pulmonary Fibrosis
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding Agency: National Heart, Lung, & Blood Institute
Grant Number: R01 HL126990
Start Year: 2015
End Year: 2020
Title: Mechanisms of IL-17 Mediated Host Defense in the Kidney
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding Agency: National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, & Kidney Disease
Grant Number: R01 DK104680
Start Year: 2015
End Year: 2020
Title: Type I Interferon and the Mechanism of TNF Antagonist in RA
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding Agency: Rheumatology Research Foundation
Start Year: 2015
End Year: 2016
Title: Mechanisms of IL-17 Mediated Renal Protection in Obstructive Nephropathy
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding Agency: Samuel and Emma Winters Foundation
Start Year: 2014
End Year: 2015
Title: IL-17 Isoforms in Organ Specific Autoimmunity
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding Agency: National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases
Grant Number: R21 AI128991
Start Year: 2016
End Year: 2018
Title: Negative Control of IL-17R Signaling: Implications for Fungal Immunity
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding Agency: National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases
Grant Number: R01 AI107825
Start Year: 2014
End Year: 2018

Division Websites

Cardiology

Endocrinology and Metabolism

Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition

General Internal Medicine

Geriatric Medicine
Hematology/Oncology

Infectious Diseases

Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine

Renal-Electrolyte

Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology

Contact

Department of Medicine
1218 Scaife Hall
3550 Terrace Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
Email:  chairoff@pitt.edu
Phone:  412-648-9636
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