Assistant Professor at National Institute of Technology Rourkela, India.
Dr. Akhilesh Mishra is an accomplished Assistant Professor in the Department of Life Science at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Rourkela, Odisha, India. His academic path began with a Bachelor’s degree in Botany and Chemistry, followed by dual Master’s degrees—one in Bioinformatics and the other in Botany. He earned his Ph.D. from the Supercomputing Facility for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (SCFBio) at IIT Delhi, where he decoded the physicochemical and structural language of DNA. Dr. Mishra further honed his expertise through postdoctoral fellowships at UT Southwestern Medical Center and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, USA.
🎓 Educational Background:
Dr. Akhilesh Mishra’s academic journey reflects a strong foundation in both life sciences and computational biology. He began his higher education with a Bachelor’s degree in Botany and Chemistry, where he developed an early interest in biological systems and their underlying mechanisms. Driven by a passion for understanding complex biological data, he pursued dual postgraduate degrees—a Master’s in Bioinformatics and a Master’s in Botany—equipping himself with a rare blend of computational skills and deep biological insight. His pursuit of research excellence led him to earn a Ph.D. from the Supercomputing Facility for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (SCFBio) at IIT Delhi, one of India’s premier institutions. During his doctoral studies, he focused on the physicochemical and structural features of DNA, laying the groundwork for his future contributions to computational oncology. Further enriching his academic experience, Dr. Mishra completed postdoctoral fellowships at UT Southwestern Medical Center and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in the United States, where he engaged in cutting-edge cancer genomics and bioinformatics research.
Profile:
Research Focus:
Dr. Mishra leads the Computational Oncology Lab at NIT Rourkela, where he applies cutting-edge multi-omics and computational tools to decode the complexities of cancer biology. His vision is rooted in leveraging interdisciplinary approaches—integrating genomics, transcriptomics, epigenetics, and spatial data—to unravel molecular drivers of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), pediatric brain tumors, and antimicrobial resistance.
Publications:
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Molecular dynamics simulation-based trinucleotide and tetranucleotide level structural and energy characterization of the functional units of genomic DNA. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 2023.
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HIF2 Inactivation and Tumor Suppression with a Tumor-Directed RNA-Silencing Drug in Mice and Humans. Clinical Cancer Research, 2022.
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Molecular Genetic Determinants of Shorter Time on Active Surveillance in a Prospective Phase 2 Clinical Trial in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma. European Urology, 2022.
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Intron exon boundary junctions in human genome have in-built unique structural and energetic signals. Nucleic Acids Research, 2021.
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A novel method SEProm for prokaryotic promoter prediction based on DNA structure and energetics. Bioinformatics, 2020.
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PRIMER SETS, BIOMARKERS, KIT AND APPLICATIONS THEREOF. Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Patent, 2020.
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Prion protein transcription is auto-regulated through dynamic interactions with G-quadruplex motifs in its own promoter. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) – Gene Regulatory Mechanisms, 2020.
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ChemGenome2.1: An ab initio gene prediction software. In Gene Prediction, Book Chapter, 2019.
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Toward a Universal Structural and Energetic Model for Prokaryotic Promoters. Biophysical Journal, 2018.
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A computational protocol for the discovery of lead molecules targeting DNA unique to pathogens. Methods, 2017.
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Physico-chemical fingerprinting of RNA genes. Nucleic Acids Research, 2017.
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Onco-Regulon: an integrated database and software suite for site specific targeting of transcription factors of cancer genes. Database, 2016.
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A Novel Anticlustering Filtering Algorithm for the Prediction of Genes as a Drug Target. American Journal of Biomedical Engineering, 2012.