RAMAKRISHNA MISSION RAMAKRISHNA MISSION VIDYAPITH VIDYAPITH

CHENNAI- 600 004CHENNAI- 600 004

VIVEKANANDA INSTITUTE OF VIVEKANANDA INSTITUTE OF TROPICAL MYCOLOGY TROPICAL MYCOLOGY

(VINSTROM)(VINSTROM)

Service through Service through Science Science

VINSTROM was started on 08.04.2005; till the year 2013, twenty three papers have been published in peer reviewed journals such as:• Biodiversity & Conservation

• Botanica Marina• Canadian Journal of Microbiology• Current Science• Fungal Biology • Fungal Biology Reviews• Fungal Diversity• Journal of Basic Microbiology• Mycological Progress• Mycological Research• Mycology• Mycosphere • Sydowia

Equipment Maintained in VINSTROMAir conditioners

RefrigeratorsDeep freezerSpectrophotometerUV transilluminatorRotavapourGlass distillation unitDigital pH meterAutoclaveAutomatic shakerElectrophoresis unitBinocular microscopeHot air ovenMicrowave ovenWater bathIncubatorLaminar Air Flow chamber

HP scan jet 2400Light chambersMagnetic stirrerNikon Bright field Phase contrast microscopeNUV lampsRefrigerated centrifugeElectronic balanceTrinocular Microscope CXR II and Motic BA 300Vortex MixerPentax 80-200 Zoom lensComputer with Laser jet printersDigital cameras (Sony, Olympus)Ricoh 35mm SLR cameraVaccum pumpHigh speed internet facility

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Research Projects handled

Amount Received

Fungal cultures maintained

• Endophytes from trees of the Western Ghats - 545

•Endophytes from marine source - 210

•Litter fungi from Western Ghats forests - 105

2012-2015-Department of Biotechnology

(Government of India), Twinning Programme -

North East grant for the project “Endophytic fungi of “Endophytic fungi of

endemic plants of Arunachal Pradesh: Diversity and novel endemic plants of Arunachal Pradesh: Diversity and novel

metabolites”. (Rs.14.80 lakhs)metabolites”. (Rs.14.80 lakhs)

2011-2014 - Indo–German Collaborative Project

(in collaboration with University of Goettingen,

Germany) funded by Department of

Biotechnology (Government of India) on ““The The

potential of fungal endophytes as biocontrol organismspotential of fungal endophytes as biocontrol organisms”. (”. (Rs. 36.59 Rs. 36.59

lakhslakhs))

Ongoing projects

Collaborations

Prof. Bruno Moerschbacher, Department of Plant Biochemistry, Westphalian Wilhelm's University Muenster, Germany.

Dr. Florenz Sasse, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.

Prof. Stan Faeth, School of Ecological Sciences, Arizona State University, USA.

Prof. John Johnson, University of New Brunswick, St. John, Canada.

Prof. R. Sukumar, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

Prof. Mukesh Doble, Dept. of Biotechnology, IIT Madras.

Prof. S. N. Gummadi, Associate Professor, Department of Biotechnology, IIT Madras.

Dr. N. Thirunavukkarasu, Assistant Professor, Department of Plant Biology & Plant Biotechnology, RKM Vivekananda College, Chennai.

Contd…

Prof. R. Uma Shaanker, Department of Crop Physiology, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore. Prof. M. S. Reddy, Department of Biotechnology, Thapar University, Patiala, India.

Prof. N. P. Money, Department of Botany and Western Program, Miami University, Oxford, OH, United States.

Dr. T. S. Murali, Division of Biotechnology, Manipal Life Sciences Centre, Manipal University, Manipal.

Dr. Venkat Gopalan, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry and Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA.

Prof. Dr. Stefan Vidal, Department of Crop Sciences, Agricultural Entomology, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Germany.

Prof. Petr Karlowsky, Department of Molecular Pathology and Mycotoxin Research, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Germany.

Prof. Dinkar Sahal, Research Scientist, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi. 

Collaborations

Suryanarayanan was invited to give the Key Note Address at the 25th Genetics of Microorganisms Congress, São Paulo, Brazil, March 2006. Suryanarayanan delivered the Keynote address at Intergovernmental Framework for European Cooperation in Science & Technology (COST Action FA1103), Trento, Italy Nov. 2012.  Suryanarayanan was invited by the Centre for Biotechnology, Manaus, the Amazon, Brazil for discussion on the use of endophytes in biocontrol.

2008-2011 – Department of Biotechnology (Government

of India), research grant for the project. ‘‘Pharmaceuticals from Pharmaceuticals from

marine and marine-derived fungi assocaited with seagrasses and marine and marine-derived fungi assocaited with seagrasses and

seaweeds of Tamil Nadu coast’. (Rs. 15.09 lakhs)seaweeds of Tamil Nadu coast’. (Rs. 15.09 lakhs)

2007-2010 – Indo-German Collaborative Project (in

collaboration with University of Muenster, Germany)-

Department of Biotechnology (Government of India)

research grant for the project. ‘Enzymes of pharmaceutical Enzymes of pharmaceutical

importance from tropical microfungi’. (Rs. 27.84 lakhs)importance from tropical microfungi’. (Rs. 27.84 lakhs)

Completed projects

Nature Biological Reviews EvolutionAnnual Review of PhytopathologyProceedings of the National Academy of Science, NY.Fungal DiversityMycological Research Canadian Journal of Botany Canadian Journal of MicrobiologyEcology Letters Fungal Biology ReviewsPhytopathologyNew PhytologistJournal of Natural Products

Publications Cited in

Prof. Sidney Altman, Nobel Laureate (1989) and Sterling Professor. Yale University, visited VINSTROM (April 26th 2008) and discussed with students and gave a lecture on his field of research.

  Suryanarayanan was Awarded Fulbright Nehru Senior Research Fellowship for studying the feasibility of using endophytes for ’’greener’’ biofuel at Dept. of Biochemistry, Ohio State University, USA to study. September 2011 – March 2012.

A brief note of Achievements

Prof. Sidney Altman (Nobel Laureate), Yale University, USA

Prof. M.S. Swaminathan, MSSRF, Chennai

Mr. Erwin Wendland, German Consulate, Germany

Prof. J. Johnson, Univ. New Brunswick, Canada

Prof. B. Moerschbacher, University of Munster, Germany

Dr. F. Sasse, German Centre for Biotechnology, Germany

Prof. Jim White, Rutgers, New Jersey, USA

Prof. C.A. Reddy, East Lansing, Michigan, USA

Dr. R. Geeta, University of Stony Brooke, USA

Contd…..

Visit by Scientists

Dr. Sujaya Rao, Oregon State University, USA.

Dr. Venkat Gopalan, The Ohio State University, USA.

Dr. Baskar, Indian Institute of Technology Chennai.

Prof. A. Raman, University of Sydney, Australia.

Prof. B. Moeschbacher, University of Muenster, Germany.

Dr. N.E. El Gueddari, University of Muenster, Germany.

Dr. F. Sasse, GBF, Germany.

Dr. A. Srinivasan, Harward, USA.

Prof. J.L. Azevedo, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Prof. P.T. Lacava, Brazil.

Dr. H. de Melo, Brazil.

Dr. M.A. Zaman, Dhaka University, Bangladesh.

Dr. Stefen Vidal, George-August-University, Goettingen,Germany.

Visit by Scientists