The National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) welcomes Dr. Pratik Kumar who joined as an assistant professor earlier this year.
Pratik describes himself as a “toolbuilder” - a scientist who works at an intersection of two seemingly distinct fields, biology and chemistry. His research focuses on developing modern tools for imaging and manipulating biological processes by integrating dye chemistry, click chemistry, and biomolecular labeling strategies.
“I am not married to a problem [in biology]. Instead, how to leverage chemical knowledge to tackle biological problems in ways that existing tools don’t allow?” said Pratik.
One of the earliest challenges in his research was designing a molecule that could efficiently enter cells. This molecule needed to carry both a fluorophore, a dye for visualization, and biotin, a widely used biological tag. However, the original approach produced a molecule too large to pass through the cell membrane.
“As you make molecules bigger, they just do not like to enter cells. It is an annoying problem,” he said. “But if we could figure out how to get them inside, it would open up a world of possibilities in biology.”
Through extensive experimentation with different dyes and molecular combinations, Pratik overcame this hurdle. What began as a simple effort to transport molecules into cells evolved into the ability to move proteins between cellular regions, enabling precise biological manipulations—what he calls “alchemy inside the cells.”
Pratik’s interest in developing imaging tools began during his PhD at Stony Brook University, USA, where he was drawn to the field of click chemistry. Early in his PhD research, he worked on imaging neurons in zebrafish, using chemical reactions to make them glow and visualize their connections.
“This set the tone very early in my PhD—trying to visualize things in biology using chemical reactions. I was very fascinated,” he recalled.
During his postdoctoral research at Janelia Research Campus in Virginia, USA, his chemistry expertise remained central, but the biological problems he tackled became more complex and cutting-edge. He developed advanced fluorescent tools for cell biology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and imaging.
Beyond the scientific discoveries, Pratik stresses the importance of working closely with biologists. Pratik collaborates with a range of biologists to generate new technologies for probing complex biological questions.
If chemists and biologists are not in regular conversations, a lot of these chemical tools remain unused and unexplored, he said. “So many breakthroughs happen not in structured meetings but in casual discussions—over lunch, in the hallway”, he added.
These frequent, unscripted conversations with biologists helped refine the direction of his research. He emphasizes that solving biological problems often requires multiple iterations, and these informal exchanges are important to accelerate that process.
Pratik believes that scientific progress is often hindered by rigid silos within academia. There is immense value in working on independent problems, but we also need more collaborative efforts. The more we interact with researchers from different fields, the more impactful our solutions can be, said Pratik.
In his new role at NCBS, he aims to work in collaborations, particularly in the imaging community. He is keen on making fluorescent dyes more accessible to researchers in India, as many of these essential tools are prohibitively expensive. As he looks ahead, he hopes that his lab will become synonymous with cutting-edge chemical tools that the broader scientific community actively uses.
Reflecting on his journey, Pratik has no major regrets, though he does wish he had maintained a better work-life balance during his PhD.
“I stopped playing sports during that time, and I only realized later how much I needed it. In my postdoc, I resumed sports and it made a huge difference. Research is full of ups and downs, and having a hobby helps keep things in perspective.”
For aspiring researchers keen to join his lab at NCBS, his advice is simple: Stay flexible, embrace collaboration, and communicate clearly.
“Chemical biology is vast, and I do not want my students to be locked into just one problem. As long as they have a solid chemistry foundation, they should be free to explore different biological questions.”
With his interdisciplinary approach and dedication to making scientific tools more accessible, Pratik is not just bridging the gap between chemistry and biology—he is redefining how researchers across disciplines can work together to solve complex problems.
“Pratik is bringing an exciting fusion of chemistry and biology to NCBS, pushing the boundaries of how we image and manipulate biological processes. His approach to tool-building opens new possibilities for studying life at a molecular level. With a strong emphasis on collaboration and interdisciplinary research, his work will undoubtedly expand the scope of biology at NCBS and in India," said LS Shashidhara, Director, NCBS.
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