SOM DUTT
Pune
Summary
Strategic leader with 10+ years' expertise at the chemistry, biology and AI/ML intersection. Driving scientific and technological innovation in drug discovery, protein engineering, computational biology, and the diverse space of life sciences with generative AI and deep learning methodologies.
Overview
12
12
years of professional experience
Work History
Principal Domain Expert
Persistent Systems
03.2023 - Current
- Leading AI/ML innovations for pharmaceutical and biotech industries, including projects with two leading biopharma customers.
- Played a pivotal role in building strategic alliances and joint GTM collaborations with technology leaders like Google, NVIDIA, and hyperscalers like AWS and GCP.
- Designed solution roadmaps and leading the development of several digital biology products, integrating generative AI and deep learning techniques to revolutionize preclinical drug discovery.
- Serve as the scientific lead for AI and Digital Innovation in Life Sciences, delivering technology trends, strategic insights, and crafting solution proposals to drive improved business outcomes.
- Guide end-to-end project execution, from conceptualization to delivery, while ensuring business improvement and customer satisfaction.
Lead Scientist, Head - Protein Engineering R&D
Calpion Soft. Tech.
03.2022 - 02.2024
- Provided expertise in chemistry, biology, and bioinformatics to the AI/ML team for developing 3D CNN models for training on protein structures.
- Spearheaded protein data analysis resulting in the selection of top variants with improved protein structures and functions.
- Designed and guided protein engineering projects with AI models trained to prioritize extremophile features by creating protein structure training datasets using AlphaFold2.
- Fostered collaboration with industry partners on protein engineering projects and successfully executed over 15 partnerships involving predictive functional mutations in proteins.
- Established a protein engineering R&D lab for Aperiam Bio (USA) in India and led multiple internal therapeutics-focused protein engineering projects.
- Developed a mass spectrometry-based high-throughput multiplex screening method for identifying stabilizing mutations from a large pool of protein variants.
CSIR Pool Scientist (Assistant Professor)
Doon University
08.2019 - 03.2022
- Computationally studied FDA-approved drugs to identify broad spectrum drugs for multiple variants of concern of SARS-CoV2.
- Structure-based designed new inhibitors for different targets of SARS-CoV-2.
- Taught biochemistry, organic chemistry and medicinal chemistry courses at UG & PG levels at the Department of Chemistry and School of Biological Sciences.
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
University of Leeds
06.2017 - 06.2019
- Integrated computational and synthetic tools to discover inhibitors of protein-protein interactions (PPIs), employing methods such as peptide synthesis, organic synthesis, and biophysical studies.
- Identified key determinants of several PPIs through a combination of computational and experimental alanine scanning and optimized peptide-based PPI inhibitors using a custom-developed computational predictive saturation variation scanning method (PreSaVS).
- Employed Rapid Overlay of Chemical Structure (ROCS) for virtual screening and molecular docking to identify scaffold molecules and synthesize small molecule binders of PPIs.
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
Purdue University
08.2015 - 08.2016
- Designed and developed several novel SYK kinase inhibitors for the treatment of sickle cell disease and malaria by employing virtual screening, structure-based drug design, chemical synthesis, and biochemical assays.
- Selected inhibitors demonstrated excellent selectivity for SYK kinase, with reduced suppression of growth factor receptors compared to other FDA-approved inhibitors.
- Several novel inhibitors exhibited remarkable potency in aiding red blood cells to recover from the effects of sickle cell disease (SCD).
- Achieved significant milestones with this research, culminating in the acquisition of a US patent, and the translation of findings into a therapy currently undergoing clinical trial for SCD in the USA.
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
University of Geneva
08.2013 - 07.2015
- Developed, for the first time, constrained peptides using peptide nucleic acid (PNA) hybridization techniques for bio-catalysis applications.
- Synthesized extensive libraries, comprising up to 10,000 peptide-PNA conjugates, and developed novel one-pool-on-bead catalysis screening using a high-content screening microscope.
- Developed a DNA microarray-based technology to hybridize and screen large pools of PNA-encoded peptide libraries for ultra-low scale bio-catalysis and protein ligand selection applications.
Education
Ph.D. - Chemical Biology
University of Duisburg-Essen
Essen, Germany 04.2001 -
Master of Science - Chemistry
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)
Kanpur, India 04.2001 -
Bachelor of Science -
CCS University
Meerut, India 04.2001 -
Skills
Technical Skills
Generative AI and Machine Learning
Computational Biology & Chemistry
Preclinical Drug Discovery & Protein Engineering
Molecular & Structural Biology
Biophysical, Analytical Methods & High-Throughput Screening methodologies
Data-Driven Insights
Soft Skills
Leadership & Cross Functional Team Management
Strategic Vision
Scientific, Technical & Business Acumenlliance
Customer Engagement & Partner Alliance
Awards Recognition
- Phenomenal leadership award, Calpion Inc. 2023
- Awarded Senior Research Associate-Ship (SRA-Ship) under Scientist's Pool Scheme of CSIR (2020)
- Qualified National Eligibility Test (NET) for Junior Research Fellowship, JRF-CSIR/UGC 2008
- Qualified GATE (Chemistry) 2008. Recipient of Merit-Cum Scholarship, IIT Kanpur, 2006
- Qualified the Joint Admission Test to MSc (JAM) 2006 for admission to MSc at Indian Institute of Technology (IITs)
- Qualified State Entrance Examination, Uttar Pradesh Technical University (SEE-UPTU:2006) for MCA
Publications
- Towards Optimizing Peptide Based Inhibitors of Protein-Protein Interactions: Predictive Saturation Variation Scanning (PreSaVS), Kristina Hetherington†, Som Dutt†, Amaurys A. Ibarra†, Emma E. Cawood, Fruzsina Hobor, Derek N. Woolfson, Thomas A. Edwards, Adam Nelson, Richard B. Sessions, Andrew J. Wilson, RSC Chem. Biol., 2021, 2, 1474-1478, [†] Joint first author., 3.660
- Predicting and Experimentally Validating Hot-spot Residues at Protein-Protein Interfaces, Amaurys A. Ibarra, Gail J. Bartlett, Zsofia Hegedus, Som Dutt, Fruzsina Hobor, Katherine A. Horner, Kristina Paraschiv, Kirstin Spence, Adam Nelson, Thomas A. Edwards, Derek N. Woolfson, Richard B. Sessions, Andrew J. Wilson, ACS Chem. Biol., 2019, 14, 2252-2263, 5.100
- Allosterically Regulated Phosphatase Activity from Peptide-PNA Conjugates Folded Through Hybridization, Takuya Machida+, Som Dutt+, Nicolas Winssinger, Angew. Chem Int. Ed., 2016, 55, 8595-8598, [+] Joint first author., 15.346
- Protein Camouflage: Supramolecular Anion Recognition by Ubiquitin, Madeleine Mallon, Som Dutt, Thomas Schrader, Peter B. Crowley, ChemBioChem, 2016, 17, 774-783, 3.140
- Molecular Tweezers Inhibit Islet Amyloid Polypeptide Assembly and Toxicity by a New Mechanism, Dahabada H. J. Lopes, Aida Attar, Gayatri Nair, Eric Y. Hayden, Zhenming Du, Kirsten McDaniel, Som Dutt, Heinz Bandmann, Kenny Bravo-Rodriguez, Sumit Mittal, Frank-G. Klärner, Chunyu Wang, Elsa Sanchez-Garcia, Thomas Schrader, Gal Bitan, ACS Chem. Biol., 2015, 10, 1555-1569, 5.100
- Molecular tweezers modulate 14-3-3 protein-protein interactions, David Bier, Rolf Rose, Kenny Bravo-Rodriguez, Maria Bartel, Juan M. Ramirez-Anguita, Som Dutt, Constanze Wilch, Frank-Gerrit Klarner, Elsa Sanchez-Garcia, Thomas Schrader, Christian Ottmann, Nat. Chem., 2013, 5, 1-6, 21.687
- Molecular tweezers with varying anions: A comparative study, Som Dutt, Constanze Wilch, Thomas Gersthagen, Peter Talbiersky, Kenny Bravo-Rodriguez, M. Hanni, Elsa Sánchez-García, Christian Ochsenfeld, Frank G. Klärner, Thomas Schrader, J. Org. Chem., 2013, 78, 6721-6734, 4.354
- Linker Effects on Amino Acid and Peptide Recognition by Molecular Tweezers, Som Dutt, Constanze Wilch, Thomas Gersthagen, Christoph Wölper, Andrea A. Sowislok, Frank G. Klärner, Thomas Schrader, Eur. J. Org. Chem., 2013, 7705-7714, 2.889
- Transport of supramolecular drugs across the cell membrane by calcium phosphate nanoparticles, Olga Rotan, V. Sokolova, Patrick Gilles, Wenbin Hu, Som Dutt, Thomas Schrader, Mattias Epple, Mater. Sci. Eng. Technol., 2013, 44, 176-182, 0.854
- Artificial synthetic receptors as regulators of protein activity, Som Dutt, Constanze Wilch, Thomas Schrader, Chem. Commun., 2011, 47, 5376-5383, 5.990
Training
- RSC Chemical Biology Symposium, 05/20/2019, Royal Society of Chemistry, London, Poster
- Protein-Protein Interactions, 04/04/2019 - 04/05/2019, University of Leeds, UK, Poster
- Astbury Conversation, 04/16/2018 - 04/17/2018, University of Leeds, UK, Attendant
- Astbury Retreat, 09/14/2017 - 09/15/2017, Shrigley Hall Hotel, Cheshire, UK, Attendant
- PPI-Net Young Researchers Symposium, 09/13/2017, University of Leeds, UK, Attendant
- 4th Int Symposium on DNA-encoded Chemical Libraries, 07/31/2014 - 09/01/2014, ETH Zurich, Switzerland, Attendant
- 16th Workshop Xanten, 11/25/2010, Xanten, Germany, Talk
- 7th Supraphone Meeting, 04/28/2010 - 05/01/2010, Bonn, Germany, Talk
Patents
Inhibitors of erythrocyte band 3 tyrosine phosphorylation and uses thereof, Daniel A Sheik, Som Dutt, Philip Stewart Low, WO-2020257495-A1, PCT/US2020/038491, Selected inhibitors demonstrated excellent selectivity for SYK kinase, with reduced suppression of growth factor receptors compared to other FDA-approved inhibitors. Several novel inhibitors exhibited remarkable potency in aiding red blood cells to recover from the effects of sickle cell disease (SCD). Achieved significant milestones with this research, culminating in the acquisition of a US patent, and the translation of findings into a therapy currently undergoing clinical trial for SCD in the USA.
Timeline
Principal Domain Expert
Persistent Systems
03.2023 - Current
Lead Scientist, Head - Protein Engineering R&D
Calpion Soft. Tech.
03.2022 - 02.2024
CSIR Pool Scientist (Assistant Professor)
Doon University
08.2019 - 03.2022
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
University of Leeds
06.2017 - 06.2019
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
Purdue University
08.2015 - 08.2016
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
University of Geneva
08.2013 - 07.2015
Ph.D. - Chemical Biology
University of Duisburg-Essen
04.2001 -
Master of Science - Chemistry
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)
04.2001 -
Bachelor of Science -
CCS University
04.2001 -
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