Faculty at School of Natural Sciences

Bidyut Sarkar

Bidyut Sarkar

DBT-Wellcome trust India Alliance Intermediate Fellow

School of Natural Sciences


Contact Information

  • 2015, Ph.D. Chemistry, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, India.
  • 2008, MSc. Chemistry, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India.
  • 2006, BSc. Chemistry (Honors), Siliguri College, University of North Bengal, India.

  • 10/2021 – 9/2023 Research Scientist, RIKEN, Wako, Japan
  • 10/2014 – 9/2021 Postdoctoral Researcher, RIKEN, Wako, Japan
  • 4/2014 – 9/2014 Technical Staff, RIKEN, Wako, Japan

  • Biophysical chemistry, Single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy and microscopy, Structure-dynamics-function relationship of biomacromolecules, gene-regulatory noncoding RNA

1. Recommended for the DBT-Wellcome trust India Alliance Intermediate fellowship, India (July 2023).

2. RIKEN Research Incentive Award (Ohbu award) in recognition of excellence in the conduct of research and outstanding achievement in “Application of state-of-the-art single-molecule spectroscopy to reveal the molecular mechanism of gene regulation by a bacterial RNA element”, Japan (2022)

3. “Foreign Postdoctoral Researcher (FPR)” fellowship of RIKEN, Japan (2015-2018).

4. Best poster award in “Lipid-Protein interactions in membrane: implications for health and disease”, CCMB, Hyderabad, India (2012).

5. International Travel Award for the 56th Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society, San Diego, CA, USA (2012). (Not availed).

6. Best poster award in “National Fluorescence Workshop: Spectroscopy and Microscopy in Biology and Chemistry”, JNU and ICGEB, New Delhi, India (2011).

7. University Medal for First class First position in B.Sc. Chemistry (honors), University of North Bengal, India (2006).

8. CSIR-NET Junior Research Fellowship and eligibility for Lectureship in Chemical Sciences (December 2007).

  • Biophysical Society, USA
  • Fluorescence Society, India
  • Japan Society for Molecular Science, Japan

1. A. Dey, A. Verma, U. Bhaskar, B. Sarkar, M. Kallianpur, V. Vishvakarma, A.K. Das, K. Garai, O. Mukherjee, K. Ishii, T. Tahara, and S. Maiti*. “A toxicogenic interaction between intracellular Amyloid-β and Apolipoprotein-E”. ACS Chem. Neurosci. 2024 (accepted).

2. B. Sarkar, K. Ishii, and T. Tahara. "Microsecond folding of preQ1 riboswitch and its biological significance revealed by two-dimensional fluorescence lifetime correlation spectroscopy". J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 7968-7978. (Faculty Opinions: Pollack L: 10.3410/f.740144661.793586932).

3. B. Sarkar, K. Ishii, and T. Tahara. "Microsecond conformational dynamics of biopolymers revealed by dynamic-quenching two-dimensional fluorescence lifetime correlation spectroscopy with single dye labeling". J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2019, 10, 5536-5541. (supplementary cover)

4. B. Sarkar#, V. S. Mithu#, B. Chandra#, A. Mandal, C. Muralidharan, D. Bhowmik, P. K. Madhu, and S. Maiti. (#equal contribution). “Structure of transient amyloid-β oligomers differs from less toxic fibrils in regions known to harbor familial Alzheimer mutations”. Angew. Chem. 2014, 53, 6888-6892.  (VIP, within top 5%; inside top cover)

5. B. Sarkar#, A. Banerjee#, A. K. Das, S. Nag, S. K. Kaushalya, U. Tripathy, M. Shameem, S. Shukla, and S. Maiti. (#equal contribution). “Label-free dopamine imaging in live brain slices”. ACS Chem. Neurosci. 2014, 5(5), 329-334.

6. S. Nag#, B. Sarkar#, M. Chandrakesan, R. Abhyankar, D. Bhowmik, M. Kombrabail, S. Dandekar, E. Lerner, E. Haas, and S. Maiti. (#equal contribution). “A folding transition underlies the emergence of membrane affinity in amyloid-β”. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2013, 15, 19129-19133.

7. B. Sarkar, A. K. Das, and S. Maiti. “Thermodynamically stable amyloid-β monomers have much lower membrane affinity than the small oligomers”. Front. Physiol. 2013, 4 (84), 1-11.

8. S. Nag, B. Sarkar, A. Banerjee, B. Sahoo, K. A. S. Varun, M. Kombrabail, and S. Maiti. “Nature of the amyloid- monomer and the monomer-oligomer equilibrium”. J. Biol. Chem. 2011, 286, 16, 13827.

1. B. Sarkar, K. Ishii, and T. Tahara*. “"Pulsed interleaved excitation two-dimensional fluorescence lifetime correlation spectroscopy (PIE 2D FLCS)”. (submitted).

2. A. Dey, A. Verma, U. Bhaskar, B. Sarkar, M. Kallianpur, V. Vishvakarma, A.K. Das, K. Garai, O. Mukherjee, K. Ishii, T. Tahara, and S. Maiti*. “A toxicogenic interaction between intracellular Amyloid-β and Apolipoprotein-E”. ACS Chem. Neurosci. 2024 (accepted).

3. M. Safar, A. Saurabh, B. Sarkar, M. Fazel, K. Ishii, T. Tahara, I. Sgouralis, and S. Pressé*. “Single photon smFRET. III. Application to pulsed illumination”. Biophys. Rep. 2022, 2(4), 1-11.

4. B. Sarkar, K. Ishii, and T. Tahara*. "Microsecond folding of preQ1 riboswitch and its biological significance revealed by two-dimensional fluorescence lifetime correlation spectroscopy". J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 7968-7978.

❖ Faculty Opinions: Pollack L: 10.3410/f.740144661.793586932.

5. B. Sarkar, K. Ishii, and T. Tahara*. "Microsecond conformational dynamics of biopolymers revealed by dynamic-quenching two-dimensional fluorescence lifetime correlation spectroscopy with single dye labeling". J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2019, 10, 5536-5541.

❖ Appeared as supplementary cover of the journal.

 6. K. Bera, A. K. Das, A. Rakshit, B. Sarkar, A. Rawat, B. K. Maity, and S. Maiti*. “Fluorogenic detection of monoamine neurotransmitters in live cells”. ACS Chem. Neurosci. 2018, 9(3), 469-474.

❖ Appeared as the cover of the journal.

7. M. Chandrakesan#, D. Bhowmik#, B. Sarkar, R. Abhyankar, H. Singh, M. Kallianpur, S. Dandekar, P. K. Madhu*, S. Maiti*, and V. S. Mithu*. (#equal contribution). “Steric crowding of the turn region alters the tertiary fold of Amyloid-β18-35 and makes it soluble”. J. Biol. Chem. 2015, 290, 30099-30107.

8. B. Sarkar#, V. S. Mithu#, B. Chandra#, A. Mandal, C. Muralidharan, D. Bhowmik, P. K. Madhu*, and S. Maiti*. (#equal contribution). “Structure of transient amyloid-β oligomers differs from less toxic fibrils in regions known to harbor familial Alzheimer mutations”. Angew. Chem. 2014, 53, 6888-6892.

❖ Selected as Very Important Paper (top 5%); appeared as the inside top cover of the journal.

9. B. Sarkar#, A. Banerjee#, A. K. Das, S. Nag, S. K. Kaushalya, U. Tripathy, M. Shameem, S. Shukla, and S. Maiti*. (#equal contribution). “Label-free dopamine imaging in live brain slices”. ACS Chem. Neurosci. 2014, 5(5), 329-334.

10. V. S. Mithu, B. Sarkar, D. Bhowmik, A. K. Das, M. Chandrakesan, S. Maiti*, and P. K. Madhu*. “Curcumin alters the salt-bridge containing turn region in amyloid beta 1-42 aggregates”. J. Biol. Chem. 2014, 289, 11122-11131.

11. S. Nag#, B. Sarkar#, M. Chandrakesan, R. Abhyankar, D. Bhowmik, M. Kombrabail, S. Dandekar, E. Lerner, E. Haas, and S. Maiti*. (#equal contribution). “A folding transition underlies the emergence of membrane affinity in amyloid-β”. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2013, 15, 19129-19133.

12. B. Sarkar, A. K. Das, and S. Maiti*. “Thermodynamically stable amyloid-β monomers have much lower membrane affinity than the small oligomers”. Front. Physiol. 2013, 4 (84), 1-11.

13. D. Maity, B. Sarkar, S. Maiti, and T. Govindaraju*. “A highly selective reaction-based two-photon probe for Cu+ in aqueous media”. ChemPlusChem. 2013, 78 (8), 785-788.

14. M. Chandrakesan, B. Sarkar, V. S. Mithu, R. Abhyankar, D. Bhowmik, S. Nag, B. Sahoo, R. Shah, S. Gurav, R. Banerjee, S. Dandekar, J. C. Jose, N. Sengupta, P. K. Madhu*, and S. Maiti*. “The basic structural motif and major biophysical properties of Amyloid-b are encoded in the fragment 18-35”. Chem. Phys. 2013, 422, 80-87.

15. D. Manna, J. Grewal, B. Sarkar, S. Maiti, and A. Lohia*. “Poly-unsaturated fatty acids induce polarized F-actin sub-membranous aggregates and kills Entamoeba histolytica”. Cytoskeleton 2013, 70 (5), 260-268.

16. B. Sarkar, A. K. Das, A. Banerjee, S. Arumugam, S. K. Kaushalya, J. Balaji, and S. Maiti*. “The dynamics of somatic exocytosis in monoaminergic neurons”. Front. Physiol. 2012, 3 (414), 1-13.

17. V. S. Mithu, B. Sarkar, M. Chandrakesan, D. Bhowmik, S. Maiti*, and P. K. Madhu*. “Zn++ binding disrupts the Asp23-Lys28 salt bridge without altering the b-hairpin structure of Aβ42 amyloid aggregates”. Biophys. J. 2011, 101, 2825-2832.

18. S. Nag, B. Sarkar, A. Banerjee, B. Sahoo, K. A. S. Varun, M. Kombrabail, and S. Maiti*. “Nature of the amyloid-b monomer and the monomer-oligomer equilibrium”. J. Biol. Chem. 2011, 286, 16, 13827.

19. R. Abhyankar, B. Sahoo, N. K. Singh, L. M. Meijer, B. Sarkar, A. K. Das, S. Nag, M. Chandrakesan, D. Bhowmik, S. Dandekar, and S. Maiti*. “Amyloid diagnostics: Probing protein aggregation and conformation with ultrasensitive fluorescence detection”. Proc. SPIE 2012, 8233, 82330B. (conference proceedings)

1. Invited talk at PicoQuant 28th International Workshop on “Single Molecule Spectroscopy and Super-resolution Microscopy”, Berlin, Germany (September 2023).

2. Invited talk at FCS@50 meeting, Kovalam, India (January 2023).

3. Invited talk at National Workshop on Fluorescence and Raman spectroscopy (FCS XIII), Thiruvananthapuram, India (January 2023).

4. Invited talk at the joint workshop of Pioneering Projects “Fundamental Principles Underlying the Hierarchy of Matter: A Comprehensive Experimental Study” & “Heterogeneity at Materials Interfaces”, RIKEN, Wako, Japan (December 2021).

5. Invited talk at “15th Symposium on Advanced Laser Spectroscopy by Young Researchers” organized by Advanced Laser Spectroscopy Division of the Spectroscopical Society of Japan, Tsukuba, Japan (July 2021).

6. Invited short talk at Trombay Symposium on Radiation and Photochemistry (TSRP-2020), Mumbai, India (January 2020).

7. Invited talk at National Workshop on Fluorescence and Raman Spectroscopy (FCS 2019), Hyderabad, India (December 2019).

8. Invited talk at Indo-Japan mini-workshop on “Frontiers in Molecular Spectroscopy: From Fundamentals to Applications in Chemistry and Biology”, Kobe, Japan (November 2018).

Title: “"Investigation of structure-dynamics-function relationship of gene regulatory noncoding RNAs at the single molecule level", DBT-Wellcome trust India Alliance Intermediate fellowship. (03/2024 – 02/2029)

1. Oral presentation at “The 16th Annual meeting of the Japan Society for Molecular Science”, Yokohama, Japan (September 2022).

2. Oral presentation at “The 15th Annual meeting of the Japan Society for Molecular Science”, Sapporo, Japan (online mode) (September 2021).

3. Oral presentation at “The 55th Annual meeting of the Biophysical Society of Japan”, Kumamoto, Japan (September 2017).

4. Oral presentation at “The 11th Annual meeting of the Japan Society for Molecular Science”, Sendai, Japan (September 2017).

5. Oral presentation at “Annual meeting of Chemical Society of Japan-2016”, Kyotanabe, Japan (March 2016).

6. Oral presentation at “Optics within Life Sciences (OWLS)-2012”, Genoa, Italy (July 2012).

7. Oral presentations at the ‘Graduate Students Meet’, ACTREC, Mumbai (2008 and 2009).

1. Teaching talks on advanced fluorescence methods. National Workshop on Fluorescence and Raman Spectroscopy: FCS XIII (2023), Thiruvananthapuram; FCS 2020, Mumbai (online mode); and FCS 2019, Hyderabad.

2. Instructor (student volunteer) for the hands-on demonstration. National Workshops on Fluorescence and Raman Spectroscopy (FCS 2010, Shillong; FCS 2011, Delhi; FCS 2012, Kolkata; FCS 2013, Bangalore)