Vibhav Gautam received his postgraduate degree in Biotechnology from Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India. He has completed his PhD degree in Biotechnology from National Institute of Plant Genome Research, India (Degree awarded by Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India). Dr. Gautam is currently working as Assistant Professor at Centre of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Institute of Medical sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. Currently, his work involves the use of various spectroscopy¿based techniques to identify the lead compound/s derived from fungal endophytes that show potential activity against breast cancer. Furthermore, his work also includes the use of various microscopic techniques to study the surface topology and architecture of bioengineered nanoparticles mediated by fungal endophytes. Hemant K. Gautam earned his Master's and Ph.D. degrees in Microbiology from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi, India. He has Post-doctoral experience in France and Israel. He presently works as a Chief Scientist and Professor at the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology in New Delhi. He is affiliated with several universities and belongs to a variety of scientific and academic organizations. He is a recipient of the SARC Award, Bharat Excellence Award, Biotechnology Award, Israel Government Fellowship, UNESCO Fellow, and International Project Reviewer RBUCE-UP, UniverSud, Paris. He has authored over 100 academic papers, two books, and has submitted over 500 novel sequences to the NCBI database. He has visited several countries, including France, Israel, Australia, Bulgaria, China, Thailand, Germany, the United States, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Ukraine. He is a Biosafety expert from Department of Biotechnology India. Dr. Gautam is involved in a variety of interdisciplinary projects, including in the areas of microbiology, microbial biotechnology, genomics, and nanobiotics. Dr. Gautam's goal is to develop techniques for rationally engineering next-generation smart antimicrobials by understanding their fundamental features and exploiting such structures to battle the "Antimicrobial resistance" silent pandemic knocking on the door. Rajiv Pathak is an accomplished virologist whose academic journey began with an M.Sc. from the University of Lucknow (2007-2009), followed by a Ph.D. at the CSIR-Institute of Genomics & Integrative Biology, Delhi (2010-2016), where he explored the role of G-quadruplex-forming sequences in microbial genomes. He continued his scientific pursuits with a postdoctoral fellowship at the Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, USA (2017-2022), where he currently serves as a Staff Scientist. Dr. Pathak has contributed significantly to multiple interdisciplinary projects aimed at advancing therapeutic strategies and addressing key challenges in infectious disease research. His work spans a wide spectrum, including the functional relevance of G-quadruplexes in microorganisms, development of novel therapeutic approaches against multidrug-resistant bacteria, HIV-1 latency and persistence, early replication kinetics of SARS-CoV-2, and the molecular pathogenesis of SMARCB1-associated atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors (a rare pediatric cancer). He has authored over 33 peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals such as Nucleic Acids Research, Acta Neuropathologica, and Nature Communications. His research has been recognized internationally, including Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory meetings. His commitment and dedication to scientific advancement is further demonstrated by his active involvement in the scientific societies, where he has served on editorial board member for 6 journals and reviewed over 60 manuscripts for more than 20 renowned journals in the field. Lalit Kumar received his MBBS and Master of Surgery (MS) degrees from the Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. He subsequently completed his M.Ch. degree in Urology from S.P. Medical College, Bikaner, India. Dr. Kumar is currently working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Urology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. He has undergone advanced training through prestigious fellowships, including a Fellowship in Laparoscopic and Robotic Urology at AIIMS, New Delhi; the ATLAS Internationale Fellowship in Robotic Surgery by the Vattikuti Foundation at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, USA, and observerships at Singapore General Hospital and National University Hospital, Singapore. He is an expert in minimally invasive laparoscopic and robotic surgeries for the management of various urological tract pathologies. Currently, his work involves the integration of high-throughput transcriptomic and metabolomic profiling to uncover molecular signatures associated with various urological cancers. Furthermore, his research focuses on biomarker discovery and the development of novel diagnostic and prognostic tools to enhance early detection and precision management of bladder and prostate cancers.
