A guest lecture was organized by the Department of Physiology, Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) on 16th February 2022, on the occasion of Foundation Day of KIIT Deemed to be University. Prof. Bhanu P. Jena, Ph.D., D.Sc., George E. Palade University Professor & Distinguished Professor, Wayne State University of Medicine delivered the lecture on “Porosomes – The Secretory Machinery in Cells”.
Using Atomic force microscopy on live cells, Prof. Jena was the first to report the discovery of a new cellular structure, the Porosome, in the mid 1990s. They are permanent supramolecular structures at the cell plasma membrane, where secretory vesicles dock and fuse to release intravesicular contents to the outside of the cell. This discovery was a major breakthrough in the understanding of cell secretion. The Porosome has been determined as the universal secretory machinery in cells, from exocrine cells of the pancreas, to neuroendocrine cells, and neurons. The discovery of the Porosome, and an understanding of its structure, function, composition, and reconstitution, has opened a new field in cell biology – Nano cell biology.
Prof. Jena studied Zoology (Endocrinology) at Utkal University (M.Sc.,1978). In 1988, he received PhD in Zoology (Molecular Endocrinology) from Iowa State, followed by postdoctoral studies at Iowa State and Yale Universities. He has a key role in the establishment of the Molecular Medicine Institute in the USA.
Earlier, Brig. Prof. A. P. Mohanty, Principal, KIMS welcomed and introduced the speaker. The session was organised and moderated by Dr. Jayanti Mishra, Professor & Head, Department of Physiology, KIMS. It was attended by the medical students and faculty in online and offline mode. At the end of the session, Dr. Soumya Mishra, Academic Secretary, KIMS proposed the vote of thanks.