Meet The Principals
Sushil K. Mahata, Ph.D.
Dr. Mahata is a Research Physiologist at the VA San Diego Healthcare System and is a Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego. After receiving his Ph.D. in comparative endocrinology at the University of Calcutta (India) in 1988, he moved to Hans Winkler’s laboratory at the University of Innsbruck (Austria) in 1990 for his postdoctoral studies, where he was exposed to the chromogranin/secretogranin family of proteins.
Read MoreGautam K. Bandyopadhyay, Ph.D.
Dr. Bandyopadhyay is a Project Scientist at UCSD and a Biochemist working in the field of diabetes and insulin action for last 25 years. He has published his research work in many prominent peer reviewed journals. Together with Dr. S.K. Mahata, his work on catestatin led to the discovery that catestatin is an antidiabetic peptide at pharmacological dose. In addition to his scientific work, he is actively involved in social and charitable work.
Read MoreAbout the drug
Catestatin is a novel endogenous peptide that regulates cardiac function and blood pressure. Catestatin (CST) is a peptide derived by proteolytic digestion from the pro-protein Chromogranin A, a secretagogue expressed in neuroendocrine tissues and macrophages. It prevents catecholamine production by inhibiting neural acetylcholine receptor activity. As a result, CST can reduce essential hypertension.
Read MoreAbout the patent
The invention provides methods for treating obesity in a subject comprising administrating an effective amount of CST or its equivalent to a subject afflicted with obesity so as to maintain an effective amount of circulating CST in the subject to promote lipolysis and oxidation of released fatty acids in both liver and adipose tissue, thereby, reducing adipose tissue weight and hence treating obesity in the afflicted subject.
Read MoreAbout the application
CST will be an injectable solution in physiological saline and each injection will deliver 1 microgram CST per gm body weight. In other words, it will be 90 mg CST for a person weighing 90 kg or 200 lb. It may be injected twice daily to get more effective control of the diseases. Injection site could be subcutaneous like insulin injection.
Read MoreInformation about grant
Granting Period 10/01/2017 to 9/30/2021
VA Merit Review grant on “Catestatin improves glucose homeostatsis and insulin sensitivity in diet induced obese mice”. Total funding amount is $ 1,901,105.70