Pratik Banerjee, M.Tech., Ph.D.
      Assistant Professor
      Contact information: pbnerjee@memphis.edu
      Phone: 901-678-4443
      Robison Hall 338
      Curriculum Vitae
      

Education:

• Ph.D., Food Science, Center for Food Safety Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA.
• M.Tech., Biotechnology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata (Calcutta), India.
• B.Tech., Dairy Technology, West Bengal University of Animal & Fishery Sciences, Kolkata (Calcutta), India.

Research Interests:

• Food safety and microbiology
• Biosensor based rapid detection of pathogens, toxins, and contaminants from food and environmental (water, soil, air) samples
• Molecular, immunological and cell biological aspects of host-microbes and host-environmental hazard interactions
• Food safety regulations and policies

Recent Publications:

• Banerjee P, Franz B and Bhunia AK, "Mammalian cell based sensor system" in Advances in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology 2010, 117: 21–55, Springer‐Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
• Banerjee P, and Bhunia AK, Cell-based biosensor for rapid screening of pathogens and toxins. Biosens Bioelectron.2010,26(1):99-106
• Bueno VFF, Banerjee P, Banada PP, Mesquita AJ, Marques EGL and Bhunia AK, Characterization of Listeria monocytogenes isolates of food and human origins from Brazil using molecular typing procedures and in vitro cell culture assays. Int J Environ Health Res 2010, 20(1):43-59
• Banerjee P, Merkel GJ and Bhunia AK, Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus B-30892 can inhibit cytotoxic effects and adhesion of pathogenic Clostridium difficile to Caco-2 cells. Gut Pathogens 2009, 1:8
• Banerjee P, Bhunia AK, Mammalian cell-based biosensors for pathogens and toxins. Trends Biotechnol 2009, 27(3): 179-188
• Banerjee P, Lenz D, Rickus JL, and Bhunia AK, A novel and simple cell-based detection system with collagen encapsulated B-lymphocyte cell line as a biosensor for rapid detection of pathogens and toxins. Lab Investigation 2008, 88(2):196-206 (www.nature.com/labinvest)
• Banerjee P, Morgan MT, Rickus JL, Ragheb K, Corvalan C, Robinson JP, Bhunia AK: Hybridoma Ped-2E9 cells cultured under modified conditions can sensitively detect Listeria monocytogenes and Bacillus cereus. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2007, 73 (6): 1423-1434
• Bhunia AK, Banada PP, Banerjee P and Valadez A, Novel optical biosensor approaches for sensitive detection of foodborne pathogens. J Rapid Methods Automat Microbiol 2007, 15(2): 121–145

Courses Taught:

• PUBH 7120 Environmental Health I (In Classroom & Online), Spring
• PUBH 7/8129 Environmental Sampling and Analysis, Spring
• Courses on Environmental Health Microbiology and Molecular Epidemiology of Foodborne Illness are under development, and will be offered soon

Dr. Pratik Banerjee is a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Environmental Health in the School Food Public Health at the University of Memphis. Dr. Banerjee received his Ph.D. in Food Science from Purdue University working in the area of food safety focusing on rapid detection of pathogens and toxins in food and drinking water. Before joining U of M, Dr. Banerjee worked as a tenure track faculty member in the Department of Food and Animal Sciences at Alabama A&M University (AAMU), Huntsville, Alabama, USA. He joined AAMU from LacPro Industries, LLC at Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA where he worked as the Principal Scientist, leading the R & D section of the company.As a researcher Dr. Banerjee has developed a multi-disciplinary research program in the areas of food safety and food microbiology (molecular microbiology and immunochemistry), nanotechnology based rapid detection of pathogens and toxins, and host-pathogen interaction. The primary areas of his research interests involve developing novel biosensor-based diagnostics using tools of nanotechnology, immunochemistry and molecular biology, investigating the epidemiological aspects of foodborne pathogenic organisms using molecular and cell biological methods, automation of the cell-based screening and providing science-based assistance to ensure on-farm or in-plant food safety practices of small and medium scale operations. As the principal investigator or as a collaborator, Dr. Banerjee has secured funding from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and from State and local agencies. The findings of Dr. Banerjee's work have been published in several internationally reputed peer-reviewed journals with wide readerships like Biosensors and Bioelectronics, Trends in Biotechnology, Laboratory Investigation (a Nature journal), International Journal of Environmental Health Research, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, Toxicology Letters, World Journal of Gastroenterology, Platelets, Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry etc. He has extensively presented his work at leading scientific meetings like American Society of Microbiology (ASM), International Association for Food Protection (IAFP), Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), etc. As an educator, he has taught undergraduate level courses such as Food Microbiology, Regulation of Food Safety and Quality, Food Engineering, Food Analysis, General Microbiology and Industrial Biotechnology; and graduate level courses such as Food Microbiological Techniques, Molecular Techniques in Foodborne Pathogens, Advanced Food Microbiology, Functional Foods, etc.