User:MizzouWriter/sandbox/Kattesh V. Katti

Kattesh V. Katti

Kattesh Varihanumanthacharya Katti (born November 11, 1956) is an Indian born American chemist and Curators’ Distinguished Professor of Radiology, Physics, Biological Engineering and Medical Pharmacology and Physiology and Senior Research Scientist at the University of Missouri Research Reactor, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA. He is also the Director of the Institute of Green nanotechnology at the same institution. He is best known for his work in the areas of bioconjugation chemistry, radiopharmaceutical sciences for SPECT imaging and radiotherapy, biocompatible nanoparticles for molecular imaging and therapy through nanomedicine. He is globally renowned as the father of ‘Green Nanotechnology’ where his inventions have paved way for the industrial scale production of a myriad of nanoparticles through electron-rich plant-based phytochemicals, thus achieving zero carbon footprint in the overall production scheme . He is the inventor of a family of trigonal (or trimeric) amino acids (commonly referred to as ‘Katti Peptides’) which have found widespread applications in nanobiomedicine, biomaterials and allied biomedical sciences. A prolific author and patent holder who has received many awards, including the George Hevesy Medal Award—the premier international award of excellence in radioanalytical and nuclear chemistry—named after the Nobel Prize winner George de HEVESY.

Education and academic career
Katti attended high school at the K.E.Boards School in Dharwad, India and graduated in 1970. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the J.S.S. College, affiliated to Karnatak University in Dharwad, India, in 1977 and earned a Masters in Science Education in chemistry from the Regional College of Education in Mysore, affiliated to the National Council of Education and Research, New Delhi, India, in 1979. In 1984, he received a Ph.D. in chemistry from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) where he worked with his mentor S. S. Krishnamurthy. At IISc, Katti’s graduate work used main group family of heterocyclic compounds referred to as phosphazenes. He performed synthesis of various monomeric and polymeric phosphazenes as well as probed the mechanism of substitution reactions at the P(V) center in these main group compounds. He was an Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Gottingen, Germany, where he worked with Professor Hebert W. Roesky on cyclometallophosphazenes—a family of quasi-aromatic heterocycles—which he discovered through insertion of transition metals within the cyclic phosphazenes. He used single crystal X-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy extensively to study the structures and ring-opening polymerization processes of this new class of hybrid inorganic-organometallic compounds. He became a faculty in 1990 and currently serves as a distinguished Curators’ Professor in Radiology and Physics at the University of Missouri with a joint appointment as a Senior Research Scientist at the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR).

Current Research
Katti’s research interests include main group chemistry, materials science, bioconjugation chemistry, biomaterials, medicinal chemistry, radiopharmaceutical sciences, nanotechnology, green nanotechnology and nanomedicine. He has moved from one research frontier to another many times throughout his career with the sole of objective of translating research findings into valued added products for saving human lives. He has done that repeatedly in his quest toward rational drug design through innovative discoveries in new chemical, radiometal or nanoparticulate conjugates for improving drug efficacy, drug delivery and drug tolerance. Katti is regarded as a pioneer in the area of radioactive gold nanoparticles as he has demonstrated their applications in in vivo imaging, cancer therapy and in theranostics. Katti Peptides: All living things contain carbon, mostly sp3-bonded in tetrahedral geometry, in the form of macromolecules, including proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and carbohydrates. Probing the structures of the three-dimensional essential constituents of proteins and DNA in the living system has had a profound impact in understanding the origin and evolution of life. In this context, Katti’s 1994 discovery of trigonal (or trimeric) amino acids is a major innovation as it paves way for the rational drug design through interconnecting fields of three-dimensional peptide and protein structural biology, the genetic basis of diseases, and many more fields. Katti’s discovery of trigonal (or trimeric) amino acids, which are rare, have been referred to as the ‘Katti Peptides’ by the National Academy of Inventors. More recently, in his continuous efforts toward clinical translation aimed at achieving his lifelong objectives from ‘bench to bedside’ through his discoveries, Katti has applied nanotechnology to ancient Ayurvedic medicine practiced in India for over 5000 thousand years. His invention of a new medical modality, called as ‘Nano Ayurvedic Medicine’, has received approval for its use in various products by the US Patents and Trademarks office . Katti’s inventions have resulted in several products for human use for treating cancers, infections and various diseases and disorders. Katti attributes his success to a great balance in his formal education in chemistry, physics and mathematics. The St Louis Academy of Science—one of the oldest scientific academies of the world—when it awarded the '2007 Outstanding St. Louis Scientist Fellows Award', the Academy's literature cited: ‘Katti was selected to receive this award in part because of the international recognition he has received for his contributions to chemistry, physics, nanoscience and radiochemistry—a rare feat to be distinguished in all of these fields simultaneously" and praised Katti's discoveries in the development of gold and silver nanoparticles for applications in nanomedicine

Awards and achievements
Katti is the author of more than 350 scientific articles, reviews and peer reviewed scientific conference publications and is listed as an inventor on at least 30 patents and over 150 scientific inventions. Katti has co-founded 4 companies within the nanotechnology, nanomedicine and green nanotechnology spaces for the development of the next generation of health and hygiene products. Katti has mentored more than 75 graduate students, postdocs, and visiting scholars. He serves on the editorial advisory boards of several scientific journals. Katti is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC). He is also a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors which recognized his inventions of a group of trigonal (trimeric) amino acids as the ‘Katti Peptides’ in its award citation. He is a fellow of the Academy of Science - St. Louis—one of the oldest scientific societies of the world. Among other awards and recognitions, Katti is the recipient of the George Hevesy Medal Award (2015)—a premier international award of excellence in radioanalytical and nuclear chemistry—named after George de HEVESY, the Nobel Prize winner. This coveted prize is awarded to an individual in recognition of excellence through outstanding, sustained career achievements in the fields of pure as well as applied nuclear and radiochemistry, applications to nuclear analytical chemistry. He was cited as the ‘Father of Green Nanotechnology (2007)’ by the Nobel Prize winner Norman Borlaug, in recognition of his pioneering efforts in the production of gold nanoparticles using electron-rich phytochemicals from Soya beans and various plant species [14]. Dr. Katti, for the first time, demonstrated that by submersing gold salts in water and then adding soybeans, gold nanoparticles were generated which are non-toxic for applications in molecular imaging and therapy of cancer and other diseases. He is a recipient of the WHOs WHO Marquis “Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award” (2019) . This work has created a new field of holistic medicine which is now referred to as ‘Nano Ayurvedic Medicine. He has received the RMIT Foundation Award (2016) in recognition of his pioneering research in Green Nanotechnology, Nano-Ayurvedic Medicine and Nano Medicine. He was recognized as ‘One of 25 Most Influential Scientists In Molecular Imaging in the World’ by RT Image for his discovery of the production of biocompatible radioactive gold nanoparticles for theranostics applications in molecular imaging and therapy of cancer and other diseases. Katti is the first immigrant American to receive the ‘Outstanding Missourian Award’ in 2008, the citation states: “The Missourian Award is an acknowledgement of the most accomplished citizen of the state of Missouri and the Nation (http://missourianaward.org/). He received this State’s highest award in recognition of his pioneering research and groundbreaking discoveries spanning the areas of cancer diagnostics/therapy and Nanomedicine. Kattesh Katti received the 2006 Gauss Professorship Award from the Göttingen Academy of Sciences, Germany—the fourth US scientist to receive this highly prestigious international award. He received the 2007 Outstanding St. Louis Scientist Fellows Award. Katti was inducted into this prestigious academy as a ‘Fellow’ in 2007. The Academy's literature called it "a rare feat to be distinguished in all chemistry, physics, nanoscience and radiochemistry—all of these fields simultaneously" and praised Katti's discoveries in the development of gold and silver nanoparticles for applications in nanomedicine. Kattesh Katti received the highest academic honor from the University of Missouri, the Distinguished Curators’ Professorship’ award (2009)—in recognition of his internationally acclaimed groundbreaking discoveries as well as his sustained outstanding research and scholarship contributions in nanoscience and nanomedicine. He received the University of Missouri’s 50th Alumni Association Award in 2017 for his sustained and outstanding contributions in research, teaching, economic development and service

. He was also honored with an Endowed Chair Professorship in Cancer Research entitled ‘Margaret Proctor Mulligan Professor in Cancer Research’ with a citation: “Katti is internationally known for developing gold nanoparticles that can detect breast cancer and other forms of cancer, potentially much earlier than current imaging methods”. More recently, United Nations/International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chose Katti as the Global Subject Expert & Consultant in Green Nano-Radiopharmaceuticals with an official assignment in Thailand. He has represented the United States in research missions in his pioneering field of Nanoradiopharmaceuticals at the United Nations/IAEA in 2015-2020. Kattesh Katti is a scholar of the Alexander von Humboldt from Germany (1985-1987). In 2014, Sam Higginbottom Institute of Agriculture Technology and Sciences (SHIATS)—One of India’s 100-year old premier Universities—honored Katti with a Doctor of Science Degree (DSc) and established an Institute named after him: ‘Kattesh Katti Institute of Green Nanotechnology and Agri Nanotechnology’. He has also received the Doctor of Science Degree (DSc) from his alma mater, the Karnataka University in 2009. Kattesh Katti’s research discoveries have been extensively cited by popular media including the British Broadcasting Corporation, HowStuffWorks, Huffingtonpost and numerous print and television media throughout the world

Personal life
Katti and his wife, Kavita, have one daughter, Sumidha, and one son, Nahush. Sumidha, with a Master of Public Health degree, works as a healthcare revenue review consultant in San Francisco, CA. Nahush, with a degree in Industrial Engineering, works for a healthcare consulting company in the Chicago, IL area