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Vijay Kumar

Stanley S. Scott cancer Center, School of Medicine Department of Interdisciplinary Oncology Louisiana State University Health Science Center (LSUHSC), New Orleans, LA

Dr. Vijay Kumar, Ph.D., has more than 17 years of research experience in bacterial infections, including sepsis and pneumonia, innate immunity, immunopharmacology, immunomodulation, and inflammation. He obtained his Ph.D. from the Department of Microbiology, Panjab University, India in 2009. Dr. Kumar is the recipient of the prestigious 'Piero Periti review article award” for 2008, awarded by the Journal of Chemotherapy in the field of immunomodulation and antimicrobials for the article entitled 'Innate immunity in sepsis pathogenesis and its modulation: new immunomodulatory targets revealed.” He received junior research and senior research fellowships (2004–2009) from the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi, India. He has received seventeen international travel awards for attending various international conferences in infection and immunity. He has published seventy-five publications in peer-reviewed international journals as well as book chapters on macrophages and innate immunity. He is an associate editor for Frontiers in Immunology (Inflammation section), executive guest editor for the journal Coronaviruses, Biocell (special issue: Neuroimmune Interactions at the Crossroads of Health and Disease), and editorial board member of Frontiers in Biosciences and other journals. He is also an invited reviewer for several immunology journals like Scientific Reports, British Journal of Pharmacology, Pharmacological Reports, Frontiers in Immunology, Frontiers in Medicine, Journal of Inflammation Research, Cellular and Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Immunology, and Innate Immunity

5books edited

6chapters authored

Latest work with IntechOpen by Vijay Kumar

Macrophages were first discovered in 1882 when Elia Metchnikoff recognized them as important phagocytic cells that can engulf any foreign material, including fungal spores. This discovery has proved to be a milestone in establishing the field of innate immunity. Macrophages are still ruling the area after 140 years of their discovery. This book explores the diverse role of macrophages in vertebrate immunity, parasitic, bacterial, and viral infections, regeneration, inflammation, and neurological diseases.

Macrophages

Macrophages

Edited by Vijay Kumar

Books edited

Inflammation in the 21st Century

Inflammation in the 21st Century

Edited by Vijay Kumar

SARS-CoV-2 Origin and COVID-19 Pandemic Across the Globe

SARS-CoV-2 Origin and COVID-19 Pandemic Across the Globe

Edited by Vijay Kumar

Vaccines

Vaccines

Edited by Vijay Kumar

Sepsis

Sepsis

Edited by Vijay Kumar

Chapters authored

Innate Immune System in Sepsis Immunopathogenesis and Its Modulation as a Future Therapeutic Approach

By Vijay Kumar

Part of the book: Inflammatory Diseases

Introductory Chapter: The Journey of Vaccines - The Past and the Present

By Kumar Vijay

Part of the book: Vaccines

Macrophages: The Potent Immunoregulatory Innate Immune Cells

By Vijay Kumar

Macrophages are ubiquitously present innate immune cells in humans and animals belonging to both invertebrates and vertebrates. These cells were first recognized by Elia Metchnikoff in 1882 in the larvae of starfish upon insertion of thorns of tangerine tree and later in Daphnia magna or common water flea infected with fungal spores as cells responsible for the process of phagocytosis of foreign particles. Elia Metchnikoff received the Noble prize (Physiology and Medicine) for his discovery and describing the process of phagocytosis in 1908. More than 130 years have passed and different subtypes and roles of macrophages as innate immune cells have been established by the researchers. In addition to their immunoregulatory role in immune homeostasis and pathogenic infection, they also play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of sterile inflammatory conditions including autoimmunity, obesity, and cancer. The present chapter describes the immunoregulatory role of macrophages in the homeostasis and inflammatory diseases varying from autoimmunity to metabolic diseases including obesity.

Part of the book: Macrophage Activation

Learning from Bats to Escape from Potent or Severe Viral Infections

By Vijay Kumar

The COVID-19 pandemic that started in December 2019 in Wuhan city, China has created chaos all over the world with over 185 million infection cases and 4 million deaths world-wide. The pathogen behind COVID-19 has been identified as severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that is more close to the previous SARS-CoV responsible for SARS epidemic 2002–2003. Although, SARS-CoV-2 also differs from SARS-CoV in many aspects as indicated by genetic studies. For example, SARS-CoV does not have a furin binding domain or site, whereas its presence in SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein increases its potential for infectivity. The horseshoe bats (Rhinolphus species) from China are considered as primary animal reservoirs for SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. However, along with CoVs, bats also harbor many other viral pathogens (Ebola, Nipah, and Hendra viruses) without having serious infections. The bat physiology plays a crucial role in harboring these viruses along with adaptations to longevity and slow aging process. The immune system plays a crucial role in the clearance or establishment of the infection. Present chapter discusses different immunological aspects (innate immune response comprising the virus recognizing pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), type 1 interferon production, pro- and anti-inflammatory immune response, and adaptive immune response) that help bats to control viral infection without getting a severe infection as compared to other mammals, including humans.

Part of the book: SARS-CoV-2 Origin and COVID-19 Pandemic Across the Globe

Introductory Chapter: The Journey of Inflammation and Inflammatory Disease Research - Past, Present, and Future

By Vijay Kumar

Part of the book: Inflammation in the 21st Century

Introductory Chapter: Macrophages – More than Sentinel Innate Immune Cells

By Vijay Kumar

Part of the book: Macrophages

View all chapters

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