Dr. Ashok Kumar is currently working as an Assistant Professor at All India Institute of Medical Sciences Bhopal, India. He received his M.Sc in Molecular Biology & Biotechnology from GB Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar, India. He completed his PhD in Life Sciences from Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India. He did his postdoctoral fellowship at Texas A&M University-Health Science Center, Temple, TX,  and at UCSF-Benioff’s Children Hospital Oakland, CA, USA.

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a naturally occurring bioactive sphingolipid metabolite. Sphingolipids are essential structural constituents of the plasma membrane of all eukaryotic organisms and are also produced by some bacteria. S1P plays a critical role in several physiological processes including lymphocyte trafficking, vascular development and inflammation. In addition to its role in immune cell trafficking and signaling, S1P functions as an oncogenic lipid that promotes tumor growth and progression. Intracellular levels of S1P are regulated by several S1P metabolic enzymes including sphingosine kinase 1, S1P lyase, lipid phosphate phosphatase 3 and S1P phosphatases. I am particularly interested in the studying the role of S1P signaling pathway in carcinogenesis and lymphocyte trafficking.