Dr. Naveen Kumar was born on July 19, 1975, in Alwar, Rajasthan. He earned his B.V.Sc. & A.H. and M.V.Sc. degrees from the College of Veterinary Sciences, Bikaner. In 2006, he completed his Ph.D. at the Veterinary College, Hisar, and the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, Insel-Riems, Germany, under the DAAD Sandwich Ph.D. Program. He then pursued postdoctoral research at the School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, USA, from 2006 to 2011. In 2017, he was a visiting fellow at Edinburgh Medical School, University of Edinburgh, UK.
In 2011, Dr. Kumar joined the ICAR, where he served as Senior Scientist, Principal Scientist, and Head of the National Centre for Veterinary Type Cultures, Hisar. In March 2024, he assumed the role of Director at the National Institute of Virology, Pune.
A distinguished virologist, Dr. Kumar has made significant contributions to understanding virus-host interactions. His research has identified several key cellular kinases and epigenetic modifiers as viral host-dependency factors (HDFs). These HDFs represent novel drug targets with minimal potential for antiviral drug resistance. He is a pioneer in analyzing drug resistance against host-directed antiviral agents and elucidating their molecular mechanisms. He has developed a poxvirus VP39 (methyltransferase) mutant that enhances mRNA stability and translational efficiency, with significant implications for improving mRNA vaccine stability.
Dr. Kumar was the first to isolate the lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) in India and developed the world's first DIVA marker vaccine for LSD, which has been commercialized via at least four major vaccine manufacturers in India. Additionally, he successfully isolated the wild-type, Delta, and Omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2 from human patients and developed ANCOVAX, a vaccine to prevent COVID-19 in animals. India became the third country, after the USA and Russia, to develop a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine for animals.
He is the recipient of several awards, such as the Award of Excellence in Agriculture Research (2023); the India Animal Health Awards 2023; the Commonwealth Professional Fellowship, UK (2016); Societal Innovation Award from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Govt. of India (2016); DAAD fellowship, Germany (2004) and Gold Medal for first place in MVSc (2002).
He has served as a technical advisor to WHO and WOAH on several infectious diseases. He is the section editor of the Journal “Virulence” and has been a reviewer for several international journals.
1. Kumar N, Zin Z, Liang Y, Ly H and Liang Y. (2008). NF-B signaling differentially regulates influenza viral RNA synthesis. Journal of Virology. 82:9880-9889.
2. Lan S, McLay L, Wang J, Kumar N, Ly H, and Liang Y. (2009). Development of infectious clones for virulent and avirulent Pichinde viruses – a model virus to study arenavirus-induced hemorrhagic fevers. Journal of Virology, 83, 6357-6352.
3. Sharma S, Mulick S, Kumar N, Suryavanshi A and Ruse B. (2011). An Anti-inflammatory role of VEGFR2/Src kinase inhibitor in HSV-1 induced immunopathology, Journal of Virology, 85, 5995-6007.
4. Kumar N, Liang Y, Parslow TG and Liang Y. (2011). Tyrosine kinase inhibitors block multiple steps of influenza A virus replication. Journal of Virology, 85, 2818-27.
5. Sharma S, Sundararajan A, Suryawanshi A, Kumar N, Tamara VP Kuchroo VK, Thomas PG, Sangster MY and Rouse BT. (2011). Tim-3/Galectin-9 interaction regulates influenza A virus specific humoral and CD8 T cell responses. Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences, USA, 108, 19001-19006.
6. Kumar N, Liang Y, Parslow TG and Liang Y. (2011). Receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors that block replication of influenza A and other viruses. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 55, 5553-59.
7. Kumar N, Wang J, Lan S, Danzy S, Schelde LM, Seladi, J, Ly H and Liang Y. (2012). Characterization of virulence-associated determinants in the envelope glycoprotein of Pichinde virus, Virology, 433, 97-103.
8. Wang J, Danzy S, Kumar N, Ly H and Liang Y. (2012). Biological Roles and Functional Mechanisms of Arenavirus Z Protein in Viral Replication. Journal of Virology, 86, 9794-801.
9. Khandelwal, N, Chander Y and Rawat KD, Riyesh T, Sharma S, Jindal N, Tripath BN*, Barua S* and Kumar N*. (2017). Emetine inhibits replication of RNA and DNA viruses without generating drug-resistant virus variants, Antiviral Research, 144, 196-204 (*Corresponding author).
10. Kumar N*, Sharma S, Barua S, Tripathi BN and Rouse BT. (2018). Virological and Immunological outcomes of coinfections. Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 31, e0011-17 (*Corresponding author).
11. Kumar R, Khandelwal, N, Riyesh T, Tripath BN, Maherchandani S, Kashyap SK, Barua S and Kumar N*. (2018). MNK1 inhibitor as an antiviral agent suppresses buffalopox virus replication, Antiviral Research, 160, 126-136. (*Corresponding author).
12. Khandelwal, N , Chander Y, Dedar RK, Goyal MK, Sharma S, Riyesh T, Gulati BR, Tripathi BN, Barua S*, Kumar N* , (2020). Antiviral activity of Apigenin: Novel mechanistic insights and drug resistance considerations. Antiviral Research . 181, 104877 (*Corresponding author ).
13. Kumar N*, Sharma S*, Kumar R, Barua S, Tripathi BN, Ly H, Rouse BT (2020). Host-directed antiviral therapy. Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 31:e00111-17 (page 1-35). (*Corresponding author).
14. Kumar, R, Khandelwal, N, Chander Y, Riyesh T, Gulati BR, Tripathi BN, Barua S*, Kumar N*, (2021). Emetine suppresses SARS-CoV-2 replication by inhibiting interaction of viral mRNA with eIF4E. Antiviral Research Antiviral Research, 189, 105056-59 (*Corresponding author).
15. Kumar R, Chander Y, Khandelwal N, Nagori H, Verma A, Rawat KD, Shringi BN, Singh N, Tripathi BN, Barua S, Kumar N* (2022). ROCK1/MLC2 inhibition induces decay of viral mRNA in BPXV infected cells. Scientific Reports, 2022, 12, 17811. (*Corresponding author).
16. Chander Y, Kumar R, Khandelwal N, Nagori H, Verma A, Shringi BN, Singh N, Tripathi BN, Barua S, Kumar N* (2022). Resistance Evolution against Host-directed Antiviral Agents: Buffalopox Virus Switches to Use p38-ϒ under Long-term Selective Pressure of an Inhibitor Targeting p38-α. Molecular Biology and Evolution 39, msac177. (*Corresponding author).
17. Kumar R, Chander Y, Khandelwal N, Barua A, Godara B, Nagori H, Verma A, Pal Y, Gulati BR, Tripathi BN, Barua S*, Kumar N* (2022). S-adenosylmethionine dependent methyltransferase inhibitor DZNep blocks transcription and translation of SARS-CoV-2 genome with a low tendency to select for drug-resistant viral variants. Antiviral Research, 197, 105232. (*Corresponding author).
18. Chander Y, Kumar R, Khandelwal N, Singh N, Shringi BN, Barua S*, Kumar N*, (2022). Role of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase signalling in virus replication and potential for developing broad-spectrum antiviral drugs. Reviews in Medical Virology, DOI:10.1002/rmv.2217 (*Corresponding author).
19. Kumar N*, Barua S*, Kumar R, Khandelwal N, Kumar A, verma A, Yadav L, Godara B, Chander Y, Riyesh T, Sharma DK, Pathak A, Kumar S, Dedar RK, Mehta V, Gaur M, Bhardwaj B, Vyas V, Chaudhary S, Yadav V, Bhati A, Kaul R, Bashir A, Andrabi A, Yousuf RW, Koul A, Kachhawa S, Tiwari HA, Gupta MK, Kumar R, Misri J, Kumar A, Mohanty AK, Nandi S, Singh KP, Pal Y, Dutt T, Tripathi BN*. (2023). Evaluation of the safety, immunogenicity and efficacy of a new live-attenuated lumpy skin disease vaccine in India. Virulence, 14(1), 2190647 (*Corresponding author).
20. Verma A, Kumar R, Chander Y, Kamboj H, Tripathi BN, Barua S, Kumar N*. (2024). Hesperetin blocks poxvirus replication by competitively inhibiting binding of the 5’ cap of viral mRNA with eIF4E. Journal of Medical Virology, 96(4): e29555.doi:10.1002/jmv.29555. (*Corresponding author).
1. Naveen Kumar, Alka Nokhwal, Yogesh Chander, Assim Verma, T. Riyesh. A recombinant protein antigen for differentiating LSD virus infected and vaccinated animals, recombinant DNA molecules encoding said recombinant protein antigens and methods thereof, Indian patent, Application Number 202511010744 and a filing date of February 08, 2025
2. Naveen Kumar and Assim Verma. A gain-of-function mutation in poxvirus encoded 2’O-methyltransferase: Enhancing stability and translational efficiency of viral mRNA. Indian patent, Application Number 202411066694 and a filing date of 03rd September 2024.
3. Naveen Kumar and Assim Verma. A gain-of-function mutation in poxvirus encoded 2’O-methyltransferase: Enhancing stability and translational efficiency of viral mRNA. PCT International Application No. PCT/IN2024/052293, International filing date 27/11/2024.
4. Naveen Kumar, Alka Nokhwal, Yogesh Chander, Assim Verma, T. Riyesh and Sanjay Barua. 2024. Cav1/HDAC6 knockout BHK-21 cell for enhanced production of foot-and-mouth disease virus. Indian patent, Application Number 202411057416 and a filing date of 29th July 2024.
5. Naveen Kumar, Ram Kumar, Shalini Sharma, Sanjay Barua. 2024. miR-29a serves as a novel immunovirological marker to predict the functionality of immune response to Lumpy Skin Disease virus infection. Indian patent, Application serial no. 202311063758 and a filing date of 22nd September 2023.
6. Naveen Kumar, Ram Kumar, Sanjay Barua, Bhupendra N. Tripathi, 2022. Development of a Novel test to differentiate the vaccine and field strains of LSDV. Indian Application serial no. 202211074538 and a filing date December 22, 2022.
7. Naveen Kumar, Sanjay Barua, Bhupendra N. Tripathi, Yash Pal, Baldev R. Gulati, Nitin Khandelwal, Ram Kumar and Yogesh Chander 2022. A novel vaccine formulation to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection in animals. Indian Application serial no. 202211026023 and a filing date 04th May 2022.
8. Rajnikant Sharma, Naveen Kumar and Baldev Kumar. 2022. Tablet formulation of Sughandbala and Khus for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2. Indian Application Number: 202211021310A, Publication date: May 6, 2022.
9. Rajnikant Sharma, Naveen Kumar and Baldev Kumar. 2022. Syrup formulation of Sughandbala and Khus for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2. Application Number: 202211021311A, Publication date: May 6, 2022.
10. Naveen Kumar, Sanjay Barua and Bhupendra N. Tripathi. 2022. Development of a Novel Modified Attenuated Lumpy Skin Disease Virus (LSDV) For Use as Vaccine. Indian Application number: 202211013092, filing date of 10th March 2022.
11. Ramesh Kumar, Naveen Kumar and B. N. Tripathi. 2018. Compound and compositions for the treatment of exuberant granulation tissue and tumors. Indian Application number: TEMP/E-1/53439/2018-DEL
