Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Gupta

Overview

Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Gupta began his career at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in 1977 as an MBBS student. He later earned his MD in Preventive and Social Medicine from the same institution and has been a Professor of Community Medicine since September 2005.
Throughout his career, Dr. Gupta has been deeply engaged in teaching medical undergraduates, postgraduates, and nursing students. His work also includes conducting population-based epidemiological studies, providing technical input for national health programs, developing health education materials, and contributing to distance learning courses in healthcare.
From 2006 to 2011, he served as the Professor-in-charge of the Comprehensive Rural Health Services Project in Ballabgarh. He then led the Urban Health Programme as Professor-in-charge from 2012 to 2018 and coordinated the MD students’ teaching program from 2009 to 2020.
A distinguished fellow of both the Indian Public Health Association and the Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine (since 2007), Dr. Gupta is a life member of several professional bodies. He has published more than two hundred papers and texts throughout his career.

Educational Qualifications
•    DM (Hematopathology): 2007–2010, AIIMS, New Delhi
•    DNB (Pathology): 2004, National Board of Examination, Delhi
•    MD (Pathology): 2001–2004, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi
•    MBBS: 1995–2000, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi

Fellowship & Areas of Interest
•    Fellowship: DHR Fellowship in Genomics (2019) at MD Anderson Cancer Centre, Houston, Texas, USA.
•    Areas of Interest: Molecular genetics of hematological malignancies, with a focus on Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
•    Associate Editor: Indian Journal of Hematology and Blood Transfusion

Research Contributions
Dr. Gupta's research is centered on the molecular genetic profile of B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) and its impact on clinical outcomes.
•    He published the first papers from India on the prevalence of gene copy number variations, such as CDKN2A/B, PAX5, ETV6, and IKAROS (IKZF1) deletions in B-ALL. This work established a higher prevalence of the adverse genetic variation of IKZF1 deletions in the patient cohort, confirming its independent prognostic impact on the disease's outcome.
•    He demonstrated the complementary role of molecular genetics in outcome prediction for B-ALL, working alongside the standard practice of flow cytometry-based minimal residual disease (MRD) assessment. For this work, he received the AIIMS Oncology Research Award in 2019.
•    Dr. Gupta proposed and showed the clinical application of a novel molecular genetic risk scoring system, "MRplus," for B-ALL, which earned him the AIIMS Oncology Research Award in 2021.
•    As part of an international collaboration, he studied the clinical impact of COBL gene rearrangements in B-ALL cases with IKZF1 deletions. The findings confirmed that COBL is a hotspot associated with IKZF1 deletions and were published in Translational Oncology.
•    Earlier in his career, Dr. Gupta worked on the rapid diagnosis of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APML) using immunofluorescence. This research, which helps in the early institution of therapy and prevention of complications, was quoted in Brazilian national guidelines for APML management and earned him the Mrs. Geeta Mittal Medal for Clinical Research in 2009.
•    He has also established data on the prevalence of other prognostically relevant genetic variations in Indian B-ALL patients, including iAMP21 and ERG deletions.
•    Dr. Gupta has evaluated the utility of various molecular diagnostic techniques, such as MLPA, multiplex fluorescent PCR, sequencing, Flow cytometry, and FISH, for detecting genetic variations in B-ALL.

Awards and Honors
•    AIIMS Oncology Research Award (2021): For his publication on the "MRplus" molecular genetic risk scoring system.
•    AIIMS Oncology Research Award (2019): For his publication on using molecular genetic profiles to refine outcome prediction in B-ALL.
•    AIIMS Excellence Research Award (2017): For his publication on gene copy number alterations in B-ALL.
•    DHR Long-term Fellowship (2019): Awarded by the Department of Health Research, Govt. of India, for his fellowship in genomics at MD Anderson Cancer Centre.
•    Best Reviewer Award (2018): From the Indian Journal of Hematology and Blood Transfusion.
•    PODC Scholarship Award (2017): Presented at the 49th Congress of the International Society of the Paediatric Oncology (SIOP).
•    UGC Travel Award (2015): To present a paper at the ISLH 2015 conference.
•    J.C. Patel Award (2009): For the best paper on the diagnosis of acute promyelocytic leukemia.
•    Mrs. Geeta Mittal Medal (2009): For clinical research.
•    Pyare Lal Sharma Bishan Devi Gold Medal (2003): For Best Thesis in a Pre and Para Clinical Subject.
•    Dr. R.P. Mathur Memorial Award (2003): For Best 3rd-year outgoing Junior Resident in Pathology.
•    Dr. S.N. Mukherjee Gold Medal (1999): For Best Student in Obstetrics & Gynecology.
•    First Prize: "The Quiz" (VII National Hematology Update, 2008).
•    First Prize: Hindi Essay Competition (AIIMS, 2018).
•    Second Prize: Hematology Quiz (54th Annual conference of Indian Society of Haematology & Blood Transfusion, 2013).

Research Funding and Grants
•    DHR Extramural Research Funding (2021–2024): A start-up grant for a project on the molecular genetic aberrations in BCR-ABL1 negative B-ALL.
•    ICMR Extramural Research Funding (2020–2023): For developing a risk-stratification algorithm for B-ALL patients.
•    Intramural Research Projects (2013–2020): Several projects focused on ETS related gene deletions, iAMP21, and IKZF1 mutations in B-ALL.
•    ICMR Grant for DM Thesis (2007–2008): For his thesis on assessing PNH clones.