infectious diseases. The research focus of Dr. Owais’s group has been on: Nanoparticles based antigen/DNA vaccine against various infectious diseases with special converges on intracellular pathogens. Novel nano-carriers for targeted delivery of encapsulated therapeutic agents (siRNA/drug of interest) for improved treatment of cancer and some imperative infectious diseases. Nanoparticles with assorted applications in the field of diagnostics, taste/odor masking and treatment of hyperbilirubinemia in model animals. Nano-carrier based vaccines: prophylactic measures against infectious diseases Reckoning with the limitations of conventional vaccine, the main focus of Dr. Owais’s research endeavors has been to develop nano-vaccines against various infectious diseases of bacterial (tuberculosis, salmonellosis, listeriosis and brucellosis), protozoan (malaria, leishmaniasis) and fungal (candidasis and cryoptococcosis) origin. In general, specialized groups of pathogens adapt intra-cellular parasitism as a strategy to avoid antibody onslaught. Keeping into consideration the non-effectiveness of humoral immune response against such intracellular pathogens, Dr. Owais evaluated potential of fusogenic lipid based vaccines as an alternative prophylactic strategy. In this regard, he has compared lipid compositions of plasma membranes of both prokaryotic as well as eukaryotic cells. These studies established a correlation between the lipid compositions of plasma membranes of living organisms with evolutionary trend. Lipid isolated from lower organisms possesses strong fusogenic potential. He established that model antigens entrapped in liposomes made up of fusogenic lipids, can be delivered to the target cells including antigen-presenting cells, resulting in both the endo/lysosomal and cytosolic degradation pathways for antigen processing. The dual processing of antigens in the antigen presenting cells activated both the CD4+ T helper as well as CD8+ cytotoxic T cells. Further, he established that immunization with fusogenic liposomes resulted in expression of both IL-2 and IFN-γ, the two key cytokines that eventually help in protection against intracellular infections. Keeping in view that sperm-ova fusion during zygote formation is generally facilitated by specific lipid compositions of the two cell populations, he demonstrated the fusogenic attributes of sperm plasma membrane lipids, and established the prophylactic potential of spermatosome based vaccines against various intracellular pathogens. As conventional egg phosphatidylcholine based liposomes are of limited application in activation of pathogen specific CTL response required for inhibiting intracellular pathogens, he developed non-phosphatidylcholine liposome as vehicle for delivery of antigens in prophylactic treatment of experimental leishmaniasis. Further, the liposome/niosome based vaccines were also found to be effective against malaria parasite. In addition, he has prepared archael lipid based liposomes and demonstrated their immunoadjuvant potential in