Asit K. Pattnaik done his M.S. in Life Sciences, 1978 Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India and Ph.D in Molecular Virology, 1984 Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. He was Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR, India) Fellowship, 1978-1980, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.

Studies in Asit K. Pattnaik laboratory focus on molecular biology and immunopathogenesis of two different viral pathogens, the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), a non-segmented negative-strand RNA virus in the family Rhabdoviridae and order Mononagavirales, and the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), a positive-strand RNA virus in the family Arteriviridae and order Nidovirales. VSV has served as an excellent paradigm for many negative-strand RNA viruses (some of which are important human pathogens, such as respiratory syncytial, rabies, measles, and parainfluenza, hemorrhagic bunya and arenaviruses) to understand the basic mechanisms of the genetic expression of this group of viruses. PRRSV is an economically important pathogen, causing serious diseases in swine worldwide. Understanding the mechanism(s) of gene expression and its regulation as well as pathogenesis is essential for identifying virus-specific targets for therapeutic intervention in controlling infection by these viruses.