The Herne Katha team, who are renowned filmmakers from Nepal, visited Professor Gopal Sapkota’s laboratory at the MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit within the School of Life Sciences to document his journey and research.
The documentary, which was recently published (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSghjSqHGyQ), has received outstanding reviews from hundreds of thousands of global viewers.
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Professor Sapkota said, “Our ethos is to openly share our research with the public. Therefore, naturally I was delighted to welcome the documentary team to my lab and showcase some of the things we do!” He added, “As many of the scientific terms do not exist in Nepali language, it was actually very challenging for me to explain what we do to the team!”
Born and raised in a remote part of Nepal, after completing his formative education there, Gopal won a British Council Scholarship to read biochemistry at Bath University. He undertook his PhD research at University of Dundee in Professor Dario Alessi’s laboratory, and his postdoctoral training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York in Joan Massagué’s laboratory.
He joined the MRC PPU in 2008 as a Programme Leader and was appointed Professor of Disease Signalling in 2020.
His research focusses on understanding the fundamental mechanisms underpinning reversible phosphorylation and ubiquitylation processes in cell signalling and disease and harnessing this knowledge for innovative drug discovery approaches. His laboratory has attracted major investment from, and has many ongoing drug discovery projects with, leading commercial pharmaceutical companies, including GSK, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Boehringer Ingelheim and Amgen Inc. Recently, he was recognised by the 2025 Biochemical Society Industry and Academic Collaboration Award.
Commenting on the documentary, Professor Sapkota said, “The documentary has very effectively highlighted not just research in my lab but also the University’s excellence in delivering world-class and transformative education and training. I know first-hand how my education and training at Dundee University was valued when I applied for and was offered postdoctoral fellowships at top institutes in the world!” He added, “It is a testament to this excellence in education and training we deliver that every PhD student and postdoctoral trainees from my lab has gone on to careers in prestigious institutes in both academia and industry following their training.”
Professor Dario Alessi, Director of the MRC PPU, said, “This is a remarkable documentary that powerfully highlights the important and impactful research being carried out by Dr. Gopal Sapkota. It clearly conveys the significance of his scientific work while beautifully telling the unique and inspiring story of his deep connection between Dundee and Nepal. I hope this documentary will inspire many students to pursue a career in biomedical research, an incredibly rewarding and meaningful vocation.”