A5048898574- Tuberculosis Research and Epidemiology
- Mycobacterium research and diagnosis
- Infectious Diseases and Tuberculosis
- Diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis
- Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria
- Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology
- Conducting polymers and applications
- Echinoderm biology and ecology
- Immunodeficiency and Autoimmune Disorders
- Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials
- Seaweed-derived Bioactive Compounds
- Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Pickering emulsions and particle stabilization
- vaccines and immunoinformatics approaches
- Infectious Diseases and Mycology
- Analytical Chemistry and Sensors
- Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens research
- Gene Regulatory Network Analysis
- Wastewater Treatment and Nitrogen Removal
- Microfluidic and Bio-sensing Technologies
- RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms
- Phytochemistry and Bioactive Compounds
- Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology
- Chemokine receptors and signaling
- 3D Printing in Biomedical Research
University of Surrey
2013-2025
Imperial College London
2008-2017
National Health Service
2013
University of Birmingham
2013
Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust
2013
National Institutes of Health
2012
Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research
2003
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
2003
University of California, Los Angeles
2003
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
2003
Tuberculosis remains a leading cause of death worldwide, despite the availability effective chemotherapy and vaccine. Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG), tuberculosis vaccine, is an attenuated mutant Mycobacterium bovis that was isolated after serial subcultures, yet functional basis for this attenuation has never been elucidated. A single region ( RD1 ), which absent in all BCG substrains, deleted from virulent M. strains, resulting Δ mutants were significantly virulence both immunocompromised...
Understanding the rules of life is one most important scientific endeavours and has revolutionised both biology biotechnology. Remarkable advances in observation techniques allow us to investigate a broad range complex dynamic biological processes which living systems could exploit quantum behaviour enhance regulate functions. Recent evidence suggests that these non-trivial mechanical effects may play crucial role maintaining non-equilibrium state biomolecular systems. Quantum study such...
Abstract Mcl-1 protein expression was found to be up-regulated during infection with virulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain H37Rv. induction in THP-1 cells optimal at a multiplicity of 0.8–1.2 bacilli per macrophage and independent opsonin coating the bacteria. elevated as early 4 h, peaked 5.8-fold above control 24 remained 48 h after infection. In cells, mMcl-1 mRNA induced by live H37Rv but not attenuated M. H37Ra, heat-killed H37Rv, or latex beads. monocyte-derived macrophages...
The 6-kDa early secretory antigenic target of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (ESAT-6) and the 10-kDa culture filtrate antigen (CFP-10), encoded in region difference 1 (RD1) secreted by ESAT-6 system (Esx-1) secretion system, are most immunodominant highly M. (MTB)-specific antigens. These attributes responsible for their primary importance (TB) immunodiagnosis vaccine development. Rv3615c [Esx-1 substrate protein C (EspC)], outside RD1, is similar size sequence homology to CFP-10 ESAT-6,...
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA quantities, measured by reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), have been proposed to stratify clinical risk or determine analytical performance targets. We investigated reproducibility and how setting diagnostic cutoffs altered the sensitivity of disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing.Quantitative SARS-CoV-2 distributions [quantification cycle (Cq) copies/mL] from more than 6000 patients 3 laboratories in United Kingdom,...
Current tuberculosis (TB) vaccine strategies are largely aimed at activating conventional T cell responses to mycobacterial protein antigens. However, the lipid-rich wall of Mycobacterium (M. tuberculosis) is essential for pathogenicity and provides targets unconventional recognition. Group 1 CD1–restricted cells recognize lipids, but their function in human TB unclear ability establish memory unknown. Here, we characterized specific mycolic acid (MA), predominant lipid key virulence factor,...
It is thought that during latent infection, Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacilli are retained within granulomas in a low-oxygen environment. The dormancy survival (Dos) regulon, regulated by the response regulator DosR, appears to be essential for hypoxic M. tuberculosis, but it not known how regulon promotes survival. Here we report mycobacteria, contrast enteric bacteria, do form higher-order structures (e.g. ribosomal dimers) upon entry into stasis. Instead, ribosomes stabilized associated...
In the continuation of our research on seaweeds, crude extracts 21 brown algae collected from south coast England and west Ireland were screened for in vitro trypanocidal, leishmanicidal antimycobacterial activities. Mammalian stages a small set parasitic protozoa; i.e. Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, T. cruzi Leishmania donovani, tubercle bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis used as test organisms. The also evaluated selectivity by testing mammalian cell line (L6 cells). Only four moderately...
Mycobacterium tuberculosis has 10 universal stress proteins, whose function is unknown. However, proteomic and transcriptomic analyses have shown that a number of usp genes are significantly upregulated under hypoxic conditions in response to nitric oxide carbon monoxide, as well during M. infection macrophage cell lines. Six these USPs part the DosR regulon this, along with their expression pattern phenotypes mutants other bacterial species, suggests potential role persistence and/or...
<h3>Background</h3> Emerging evidence suggests that <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> (<i>Mtb</i>) lineage and host ethnicity can determine tuberculosis (TB) clinical disease patterns but their relative importance interaction are unknown. <h3>Methods</h3> We evaluated prospectively collected TB surveillance <i>Mtb</i> strain typing data in an ethnically heterogeneous UK population. Lineage assignment was denoted using 15-loci mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units containing variable...
Non-human primate models of Tuberculosis (TB) are one the most commonly used within experimental TB field because they closely mimic whole spectrum disease progression human TB. However, early cellular interactions pulmonary granuloma still not well understood. The use this model allows investigation into cells granulomas which cannot be undertaken in samples. Pulmonary from rhesus and cynomolgus macaques two timepoints post infection were categorised categories 1 – 6 (early to late stage...
In the continuation of our search for natural sources antiprotozoal and antitubercular molecules, we have screened crude extracts four green marine algae (Cladophora rupestris, Codium fragile ssp. tomentosoides, Ulva intestinalis lactuca) collected from Dorset area England. Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, cruzi, Leishmania donovani Mycobacterium tuberculosis were used as test organisms in vitro assays. The selective toxicity was also determined toward mammalian skeletal myoblast (L6) cells....
As part of our continuing research on seaweeds, we have screened the crude extracts 23 red marine algae collected from England and Ireland. The clinically important blood-stage life forms Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, T. cruzi, Leishmania donovani Mycobacterium tuberculosis were used as test organisms in vitro assays. selectivity was determined by using mammalian skeletal myoblast (L6) cells. All algal showed activity against with Corallina officinalis Ceramium virgatum being most potent...
Abstract Infections with >1 Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain(s) are underrecognized. We show, in vitro and vivo, how first-line treatment conferred a competitive growth advantage to amplify multidrug-resistant M. strain patient mixed infection. Diagnostic techniques that identify tubercle bacilli populations needed curb the spread of multidrug resistance.
Abstract Mycobacterium tuberculosis maintains long-term infections characterised by the need to regulate growth and adapt contrasting in vivo environments. Here we show that M. complex bacteria utilise reversible ADP-ribosylation of single-stranded DNA as a mechanism coordinate stationary phase with transcriptional adaptation. The modification is controlled DarT, an ADP-ribosyltransferase, which adds ADP-ribose thymidine, DarG, enzymatically removes this base modification. Using darG...
Background The clinical, radiological and pathological similarities between sarcoidosis tuberculosis can make disease differentiation challenging. A complicating factor is that some cases of may be initiated by mycobacteria. We hypothesised immunological profiling might provide insight into a possible relationship the diseases or allow us to distinguish them. Methods analysed bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid in (n = 18), 12) healthy volunteers 16). further investigated serum samples same...
Abstract Infections with >1 Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain(s) are underrecognized. We show, in vitro and vivo, how first-line treatment conferred a competitive growth advantage to amplify multidrug-resistant M. strain patient mixed infection. Diagnostic techniques that identify tubercle bacilli populations needed curb the spread of multidrug resistance.
As the goal of a bacterium is to become bacteria, evolution has imposed continued selections for gene expression. The intracellular pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis , causative agent tuberculosis, adopted fine-tuned response survive its host’s methods aggressively eradicate invaders. development microarrays and later RNA sequencing led better understanding biological processes controlling relationship between host pathogens. In this study, RNA-seq was performed detail transcriptomes M....
Abstract As part of our continuing research on seaweeds, crude MeOH extracts two green, three brown and six red algae collected from Marmara, Black, Aegean Mediterranean Seas were screened. Four parasitic protozoa, i.e. Plasmodium falciparum , Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense T. cruzi Leishmania donovani the tubercle bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis used as test organisms for in vitro assays. The selective toxicity was also determined against mammalian L6 cells. All seaweed active ; Dasya...
Whenever a genetically homogenous population of bacterial cells is exposed to antibiotics, tiny fraction survives the treatment, phenomenon known as persistence [G.L. Hobby et al. , Exp. Biol. Med. 50, 281–285 (1942); J. Bigger, The Lancet 244, 497–500 (1944)]. Despite its biomedical relevance, origin still unknown, and rare, phenotypically resistant subpopulation, persisters are notoriously hard study define. Using computerized tracking we show that small at birth slowly replicating. We...
Hydrogen offers a source of energy that does not produce any greenhouse gas (GHG) when combusted. However, some hydrogen manufacturing methods consume large amounts and carbon dioxide as byproduct. The production by bacteria is an attractive alternative because it intensive and, under the right conditions, release GHG. In this review, we introduce five known ways which can evolve hydrogen. We then describe to encapsulate living in synthetic layers, called biocoatings, for applications...