Tuberculosis and Mycobacteria

Dr. Ananda M. Chakrabarty serves as Senior Science Advisor of Amrita Therapeutics Limited. Dr. Chakrabarty is a Amrita’s Senior Science Mentor and Global Domain Expert relating to how bacterial proteins effectively combat cancers, parasites, and viruses in the human body. Dr. Chakrabarty serves as a Distinguished University Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, and advises senior officials in the U.S. and abroad on policies relating to biotechnology and related technology transfer. He is a Consultant to the United Nations. In 1980, Dr. Chakrabarty’s genetically modified Pseudomonas bacteria became the first genetically-engineered organism to gain a patent, as a result of the Supreme Court decision in Diamond vs. Chakrabarty. Dr. Chakrabarty undertook pioneering biotechnology research into the therapeutic potential for protein products of bacteria, both at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and on behalf of CDG Therapeutics, a U.S. biotechnology start-up company engaged in clinical cancer research. Dr. Chakrabarty has led path-breaking research into the therapeutic qualities of protein products of bacteria. His work includes recent studies with water-soluble products of pathogenic bacteria demonstrating significant promise for cancer therapies, effective against HIV/AIDS, malaria and perhaps even tuberculosis. Dr. Chakrabarty was a part of the Advisory Committee that resulted in creation of the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) in Trieste, Italy and rejoined the ICGEB Advisory Board. Dr. Chakrabarty has numerous publications and has received many notable awards for his contributions to biotechnology, including Padma Shri in 2007, one of the Indian Government’s highest civilian honors.

Cell Biology, Microbiology, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Cancer Cells, Biotechnology, Oncology, Cancer Biology, Cancer Therapy, Pseudomonas, Malaria, Cystic Fibrosis, Genetic Engineering, Infectious Diseases, Cancer Chemotherapy, Mutation

Akira Kaji is a professor of microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. He contributed to the deciphering of genetic code by his discovery of the fact that the complex of poly-U with ribosome binds specifically tRNA specific for phenylalanine. He also discovered RRF.

The following is a short review of Akira Kaji past work. In 1963, they discovered that specific tRNA binds to the complex of mRNA and ribosome. This finding was essential to decipher the genetic code (9). Regarding RRF, upon in vivo inactivation of RRF, the ribosome starts the unscheduled translation downstream from the termination codon. Crystal structure by X-ray crystallography as well as solution structure by NMR has revealed that RRF is a near perfect structural mimic of tRNA. Indeed, we found that RRF functionally mimics tRNA in that it moves in the inter-subunits space like tRNA does. However, the mode of RRF binding to the ribosome is different from that of tRNA. We also discovered arginyl-tRNA protein transferase in 1963(10). This enzyme is an essential for higher eukaryotes and involved in post-translational protein modification.

2006-present: Adjunct Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine 1996-present: Director, WM Keck Center for Transgene Research, University of Notre Dame 1983-present: Kleiderer/Pezold Professor of Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame 1979-2002: Dean, College of Science, University of Notre Dame 1977-1983: Professor, University of Notre Dame 1974-1977: Associate Professor, University of Notre Dame 1970-1974: Assistant Professor, University of Notre Dame 1968-1970: NIH Postdoctoral Fellow, Duke University 1968: Ph.D. in Biochemistry, University of Iowa 1964: B.S. University of Scranton

The interests of Professor Castellino\'s laboratory involve the structure, function and activation of proteins that participate in blood coagulation and blood clot dissolution. The in vivo mechanisms of the roles of these proteins in these processes are being addressed through in vivo targeted gene-replacement approaches and corresponding in vitro structure-function studies on these genes and proteins are being studied by the most modern biophysical techniques, e.g., X-ray crystallography, NMR, etc. Most of these proteins exist in an inactive state in plasma and thus must be activated to enzymes to exhibit their functional properties. The molecular events involved in the activation and analysis of the concomitant structural changes that occur in the protein are investigated by modern biochemical techniques. Major tools of the laboratory involve cloning, mutagenesis and expression of variant recombinant proteins and individual protein domains, immunochemical studies of the proteins, as well as physical and chemical analysis of their solution structures. The properties of the proteins are then related to their functions. Another project receiving attention involves the structure-function relationships of small gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla)-containing peptides from marine cone snails that target the brain NMDA receptor. These peptides inhibit the flow of calcium into neuronal cells, this latter event being responsible for the neuropathology associated with stroke, epilepsy, Alzheimer\'s Disease, ALS, etc. The biochemical, pharmacological and neurobiological mechanisms of the actions of these peptides are under study. Peptide synthesis, receptor binding, molecular biological and electrophysiological tools are currently employed in this work. To determine the biological functions of genes encoding coagulation and clot-dissolving proteins in hemostasis, cancer, inflammation, wound healing, embryonic implantation and development, metastases, and athersclerosis, gene deletion and other gene targeting experiments are being performed in mice, in conjunction with phenotyping of these animals. Such studies are expected to provide important information on the development and progression of these disease states.

Professor George L. Mendz has an MSc from the University of Barcelona (Spain), and a PhD from the University of NSW. He has been Lecturer at the College of Natural Sciences, the University of Puerto Rico (San Juan); Research Associate at the School of Chemistry and the Department of Biochemistry, the University of Sydney; ARC Senior Research Fellow and Associate Professor at the School of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, the University of NSW; Associate Professor at the Department of Bacteriology, the University of Bordeaux II; and Associate Professor at the School of Medical Sciences, the University of NSW.

More recently, he had acquired expertise in global analyses involving proteomics and transcriptomics by investigating microorganism responses to stress, as well as in bacterial genome sequencing and the application of metagenomics to characterise bacterial populations.

Dr. Kei Amemiya is a Principal Investigator in the Bacteriology Division at the US Army Medical Reseach Institute of Infectious Diseases. He has been at USAMRIID since 1999 and has been involved in developing vaccine candidates against plague, glanders, and melioidosis. His interest has been in studying the host’s immune response to the pathogen and vaccines in small and large animal models. Before coming to USAMRIID, he was at the National Institutes of Health and Georgetown University, where he was studying the host response to bacterial and viral pathogens or autoimmune diseases in humans.

Molecular Biology, Immunology, Microbiology, Infectious Diseases

Dr. Joshi is director of surgical site infections and bacterial pathogenesis. He is an assistant professor in the Departments of Microbiology & Immunology and Surgery, and an adjunct professor at the A.J. Drexel Plasma Institute, as well as Drexel's School of Biomedical Engineering. He has a special interest in emerging bacterial infections, disinfection and sterilization, and biodefense. Since 1987, Dr. Joshi has taught undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students and trained doctoral and postdoctoral fellows in research. He has been mentoring graduates and medical students, who now have successful careers in medicine, academia and the pharmaceutical industry. Since 2004, he has been a member of international mentoring program and minority mentoring program of American Society of Microbiology (ASM), and Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA).

Medical microbiology, pathology, parasitology, communicable diseases, hospital-acquired infections and infection control methods

Awards RESEARCH & SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS 2015 Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology 2014 Faculty Excellence Award (one award given per year within the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Illinois). 2004 Award for Excellence in Research and Scholarship at the Associate Professor Level - University of Houston (one university award per year at each academic rank). 2002 Award for Excellence in Research and Scholarship at the Assistant Professor Level - University of Houston (one university award per year at each academic rank).  1999 Young Investigator Award, 10th International Meeting Campylobacter & Helicobacter. 1997 Natural Science and Mathematics Alumni Association Award. 1996 Oakridge Junior Faculty Award for Life Sciences Research. 1981 NSF Undergraduate Research Award. TEACHING AWARDS AND RECOGNITION 2010, 2013 Cited as a Teacher ranked as outstanding by their students for Molecular and Cellular Biology/Life Sciences and College of Medicine Courses. 2008, 2009 Cited as a Teacher ranked as excellent by their students for Molecular and 2011, 2012 Cellular Biology/Life Sciences and College of Medicine Courses. 1999 Teaching Excellence Award, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. 1998-1999 University of Houston Enron Award for Excellence in Teaching at the University level. RECENT LECTURESHIPS, MEETING CHAIRS, LEADERSHIP POSITIONS 2015 Vice-Chair, Gordon Conference on Chemical & Biological Terrorism Defense, Ventura, CA, March 2015. 2013 Chair, Bacteria-Host Interactions (2013) 2013 International Conference on Bacillus anthracis, B. cereus, and B. thuringiensis, Victoria, Canada, September 2, 2013. 2013-2014 Chair, Division B (Microbial Pathogens) of ASM. 2013 Discussion Leader/Session Chair, Organizing Committee, 2013 Gordon Conference on Chemical & Biological Terrorism Defense, Ventura, CA, March 10-15, 2013. 2012-2013 Chair Elect, Division B (Microbial Pathogens) of ASM, 2012-2013. 2011 Session Chair, Organizing Committee, 2011 International Conference on Campylobacter, Helicobacter, and Related Organisms, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, August 28 – September 1, 2011. 2011 Keynote Speaker, 23rd Annual Buffalo Conference on Microbial Pathogenesis – Witebsky Center for Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology (2011) Of Persistence, Cancer, and Asthma: The Curious Case of Helicobacter pylori, Buffalo, NY, April 29, 2011. 2011 Organizing Committee, and Discussion Leader/Session Chair, 2011 Gordon Conference on Chemical & Biological Terrorism Defense, Ventura, CA, March 20-25, 2011.

Genetics, Host-Pathogen Interactions, Membrane Biology, Microbial Physiology, Molecular Immunology, Receptor Biochemistry, Signal Transduction, Toxins

Dr. Goc obtained her M.S. and Ph.D. from the Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland. She conducted her postdoctoral training at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, and the University of Georgia, Athens, GA. She also worked as a Research Biologist at the VA Medical Center, Augusta, GA. Currently, as a Head of Infectious Diseases Division at Dr. Rath Research Institute, Santa Clara CA, she leads a Lyme disease project. Dr. Goc has published over 30 peer-reviewed publications, two book chapters, and has presented her research at numerous national and international scientific meetings. She is also an active member on one editorial board and the recipient of several national and international awards.

Molecular biology, biochemistry and cell biology in the fields of microbiology, immunology, cancer, and vascular biology

Lloyd H Kasper, MD, is Professor of Medicine in Neurology, Microbiology, and Immunology at Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, New Hampshire. After completing medical school at Rush Medical College in Chicago, IL, he finished his post-graduate clinical training in internal medicine, neurology, and microbiology at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. In addition to his research responsibilities, he is Co-Director of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Clinic Program in Immunotherapeutics. He is also a member of numerous professional societies including the American Academy of Neurology, American Federation for Clinical Research, and American Society of Microbiology. Dr Kasper has had a longstanding career in researching the immunopathogenesis of MS, and has received a Collaborative MS Research Center Award to lead investigators in determining how T cells fail in people with the disease. He also studies the immunopathology of Toxoplasma infections. His work has been published extensively in peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of Immunology, Journal of Clinical Investigation, and Experimental Parasitology. Dr Kasper is also a reviewer for many scholarly journals including the Journal of Infectious Diseases, Annals of Neurology, and Journal of Neurological Science. His professional activities include serving as Chairman and Co-Chair for several national and international conferences and organizational committees.

Microbiology, Immunology, Neurology

Timms is Professor of Microbiology and Director of Research at QUT’s Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation in Brisbane Australia. He is a nationally and internationally renowned microbiologist with specific expertise in the area of Chlamydia. His laboratory is acknowledged as the leading Australian laboratory and one of the leading groups internationally working on all aspects of chlamydial infections. Timms has published over 170 refereed journal papers and is editor of the journal, Pathogens and Disease.

He leads a well established research team of 10 people. His research group is developing vaccines and new diagnostics for chlamydial diseases in humans and animals as well as an improved understanding of chlamydial genomics, cell biology and pathogenicity. The group is widely acknowledged for its major contributions to chlamydial infections in koalas and other wildlife, including the development of a vaccine for koalas.

Mohamed K. Fakhr, is currently an Associate Professor of Molecular Microbiology in the Department of Biological Science at the University of Tulsa, USA. After obtaining his Ph.D. from Oklahoma State University in 2002, Dr. Fakhr, moved to North Dakota State University where he worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate then a Research Assistant Professor at the Department of Veterinary and Microbiological Sciences. In 2008, Dr. Fakhr moved to Tulsa, where he currently runs an active research program in the area of Molecular Typing and Detection of Foodborne Bacterial Pathogens alongside exploring the mechanisms by which these foodborne pathogens develop resistance to antimicrobials.

Microbiology, Biological Science, Veterinary Science

Dr. Ling Zhan is a pediatric dentist who cares for children and adolescents at both the Mission Bay and Parnassus campuses. Her treatment philosophy is very prevention-oriented. She works closely with her patients and their families to identify risk factors for common dental diseases, such as dental caries, and to adopt scientifically-based preventive and treatment regimens to avoid future diseases. Her practice provides routine as well as complex care, including care for children with dental or medical conditions who require treatment under sedation or general anesthesia. She works closely with other dental specialties to treat children with complex dental disease, such as amenogenesis imperfecta. In addition to patient care and education, Zhan conducts clinical and translational research projects that are focused on microbiological aspects of tooth decay; oral prevention programs guided by risk assessment; and identification of protocols to prevent or eliminate dental caries in children. Zhan completed her pediatric dentistry residency training at UCSF. She is a member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and a diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry.

Pediatric Dentistry, microbiological aspects of tooth decay, dental diseases

March 2004: PhD,Microbiology,University of Groningen,The Netherlands. Nov 1989: MCCEE‡,MD Equivalent,Medical Council, Canada. Nov 1982: MBBS, Med degree. Bangladesh.

Microbiology, Infection, Medicine, Emerging Pathogens, Probiotics, Salmonellosis.

Liaqat Ali Chaudhry completed MBBS from King Edward Medical College university Lahore1981. He completed his post-graduation in Diploma in Tuberculosis & Chest Diseases -Punjab University Lahore-Pakistan, MCPS from College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan and MRCP, FRCP from The Royal College of Physicians Dublin-Ireland. He worked as house physician, Registrar, Assistant professor at King Edward Medical College Lahore, 1982-1987. Later he joined MOH of Saudi Arabia worked as Specialist Physicians chest specialist on Feb-1988, Consultant Pulmonologist and Chief of Tuberculosis Center, Dept. of Internal Medicine & Chest diseases Dammam medical complex and Honorary Associate & Professor Dammam Medical University, Eastern Province K. Saudi Arabia – 2011 and Chairman Internal Medicine & Consultant Invasive.

Consultant Pulmonologist and Chief of Tuberculosis Center, Deptt.of Internal Medicine & Chest diseases Dammam medical complex and Honorary Associate & Professor Dammam Medical University, Eastern Province K.Saudi Arabia.