Rahul Shukla, Ph.D.,
Scientist, Virology
Viral pathogenesis and anti-viral strategies
India has a large population with growing economy. The dense and large population
gives opportunity to spread the virus infection and make the continent endemic for
several deadly viruses like Dengue Virus (DENV) and Japanese Encephalitis Virus
(JEV). DENV and JEV both are mosquito-borne flavivirus of the family Flaviviridae and share >90% of structural homology and induces similar initial clinical symptoms. Both, DENV and JEV are dominated in South-East Asia and India has become an epicentre for both the viruses. Taking it into account, my lab interest primarily focuses on the study of viral disease pathogenesis and development of novel therapeutics against them. Using the computer-guided drug discovery approach and the exploration of natural products/chemical entities from our well-characterized library, we are developing potent antiviral compounds against pan-DENV serotypes. Apart from developing small molecules as anti-DENV drug candidates, we are also actively engaged in developing the recombinant monoclonal antibodies as therapeutics to counteract the ADE (Antibody-Dependent Enhancement) response in Dengue infection. This innovative strategy relies on computational analysis and in silico tools to identify the putative epitopes of DENVs and to efficiently design and produce monoclonal antibodies against the neutralising epitopes of DENV, bypassing traditional methods. This leading-edge approach not only addresses the immediate challenge of Dengue infection but also sets the stage for broader advancements in infectious disease therapeutics.
Aside from these focused translation studies, our basic research priorities are to investigate the biomarkers and immunological cross-reactivity that leads to dengue severe disease, particularly in relation to the co-infection with related viruses, rather than studies on the individual aspects of dengue, JEV, Zika, or the recently emerged SARS-CoV-2 virus infections. This includes how co-infection or sequential infection affects susceptibility to future infections and/or immunological responses, and disease severity following either mentioned viral infections. Understanding these relationships can lead to the development of 'tailor-made' vaccines with intrinsic safety and no probable cross-reactivity with related viruses.
Our specific research goals includes:
1. Development of novel therapeutics against Dengue and JEV menace
2. Development of safe and cost-effective subunit vaccine candidates against JEV
3. Investigate the biomarkers and immune responses involve in dengue disease severity in terms of co-infection with related viruses
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