Mrutyunjay Suar
Professor & Director General R&D
Dr. Suar's group work on Salmonella Typhimurium (STm) and Salmonella Enteritidis (SEn) infection biology in Streptomycin pre-treated mouse model especially looking at identification of new virulence factors of SEn through comparative genome wide screening approach; development of recombinant and safe Salmonella derived mucosal vaccine candidates, which are even safe in immuno-compromised mouse models. Further translational work is under progress to develop enterocolitic vaccine against common gastro-intestinal pathogens such as Vibrio, Salmonella, E. coli and Shigella. Dr. Suar group also works on several projects like Characterization of efficient probiotics and study of their molecular basis of interaction with enteropathogenic microbes like Salmonella Enteritidis; Structural and Biological characterization of virulence proteins in SalmonellaTyphimuriumand investigating the functional role of differential alanine racemase gene of Salmonella Enteritidis; Exploring bacterial LPS modification: Its interaction with host and role in virulence; Transcriptomics of Salmonella with emphasis on the small non coding RNA complement involved in the acid tolerance response (ATR) and their influence on virulence and Identification and characterization of putative virulence factors inVibrio parahaemolyticus; Characterization of emerging MDR (Enterobacter) E. coli strains causing extended neonatal sepsis; Characterization of Type IV Pilin and pilin encoding islands in Salmonella enetrica serovar Enteritidis (P121509): Origins and interactions with phages; Novel cloning and chromosomal integration techniques, phage remodeling and vaccine development, construction of a modular genetic ALU; Synthesis of different nanoparticles and understanding their implication in biological systems.
Ph.D
Research Interests
- Understanding the molecular mechanism of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis based enterocolitis in mouse model
- Development of a safe live recombinant Salmonella vaccine against enterocolitic diseases
- Development of early diagnostic kits for diseases like typhoid and diarrhea in rural health set-up
Projects
R&D Projects
- Identification and characterization of novel promoters of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis contributing in virulence phenotype, Funded by DBT, Govt of India, 2013-2016
- Characterization of sRNAs involved in the Acid Tolerance Response (ATR) in Salmonella and their influence on virulence, Funded by ICMR, Govt of India, 2014-2017
- Isolation and Characterization of Benthic as well as Littoral Microbial Flora of Chilika Lake, Funded by ICZMP, World Bank, 2013-2016
- Mucosal Vaccine: Improved Life carrier vaccine strains--heterologous antigens, Funded by UBS Optmus Foundation, Zurich, 2008-2013
- Identification and characterization of novel promoters of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis contributing in virulence phenotype, Funded by DBT, Govt of India, 2013-2016
- Characterization of sRNAs involved in the Acid Tolerance Response (ATR) in Salmonella and their influence on virulence, Funded by ICMR, Govt of India, 2014-2017 Isolation and Characterization of Benthic as well as Littoral Microbial Flora of Chilika Lake, Funded by ICZMP, World Bank, 2013-2016
- Lab Testing of Purifier, field testing of water & Urine samples and Genotoxicity testing, Funded by Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) in collaboration with London School of hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), 2014-2015
- Establishment of KIIT Technology Business Incubator promoting Technology enabled start-up culture, funded by DST, BIRAC-DBT, TDB, MSME & DIT, Govt of India.
- Establishment of Rural Women Technology Park promoting rural innovation and entrepreneurship, Funded by DST, Govt of India, 2014-2017
- Early diagnosis of causative agents of diarrhea, malaria and typhoid for effective healthcare management: A pilot study in a rural Health centre, Funded by DBT, Govt of India, 2012-2015
- Development of water educators and ambassadors in rural set up, Funded by NCSTC, DST, Govt of India, 2014-2016
- Erasmus Mundus student and faculty exchange program with 10 European Universities, 2014-2016
- Indo-US Joint Center on Nanostructure Genomics: Designing Functionality of 2-Dimensional Nanostructures and Nano-Bio Interfaces, Funded by IUSSTF, 2014-2016
- Isolation and Characterization of Benthic as well as Littoral Microbial Flora of Chilika Lake, Funded by ICZMP, World Bank, 2013-2016
- Identification of new virulence factors of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis by genome wide mutant screening approach, Funded by DBT, Govt of India, 2010-2013
- Mucosal Vaccine: Improved Life carrier vaccine strains-heterologous antigens, Funded by UBS Optmus Foundation, Zurich, 2008-2013
- Identification of new virulence factors of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis by genome wide mutant screening approach, Funded by DBT, Govt of India, 2010-2013
Awards & Honours
- Recipient of G P Chatterjee memorial lecture award during 101st Indian Science Congress at University of Jammu, 2014.
- Recipient of ASM Professorship award of 2012 and visited the lab of Prof. Jeff Miller (ASM President), UCLA in June 2013 for a month.
- Selected as a future young technical leader of India & was invited as a speaker to Steinem rhein symposium, Switzerland, September 2010.
- Nominated and invited to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Leadership Symposium (GELS), November, 16-23, 2009, UC-Berkeley
- Invited as a speaker in Fourth Hanseatic India Colloquium Healthcare, Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 30th October 2009.
- Young investigator Award from UBS Optimus foundation from 2008-2013
- ETH Life sciences Zurich fellowships for 2 years 2004-2006
- Visiting fellow to EAWAG, Dubendorf, Switzerland from Dec 2002-May 2003
Vishwakarma V, Pati NB, Ray S, Das S, Suar M. 2014. TTSS2-deficient hha mutant of Salmonella Typhimurium exhibits significant systemic attenuation in immune-compromised hosts. Virulence. Feb 15;5(2):311-20. doi: 10.4161/viru.27605.
Pati NB, Vishwakarma V, Periaswamy B, Hardt WD, and Suar M. 2013. Deletion of invH gene in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium limits the secretion of SipA effector protein. Microbes & Infection Jan;15(1):66-73
Singh Y, Kaul V, Mehra A, Chatterjee S, Tousif S, Dwivedi VP, Suar M, Kaer LV, Bishai WR, Das G. 2013. Mycobacterium tuberculosis controls miR-99b expression in infected murine dendritic cells to modulate host immunity. J Biol Chem. Feb 15;288(7):5056-61
Vishwakarma V, Periaswamy B, Pati NB, Slack E, Hardt WD, Suar M. 2012. Novel phage element of Salmonella Enteritidis P125109 contributes to accelerated Type III secretion system-2 dependent early inflammation kinetics in mouse colitis model. Infect. Immun. 80 (9) 3236-46
Stecher B, Chaffron S, Käppeli R, Hapfelmeier, S, Freedrich S, Weber T C, Kirundi J, Suar M, McCoy K, Mering C, Macpherson AJ, and Hardt WD. 2010. Like will to like: Abundances of closely related species as predictive values for the susceptibility to intestinal colonization by pathogenic and commensal bacteria, PLoS Pathogens, Jan;6(1):e1000711. Epub 2010 Jan 8