Center for Systems Biology and Molecular Medicine
An ICMR collaborating centre of excellence (ICMR-CCoE)
Molecular & Translational Virology (MTV)
Viruses are obligate intracellular parasites, which contribute significantly to the disease burden, both in the plant and animal kingdom, including in humans. Being obligate parasites, they require a susceptible cell host to replicate and perpetuate in nature. While environmental and socioeconomic factors play an important role in their transmission and pathogenesis, the role of a variety of host factors, like proteomic and metabolomic factors, and the viral factors is critical in these processes. Upon successful infection of target cells, viruses usurp cellular machinery through a spectrum of virus-host and virus-virus interactions, and use the same for their own advantage and propagation inside the infected host. Understanding these molecular interactions is critical to design effective strategies and subsequently develop effective interventions, such as molecular diagnostics, therapeutics and prophylactics.
Further, components of antiviral interventions, when administered into an infected host, exert their effects through host- and/or virus-drug interactions. The extent and outcome of these interactions dictate the overall effectiveness and utility of such interventions, more so in the case of therapeutic interventions based on crude plant extracts due to their metabolite complexity. Therefore, it is equally essential to investigate this complexity to gain better understanding of the molecular interactions at the local and the global level, the mechanisms involved in the observed outcomes in order to gauge their effectiveness as well as to make a thorough risk assessment of their toxicity. Accordingly, the primary vision of this division will be to develop in vitro and in vivo systems of disease and therapy, and subsequently develop methodologies to study the complexity. Next, wherever required, the division will collaborate with groups both within and outside the centre to fill any gaps in our understanding of these disease systems. Potential leads from these studies will then be translated into clinical products or technologies, validated through clinical studies and subsequently commercialized.
Activities in this division revolve around developing cell culture and animal models to carry out multi-omics studies during viral infections as well as to understand the viral biology using these model systems. This division will initially focus on BSL-2 classified viruses that are primarily concerning India, like Dengue virus (DENV), Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), etc., and will gradually change the focus to include BLS-3 pathogens, initially through collaborations and then with the on-campus BSL-3 facilities.
Team composition:
Professor: 1; Associate Professors: 2 & Assistant Professors: 4
Accordingly, the organizational structure of the division would include A SENIOR VIROLOGIST at the level of Professor with >15-year experience in relevant areas of research and having a clear vision for future to lead the team effectively in line with the vision of the centre/division. The team would include TWO mid-career faculty at the level of Associate Professor with at least 8-year postdoctoral experience - an experienced virologist/biologist having thorough knowledge in cell culture techniques as well as in handling small animal models; and an experienced structural biologist having expertise in protein/peptide/drug design, etc.; and FOUR early-career faculty at the level of Assistant Professor, having at least 3 years of postdoctoral experience in developing disease models in small experimental animals, mass spectrometry-based technologies, NGS-based technologies and programming/bioinformatics.
Objectives
● In vitro biochemical systems to study virus-virus & virus-host interactions
● In vitro functional assay systems for viral drug targets for antiviral drug discovery
● Cell culture-based systems to investigate virus biology & for antiviral drug discovery
● Viral disease models in suitable experimental animals
● Methods for processing and acquisition of omics data for viral samples
● Mass spectrometry-based approach to identify PTMs of interest for translation
● Screening of a variety of solvent extracts from herbal plants to identify extracts of interest for antiviral drug discovery
● Identification of specific phytochemicals having antiviral activity in the selected herbal plant extracts
● In vivo validation of potential leads using animal models of viral diseases