Infectious Diseases and Immunology

Mission & Objectives

The Infectious Diseases and Immunology Division at CSIR-IICB is at the forefront of diverse research endeavours spanning both basic and applied sciences, all aimed at advancing our understanding of and combatting various infectious diseases. Our dedicated team of faculty and fellows are actively engaged in a range of investigations towards the prevention and control of human diseases such as leishmaniasis, malaria, cholera and an array of viral diseases including dengue, Chikungunya, Japanese Encephalitis, West Nile, herpes, hepatitis B, rotavirus enteritis and betacoronavirus diseases, including SARS-CoV-2.

Leishmaniasis continues to be a major area of research, encompassing diagnostics development, liposome-encapsulated drug evaluation, immunobiology studies for vaccine candidates and analysis of antigen presentation.

Our leishmania research at CSIR-IICB got new impetus following the discovery of a “triple-pathogen” phenomenon in kala-azar cases. The research showed the involvement of three microbes viz. Leishmania donovani, Leptomonas seymouri and Lepsey NLV1 virus in visceral leishmaniasis / kala-azar. Thus, current research in leishmaniasis involves revisiting the pathogenesis and management in the light of the role played by a protozoan RNA virus in human patients and exploring avenues towards devising new anti-leishmanial strategies. In the domain of malaria, our work includes characterizing Plasmodium falciparum vacuolar protein sorting and developing small molecule therapeutics for malaria treatment.

Our virology pursuits span epidemiological studies of dengue, herpes, and hepatitis B virus infections, probing virus assembly processes for innovative vaccine candidate design and elucidating the role of hepatitis B virus S protein in intracellular morphogenesis and occult HBV infections. We also probe into molecular characterization of locally circulating herpes virus clinical isolates, dengue virus diagnostics and the intriguing "Dengue and COVID-19 conundrum," where our pioneering discovery of cross-reactivity/cross-neutralization properties between dengue virus and SARS-CoV-2 provide valuable insights on disease management in regions where the two viruses are co-endemic now.

Further explorations involve unravelling host-pathogen interactions in enteric (rotavirus), respiratory (betacoronaviruses), and neurotropic viruses (Japanese Encephalitis virus, West Nile virus, Chandipura virus). These inquiries are centered around understanding the adaptive mechanisms viruses employ to persist within host cells, encompassing facets like virus release via extracellular vesicles, lysosomal exocytosis, innate immune response regulation, defective viral genome formation, coexistence with the microbiome, and beyond.

Cholera research is multifaceted and encompasses studies on the impact of host interactions on virulence, biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance to Vibrio cholerae. Additionally, we delve into the regulatory circuits governing stringent response in V. cholerae, exploring their influence on key virulence traits like motility, cholera toxin production, HA protease production and biofilm formation.

Another area of interest is developing novel wound healing pharmacophores (nucleoside analogues and drug loaded nanoparticles) to be used as potential pharmaceuticals for diagnosis and therapy, especially to address antibiotic resistance in wound healing.

Faculties

Umesh Prasad Singh

Scientist F and Head, Infectious Diseases & Immunology Division

umesh.singh@iicb.res.in

Chandrima Shaha

Senior Scientist, INSA

chandrima.shaha@csiriicb.res.in
Hemanta K. Majumder

Senior Scientist NASI

hkmajumder@iicb.res.in
Nahid Ali

J. C. Bose fellow , INSA Emeritus scientist

nali@iicb.res.in
Saikat Majumder

Scientist D

saikat.majumder@iicb.res.in / saikat.iicb@gmail.com
Smrutisanjita Behera

Scientist C

sbehera.iicb@csir.res.in
Sourish Ghosh

Scientist E

sourish.iicb@csir.res.in
Subhajit Biswas

Scientist F

subhajit.biswas@iicb.res.in
Sudipta Das

Ramalingaswami Fellow

sudipta.das@iicb.res.in
Sujoy K Das

Scientist F

sujoydas@iicb.res.in
Susanta Kar

Scientist F

susantakar@iicb.res.in
Upasana Ray

Scientist E & Deputy Head (Infectious Diseases and Immunology), Assistant Professor (AcSIR),

upasana.ray@iicb.res.in / ray.upasana@gmail.com