Colin Barrow, Ph.D.
Chair in Biotechnology, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Australia
Nano-biotechnology: Omega-3 Oils and Nanofibres
The health benefits of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids are well established, especially for eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosapentaenoic acid (DHA) from fish and microbial sources. In fact, a billion dollar market exists for these compounds as nutritional supplements, functional foods and pharmaceuticals. This presentation will describe some aspects of our omega-3 biotechnology research that are at the intersection of Nano-biotechnology and oil chemistry. These include the use of lipases for the concentration of omega-3 fats, through immobilization of these lipases on nanoparticles, and the microencapsulation and stabilization of omega-3 oils for functional foods. I will also describe some of our work on the enzymatic production of resolvins using lipoxygenases, and the fermentation of omega-3 oils from marine micro-organisms. Finally, I will describe some of our work on the formation of amyloid fibrils and graphene for various applications in nano-biotechnology.
Suryaprakash Sambhara, DVM, Ph.D
Chief, Immunology Section, Influenza Division, CDC, Atlanta, USA
Making sense of pathogen sensors of Innate Immunity: Utility of their ligands as antiviral agents and adjuvants for vaccines.
Currently used antiviral agents act by inhibiting viral entry, replication, or release of viral progeny. However, recent emergence of drug-resistant viruses has become a major public health concern as it is limiting our ability to prevent and treat viral diseases. Furthermore, very few antiviral agents with novel modes of action are currently in development. It is well established that the innate immune system is the first line of defense against invading pathogens. The recognition of diverse pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) is accomplished by several classes of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) and the ligand/receptor interactions trigger an effective innate antiviral response. In the past several years, remarkable progress has been made towards understanding both the structural and functional nature of PAMPs and PRRs. As a result of their indispensable role in virus infection, these ligands have become potential pharmacological agents against viral infections. Since their pathways of action are evolutionarily conserved, the likelihood of viruses developing resistance to PRR activation is diminished. I will discuss the recent developments investigating the potential utility of the ligands of innate immune receptors as antiviral agents and molecular adjuvants for vaccines.
Nitish Sathyanrayanan, Sandesh Ganji and Holenarsipur Gundurao Nagendra.
Insilico Analysis of hypothetical proteins from Leishmania donovani: A Case study of a membrane protein of the MFS class reveals their plausible roles in drug resistance
Kala-azar or visceral leishmaniais (VL), caused by protozoan parasite Leishmania donovani, is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Bihar, India (Guerin et al. 2002; Mubayi et al. 2010). The disease is transmitted to the humans mainly by the vector, Phlebotmus argentipes, commonly known as Sand fly. The majority of VL (> 90%) occurs in only six countries: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sudan, Ethiopia and Brazil (Chappuis et al. 2007). In the Indian subcontinent, about 200 million people are estimated to be at risk of developing VL and this region harbors an estimated 67% of the global VL disease burden. The Bihar state only has captured almost 50% cases out of total cases in Indian sub-continent (Bhunia et al. 2013). ‘Conserved hypothetical’ proteins pose a challenge not just to functional genomics, but also to biology in general (Galperin and Koonin 2004). Leishmania donovani (strain BPK282A1) genome consists of a staggering ∼65% of hypothetical proteins. These uncharacterized proteins may enable better appreciation of signalling pathways, general metabolism, stress response and even drug resistance.