Dr. Ramprasad - Research Profile
Dr. Ramprasad heads the Clinical Genomics and Metagenomics Laboratory at MNR-FRI, MNR Medical College and Hospital. His research focuses on the genomics of neonatal sepsis, interventions based on the gut microbiome, therapeutics, mechanisms of HIV latency, and the development of point-of-care lateral flow assays (LFA) for the rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis.
Research Projects
Project 1
Title: Development of nano-material based microfluidic device and metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) for rapid diagnosis of neonatal sepsis.
Funding Agency: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) - First in the World Challenge (ICMR-FIW), Govt. of India.
File No: EM/FIW/Dev/16/0000074/2024
Date: 02-05-2025
Tenure: 4 Years (2025-2029)
Project 2
Title: Development of synbiotic strips based on anaerobic probiotic bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila.
Funding Agency: National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS-TIFR), Govt. of India.
Recent Research Work (2024-2026)
Nano-Material Microfluidic Device & MAGs for Neonatal Sepsis
This project proposes a microfluidic device that isolates bacterial strains directly from patient blood and performs rapid identification and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiling using metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs). The approach enables timely, pathogen-directed therapy for neonatal sepsis, a life-threatening systemic infection with a disproportionate impact on premature infants.
Patent: Isolated Mtb-Zp-NT and Mtb-Zp-CT Peptides for TB Serology
This patent discloses two recombinant terminal peptide constructs, Mtb-Zp-NT (SEQ ID NO:2) and Mtb-Zp-CT (SEQ ID NO:1), derived from Zinc Metalloprotease-1 (ZMP-1) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Produced through recombinant expression systems, purified under affinity conditions, and immobilized on solid supports, these peptides exhibit distinct and reproducible antibody-binding profiles with human serum samples.
Publication: Anti-Mycobacterial Activity of Endophytic Streptomyces Secondary Metabolites
This study investigated endophytic bacterial isolates as sources of novel anti-mycobacterial agents. Secondary metabolites from Streptomyces sp. SbAr007 demonstrated broad-spectrum activity against laboratory strains H37Ra and H37Rv, a clinical drug-resistant M. tuberculosis isolate, and non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTMs). Macrophage infection assays confirmed effective intracellular control with negligible cytotoxicity to healthy donor PBMCs.
Publication: hnRNPA1 Inhibition for HIV-1 Latency Reversal
This study identified hnRNPA1 as a key post-transcriptional repressor of HIV RNA nuclear export in primary CD4+ T lymphocytes. Pharmacological inhibition using riluzole, alone or combined with the latency-reversing agent SAHA, successfully reactivated latent virus in PBMCs from ART-suppressed patients, revealing a novel host-mediated checkpoint in HIV persistence.
Publication: Serological Biomarkers for Lateral Flow-Based EPTB Detection
Following pilot validation in 137 subjects, this study was expanded to 875 participants across pulmonary TB, extrapulmonary TB, healthy volunteers, household contacts, recovered TB, and non-specific infection controls. ELISA demonstrated significantly elevated peptide-specific antibody titers in active TB patients.
International Collaborations
- Collaborated with NASA/JPL-affiliated researchers, including Kasthuri Venkateswaran and Christopher E. Mason, on genomic analyses of organisms isolated from the International Space Station.
- Co-authored publications on Cohnella hashimotonis (2023) and Methylobacterium ajmalii (2021), published in Frontiers in Microbiology.
- Collaborated with German microbial systematics experts Joachim Wink and Cathrin Sproer on marine actinomycete taxonomy.
- Contributed to research on Streptomyces marianii, published in the Journal of Antibiotics (2021).