Pratap Vydyam, PhD
Research & Publications
Biography
News
Research Summary
Biological investigations related to drug discovery, drug resistance, antigenic variation, and DNA repair mechanisms in protozoan parasites cause malaria and babesiosis.
Extensive Research Description
I am profoundly interested in infectious diseases that severely impact the global economy, specifically in uncovering new antimalarial treatments and identifying untapped pathways crucial to protozoan parasites such as Plasmodium and Babesia, which can be targeted for therapeutic intervention. By identifying the molecular target(s) of active compounds, we can not only delve into the underlying biology of these parasites but also expedite the development of innovative medicines. Over the past ten years, my malaria research has revolved around investigating the role of P. falciparum recombinase in antigenic variation, providing a proof of concept for its potential as a drug target towards disease elimination. I have also studied how antimalarials and FDA-approved compounds function and how human babesiosis-causing parasites counteract their effects in vitro and animal models.
Coauthors
Research Interests
Antigenic Variation; Antimalarials; Babesiosis; DNA Damage; Quinolines; Malaria, Falciparum; Rad51 Recombinase; Artesunate
Public Health Interests
Antimicrobial Resistance; Infectious Diseases; Malaria; Parasitology; Zoonotic Diseases; Neglected Tropical Diseases; Vector-borne Diseases; Tick-borne Diseases
Selected Publications
- Tafenoquine-Atovaquone Combination Achieves Radical Cure and Confers Sterile Immunity in Experimental Models of Human BabesiosisVydyam P, Pal A, Renard I, Chand M, Kumari V, Gennaro J, Mamoun C. Tafenoquine-Atovaquone Combination Achieves Radical Cure and Confers Sterile Immunity in Experimental Models of Human Babesiosis. The Journal Of Infectious Diseases 2024, 229: 161-172. PMID: 38169301, PMCID: PMC10786256, DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiad315.
- Babesia BdFE1 esterase is required for the anti-parasitic activity of the ACE inhibitor fosinoprilVydyam P, Choi J, Gihaz S, Chand M, Gewirtz M, Thekkiniath J, Lonardi S, Gennaro J, Mamoun C. Babesia BdFE1 esterase is required for the anti-parasitic activity of the ACE inhibitor fosinopril. Journal Of Biological Chemistry 2023, 299: 105313. PMID: 37797695, PMCID: PMC10663679, DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105313.
- Uncovering the role of Rad51 in homologous recombination-mediated antigenic diversification in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparumVydyam P, Roy N, Bhattacharyya M. Uncovering the role of Rad51 in homologous recombination-mediated antigenic diversification in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Frontiers In Molecular Biosciences 2023, 10: 1223682. PMID: 37593128, PMCID: PMC10427863, DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1223682.
- Babesia duncani multi-omics identifies virulence factors and drug targetsSingh P, Lonardi S, Liang Q, Vydyam P, Khabirova E, Fang T, Gihaz S, Thekkiniath J, Munshi M, Abel S, Ciampossin L, Batugedara G, Gupta M, Lu X, Lenz T, Chakravarty S, Cornillot E, Hu Y, Ma W, Gonzalez L, Sánchez S, Estrada K, Sánchez-Flores A, Montero E, Harb O, Le Roch K, Mamoun C. Babesia duncani multi-omics identifies virulence factors and drug targets. Nature Microbiology 2023, 8: 845-859. PMID: 37055610, PMCID: PMC10159843, DOI: 10.1038/s41564-023-01360-8.
- Front Cover: A Chimeric Peptide Inhibits Red Blood Cell Invasion by Plasmodium falciparum with Hundredfold Increased Efficacy (ChemBioChem 7/2023)**Mannuthodikayil J, Sinha S, Singh S, Biswas A, Ali I, Mashurabad P, Tabassum W, Vydyam P, Bhattacharyya M, Mandal K. Front Cover: A Chimeric Peptide Inhibits Red Blood Cell Invasion by Plasmodium falciparum with Hundredfold Increased Efficacy (ChemBioChem 7/2023)**. ChemBioChem 2023, 24 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202300043.
- Babesia duncani as a Model Organism to Study the Development, Virulence, and Drug Susceptibility of Intraerythrocytic Parasites In Vitro and In Vivo.Pal AC, Renard I, Singh P, Vydyam P, Chiu JE, Pou S, Winter RW, Dodean R, Frueh L, Nilsen AC, Riscoe MK, Doggett JS, Ben Mamoun C. Babesia duncani as a Model Organism to Study the Development, Virulence, and Drug Susceptibility of Intraerythrocytic Parasites In Vitro and In Vivo. The Journal Of Infectious Diseases 2022, 226: 1267-1275. PMID: 35512141, PMCID: PMC10233494, DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiac181.
- Effective Therapy Targeting Cytochrome bc1 Prevents Babesia Erythrocytic Development and Protects from Lethal InfectionChiu JE, Renard I, Pal AC, Singh P, Vydyam P, Thekkiniath J, Kumar M, Gihaz S, Pou S, Winter RW, Dodean R, Frueh L, Nilsen AC, Riscoe MK, Doggett JS, Mamoun C. Effective Therapy Targeting Cytochrome bc1 Prevents Babesia Erythrocytic Development and Protects from Lethal Infection. Antimicrobial Agents And Chemotherapy 2021, 65: e00662-21. PMID: 34152821, PMCID: PMC8370247, DOI: 10.1128/aac.00662-21.
- Evidence for SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein in the Urine of COVID-19 PatientsGeorge S, Pal AC, Gagnon J, Timalsina S, Singh P, Vydyam P, Munshi M, Chiu JE, Renard I, Harden CA, Ott IM, Watkins AE, Vogels CBF, Lu P, Tokuyama M, Venkataraman A, Casanovas-Massana A, Wyllie AL, Rao V, Campbell M, Farhadian SF, Grubaugh ND, Dela Cruz CS, Ko AI, Perez A, Akaho EH, Moledina DG, Testani J, John AR, Ledizet M, Mamoun CB, Team A. Evidence for SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein in the Urine of COVID-19 Patients. Kidney360 2021, 2: 924-936. PMID: 35373072, PMCID: PMC8791366, DOI: 10.34067/kid.0002172021.
- Benzimidazolinone-Free Peptide o‑Aminoanilides for Chemical Protein SynthesisMannuthodikayil J, Singh S, Biswas A, Kar A, Tabassum W, Vydyam P, Bhattacharyya M, Mandal K. Benzimidazolinone-Free Peptide o‑Aminoanilides for Chemical Protein Synthesis. Organic Letters 2019, 21: 9040-9044. PMID: 31663760, DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.9b03440.
- A small-molecule inhibitor of the DNA recombinase Rad51 from Plasmodium falciparum synergizes with the antimalarial drugs artemisinin and chloroquineVydyam P, Dutta D, Sutram N, Bhattacharyya S, Bhattacharyya M. A small-molecule inhibitor of the DNA recombinase Rad51 from Plasmodium falciparum synergizes with the antimalarial drugs artemisinin and chloroquine. Journal Of Biological Chemistry 2019, 294: 8171-8183. PMID: 30936202, PMCID: PMC6527153, DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.005009.
- Identification of Plasmodium falciparum DNA Repair Protein Mre11 with an Evolutionarily Conserved Nuclease Function.Badugu SB, Nabi SA, Vaidyam P, Laskar S, Bhattacharyya S, Bhattacharyya MK. Identification of Plasmodium falciparum DNA Repair Protein Mre11 with an Evolutionarily Conserved Nuclease Function. PLoS One 2015, 10: e0125358. PMID: 25938776, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0125358.