Associate Professor
E-mail: arup at rcb dot res dot in
The outcome of viral infection is primarily driven by the immune cells that interact with the viruses and elicit an immune response. Dengue (DV) and Japanese Encephalitis virus (JEV) infection cause notable morbidity and mortality and are recognized as important pathogens in India. However, it is not clear what molecular triggers cause severity. The immunopathogenic mechanisms that drive disease progression are ill-understood. Virus infection modulates the microenvironment leading to phenotypic and functional changes in the immune cells and altering disease outcomes. However, there is a lack of in-depth knowledge of the phenotypic heterogeneity of immune cells due to viral infection. How virus-induced phenotypic changes are related to cell-fate decisions in the immune response and impart adverse disease outcomes. Thus, we have undertaken multiple projects to decipher the mechanisms of immune modulation at the cellular and molecular levels. To understand complex interactions between viruses and hosts, we have taken an integrated ‘omics’ approach extracting molecular information from clinical samples, followed by validation and mechanism study using cellular or animal models. Our work encompasses studying the impact of viral infection on immune cell phenotypes and functions.
Infected cells also secrete factors (e.g., small RNA, proteins) by releasing small extracellular vesicles called exosomes. These exosomes circulate in the body fluid and may alter cellular functions upon transferring their materials into the neighboring or distant cells. We believe that circulating exosomes may have the capacity to modulate immune functions, and aberrant immune function may play an important role in dengue disease progression. Ongoing work also evaluates the circulating exosomes purified from patients' plasma for their ability to induce immune dysfunction and their association with disease severity.
Dr. Arup Banerjee
Associate Professor
Regional Centre for Biotechnology
NCR Biotech Science Cluster
3rd Milestone, Faridabad-Gurgaon Expressway
P.O. Box No. 3, Faridabad - 121 001
Haryana (NCR Delhi), India
E-mail: arup at rcb dot res dot in
Phone: 91 129-2848852