An Associate Professor of Bharathidasan University, K. Natarajaseenivasan, has identified novel leptospiral genes and characterised them for early diagnosis of leptospirosis.
With the backing of the university, Dr. Natarajaseenivasan of the Department of Microbiology, carried out the year-long extensive research in the niche area of biotechnology at the Molecular Bacteriology Laboratory, Gluck Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, USA, as an awardee of the Overseas Associateship of the Department of Biotechnology, Central Ministry of Science and Technology, for young scientists.
Infection with pathogenic Leptospira occurs during environmental exposures and is customarily associated with occupational and environmental risk factors. Very few research centres are available in India for the Leptospiral research, and at Bharathidasan University Dr. Natarajaseenivasan has been fully engaged with these aspects.
His research focus was mainly on the development of a cost-effective diagnostic system for leptospirosis. He developed an ELISA-based diagnosis method using the recombinant proteins like lipL32, OmpL1 and LipL41. The Overseas Associateship of DBT was awarded in recognition of his research achievements.
Leptospiral genes recognise the specific antibodies in human patients and helps in diagnosis.
These genes may also act like a vaccine. Leptospirosis, a harmful zoonotic disease, is the cause of epidemics associated with high mortality in rural and urban communities.
At the University of Kentucky, he and Prof. John F. Timoney, Keeneland Chair of Infectious Diseases, concentrated on the identification of new expressive genes for the development of recombinant fusion proteins by molecular cloning and expression analysis. Dr. Natarajaseenivasan was trained in MALDI-TOF analysis for the identification of new novel immunogenic proteins. He also gained exposure to genomic library construction and the method of screening of the leptospiral strain ?Serovar Autumnalis', the predominant serovar encountered in many parts of Tamil Nadu and India.
Dr. Natarajaseenivasan identified three novel genes, and characterised and evaluated them for their efficacy, to adopt them in diagnostic formats. The newly explored genes were identified as groEL, recA and argC. They were also evaluated for their diagnostic and immunogenic potential.
The outcome of his research developments came in for praise by his U.S. collaborators and vice-chancellor of Bharathidasan University M. Ponnavaikko.
As an appreciation from DBT, he has been sanctioned a research project for the development of monoclonal antibodies for these novel recombinant fusion proteins, which can be later used for the antigen-based diagnostic systems for the early diagnosis of leptospirosis.