Training Years: 2016-2017
Training Site: Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College (BJMC), Pune
Country: India
Mentor: Vidya Mave, MD; Amita Gupta, MD
Title: Whole Genome Sequencing and Sensititre Testing of Drug- Resistant Tuberculosis Isolates Stored From Existing Research Cohorts in Maharashtra, India
Project Objectives:
Aim 1: To characterize drug resistance among M. tuberculosis from a region with high rates of drug resistance by a novel diagnostic that provides minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) results and compare those data to standard critical concentration-based drug susceptibility testing (DST) results;
Aim 2: Perform whole genome sequencing (WGS) of known resistant isolates of M. tuberculosis and correlate variants identified by WGS with DST results obtained by both MIC and critical concentration testing;
Aim 3: Correlate clinical characteristics including HIV status, site of disease, and treatment outcome with variants identified by WGS, including evaluation of the extent to which these factors are more related to the patient’s HIV status and the particular genetic variants identified;
Aim 4: Conduct molecular epidemiologic analysis using WGS data to document the extent of TB transmission within HIV care centers.
NIH Support: Fogarty fellowship postdoctoral training award
Career Development Award: K23 AI135102 (2018-2023) Whole Genome Sequencing Of Drug Resistant Tuberculosis In India: Genotype-Phenotype Correlation, Clinical Impact Of Resistance, And Sequencing Directly From Sputum