Dr Pooja Vijayaraghavan

Dr. Pooja Vijayaraghavan’s labs primary research focus lies within the field of antifungal research. Her work encompasses analysing biological efficacy of naturally occurring small molecules and synthetically designed analogues against pathogenic fungal species, with a particular emphasis on human pathogens such as Aspergillus fumigatus and Rhizopus Delemar, as well as plant pathogenic fungi like Magnaporthe oryzae and Curvularia lunata.
Dr. Vijayaraghavan’s research at the Amity Institute of Biotechnology encompasses three main areas. Firstly, it aims to understand the level of resistance in Aspergillus species present in the Indian Agricultural fields due to pesticide usage. This investigation provides crucial insights into the impact of pesticide exposure on fungal resistance patterns. Secondly, her lab is involved in validating new analogues as antifungal agents, contributing to the development of novel approaches for combating fungal infections and lastly towards developing biopesticides based on natural molecules, which offers a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to chemical pesticides.

Abstract Submission:

Exploring Novel Glycoconjugates as Promising Antifungal Agents Targeting Azole-Resistant Rhizopus delemar and Aspergillus fumigatus:
Invasive mold infections (IMIs), notably invasive aspergillosis (IA) and mucormycosis, remain a substantial health threat with mortality rates exceeding 30%, emphasizing the urgency for new antifungals. 100 soil samples were collected from agricultural fields of North India to isolate A. fumigatus, while 41 samples from outside hospital premises to isolate R. delemar. Identification of isolates was performed using both molecular and conventional methods. Further, analogues of eugenol coded as LG45 and LG43, demonstrated significant antifungal activity, with MIC ranging from 12.5-25 μg/mL against resistant isolates while the ATCC 46645 strain showed an MIC of 3.12 μg/mL. Glycoconjugates were non-cytotoxic on L-132 and A549 cell lines. In addition, relative gene expression of DHN-melanin, hydrophobicity, conidiation and biofilm formation-associated crucial genes (pksP, RodA, BrlA, WetA, AbaA, MedA, SomA) and their transcription regulators was analysed. LG43 exhibited significant activity against resistant R. delemar by inhibiting the conidial germination within 24 h.