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Research programs
Five interconnected programs — plus three flagship ongoing projects — spanning environmental isolation, molecular characterization, comparative genomics, and translational evaluation.
Programs
What we study
01
Phage Therapy Against MDR Pathogens
Isolation and characterization of lytic bacteriophages targeting AMR bacteria (K. pneumoniae, E. coli, K. aerogenes, S. aureus, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas) with ongoing in vivo efficacy studies. Assays include MOI optimization, one-step growth, thermal/pH stability, and biofilm disruption.
02
Phage–Host Interaction Networks
In silico and experimental modeling of phage–bacteria dynamics: receptor specificity, tail-associated lysins and receptor-binding domains, evolutionary patterns, and resistance-escape mechanisms.
03
Microbiome Science
Human gut and skin phageome analyses uncovering thousands of modular endolysins and novel antimicrobial peptides; exploring AMR-pathogen interactions with microbial communities in health, disease, and therapeutic response.
04
Phage Genomics & Bioinformatics
Whole-genome sequencing, proteome phylogeny, ANI clustering, and core-gene taxonomy — from 44 C. difficile phages to 709 Streptococcus phages — revising family- and genus-level classification.
05
Phage-Based Antimicrobial Platforms
Engineered phages and phage-derived enzymes — endolysins, depolymerases, cell-wall binding domains — plus 182 endolysin-derived AMPs (antibacterial, antifungal, cell-penetrating) validated by docking and molecular dynamics.
METHODS
Our pipeline
Isolation → Characterization → Genomic Analysis → Host Interaction → Therapeutic Evaluation → Translation. Every banked phage passes safety screening for virulence and AMR genes.
Flagship ongoing projects
Three active research lines
Summarized faithfully from the lab’s current project descriptions.
01 · Phage Bank · One Health
Developing a phage bank in Bangladesh: a rapid and cost-effective tool to combat AMR in the developing world
LMICs face the highest AMR burden yet depend on imported therapeutics. This project builds a diverse, well-characterized local phage collection from hospital sewage, clinical samples, farm effluents, and municipal drainage — targeting Klebsiella pneumoniae, E. coli, K. aerogenes, Salmonella typhimurium, Staphylococcus spp., Enterobacter cloacae, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Bacillus subtilis, and Enterococcus faecalis. Phages showed efficient lysis at low MOI, defined latent/lysis periods, broad temperature–pH stability, strong biofilm-disruptive activity, and genomically confirmed safety (no virulence/AMR genes). A scalable One Health resource for human, animal, and environmental sectors.
02 · 709 Genomes · Taxonomy
Streptococcus phage genomes reveal extensive diversity, new taxonomic insights, and novel endolysin-derived AMPs
709 Streptococcus phage genomes clustered into 66 clusters + 35 singletons. Proposal: 21 new family-level classifications and 296 genus-level subclusters. Endolysins show diverse — including previously unreported — domain architectures tracking distinct streptococcal hosts, mostly under purifying selection. 182 novel endolysin-derived AMPs identified; peptides EP-39 and EP-121 show high stability and strong affinity for S. pneumoniae autolysin in docking/MD. Preprint: bioRxiv 2024.10.31.621281. Experimental validation ongoing.
03 · 44 Genomes · C. difficile
Comparative genomics reveals diversity and taxonomic relationships among Clostridioides difficile phages
44 public C. difficile phage genomes grouped by shared proteins into 9 clusters. Proposal: 23 new genera, 3 families, elevation of assigned genera to subfamilies. Four distinct endolysin organizations; amidase_3 and LysM domains highly conserved under purifying selection. Published: Microbiology Spectrum 2025; preprint bioRxiv 2024.07.10.602917.
Building the next generation of precision antimicrobials.
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