Centre for Dengue Research

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centre_for_dengue_research

Dengue viral infections are one of the most important mosquito borne viral infections in the world, infecting approximately 390 million individuals a year. Therefore, carrying out relevant and cutting edge research this area in order to come up with a long lasting solution, is the most urgent priority at this hour.

Vision and Mission

To conduct high quality, with high scientific standard, to find long lasting solutions to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with dengue.

Objectives

a. Drug development

i. Develop drugs that can be used to treat dengue

ii. Determine the efficacy of an existing or new drugs to treat dengue by conducting, scientific clinical trials which are unbiased to test for novel or existing drugs for dengue

b. Vaccine related research Identity T cell and antibody correlates of protection for dengue in order to determine correlates of protection against dengue

c. Epidemiological research Development of proper surveillance system to monitor changes in the dengue incidence and also the circulating DENV serotypes in urban, suburban and rural populations in Sri Lanka

d. Research related to development of diagnostics and clinical characteristics of dengue

i. Development of dengue diagnostics and co-ordination of institutes to identify the true burden of dengue in hospitalized patients by carrying out diagnostics to confirm dengue and similar illnesses (Hanta virus, ZIKA, WNV, Influenza) during dengue epidemics

ii. To understand factors that lead to fluid leakage and prediction or prevention of leakage

Advisory Panel

  • Dr. Chandima Jeewandara – Department of Family Medicine, University of Sri Jayewardenepura
  • Emeritus Professor Krishan Deheragoda – University of Sri Jayewardenepura – Invited
  • Prof. Graham Ogg – University of Oxford
  • Prof. Nicole Zitzmann – University of Oxford y Prof. Ng Mah Lee – National University of Singapore
  • Prof. Marilyn Sue O Hara – University of Illinois y Senior Assistant Bursar – Invited

Facilities Available

Tissue culture facilities, Magnetic cytokine bead array analysis: Magpix, Liquid nitrogen storage, 12 Colour and 4 Colour flowcytometry, ELISpot facilities, Digital Inkjet Plotter-Printer, 5 Colour real time PCR, DNA and RNA quantification

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Publications: In SCI journals

  1. Jeewandara, C., Gomes, L., Udari, S., Paranavitane, S.A., Shyamali, N.L.A., Ogg, G. S. and Malavige, G. N. Secretory Phospholipase A2 in acute dengue infection. 2016.
  2. Kamaladasa A, Gomes L, Jeewandara C, Shyamali NL, Ogg GS, Malavige GN. Lipopolysaccharide acts synergistically with the dengue virus to induce monocyte production of platelet activating factor and other inflammatory mediators. Antiviral Res. 2016 Jul 28;133:183-190.
  3. Kamaladasa A, Wickramasinghe N, Adikari TN, Gomes L, Shyamali NL, Salio M, Cerundolo V, Ogg GS, Malavige G.N. Expansion of highly activated iNKT cells with altered phenotype in acute dengue infection. Clin Exp Immunol. 2016 Feb 13. doi: 10.1111/cei.12778
  4. Narmada Adikari T, Gomes L, Wickramasinghe N, Salimi M, Wijesiriwardana N, Kamaladasa A, Narangoda Liyanage AS, Ogg GS, Malavige GN. Dengue NS1 antigen contributes to disease severity by inducing IL-10 by monocytes. Clin Exp Immunol. 2015 Dec 1. doi: 10.1111/cei.12747
  5. Fernando S, Wijewickrama A, Gomes L, Punchihewa CT, Madusanka SD, Dissanayake H, Jeewandara C, Peiris H, Ogg GS, Malavige GN. Patterns and causes of liver involvement in acute dengue infection. BMC Infect Dis.2016 Jul 8;16:319.
  6. Jayaratne E, Wijeratne D, Fernando S, Kamaladasa A, Gomes L, Wijewickrama A, Ogg GS, Malavige GN1.   Regulatory T cells in acute dengue viral infection. Immunology. 2017 Nov 15. Impact factor: 4.07
  7. Malavige GN, Ogg GS. Pathogenesis of vascular leak in dengue virus infection. Immunology. 2017 Apr 24 Impact factor: 4.07
  8. Jeewandara, C., Gomes, L., Udari, S., Paranavitane, S.A., Shyamali, N.L.A., Ogg, G. S. and Malavige, G. N. Secretory Phospholipase A2 in acute dengue infection. Infection, Immunity and Inflammation. 2017. Impact factor: Journal launched 1 year ago.
  9. Laxminarayan R, Kakkar M, Horby P, Malavige GN, Basnyat B. Emerging and re-emerging infectious disease threats in South Asia: status, vulnerability, preparedness, and outlook. BMJ. 2017 Apr 11;357:j1447. doi: 10.1136/bmj.j1447. Impact factor: 20.78
  10. Nadugala MN, Jeewandara C, Malavige GN, Premaratne PH, Goonasekara CL. Natural antibody responses to the capsid protein in sera of Dengue infected patients from Sri Lanka. PLoS One. 2017 Jun 5;12(6):e0178009 Impact Factor: 2.8
  11. Premaratne MK, Perera SS, Malavige GN, Jayasinghe S. Mathematical Modelling of Immune Parameters in the Evolution of Severe Dengue. Comput Math Methods Med. 2017;2017:2187390. doi: 10.1155/2017/2187390. Impact factor: 0.93
  12. Jayasundara SD, Perera SS, Malavige GN, Jayasinghe S. Mathematical modelling and a systems science approach to describe the role of cytokines in the evolution of severe dengue. BMC Syst Biol. 2017 Mar 11;11(1):34. doi: 10.1186/s12918-017-0415-3. Impact factor: 2.3

Conference presentations- international

  1. Efficacy of rupatadine in the treatment of acute dengue infection. American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Nov, 2016, Atlanta, USA
  2. Natural antibody responses to the Capsid protein of Dengue. American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Nov, 2016, Atlanta, USA
  3. Minimisation study of dengue prognostic biomarker panel test: 17th International Congress on Infectious Diseases, 2016, Hyderabad.
  4. Factors leading to liver injury in acute dengue infection: 17th International Congress on Infectious Diseases, 2016, Hyderabad.
  5. Obesity and the presence of asthma are associated with hospitalization due to dengue infection. 17th International Congress on Infectious Diseases, 2016, Hyderabad.
  6. Viral aetiologies of acute encephalitis in a hospital-based population in Sri Lanka: 17th International Congress on Infectious Diseases, 2016, Hyderabad.
  7. Expansion of regulatory T cells in acute dengue infection does not associate with disease severity: 17th International Congress on Infectious Diseases, 2016, Hyderabad.
  8. Mast cell activation in severe dengue: International Congress of Immunology, Melbourne 2016
  9. Phenotypic analysis of natural killer cells in acute dengue: International Congress of Immunology, Melbourne 2016
  10. Platelet activating factor and its associated inflammatory mediators in the pathogenesis of acute dengue: International Congress of Immunology, Melbourne 2016
  11. Dengue: Mathematical modelling of cytokine levels in the evolution of severity: 17th International Congress on Infectious Diseases, 2016, Hyderabad.
  1. Effect of Apolipoprotein AI on Dengue Non Structural Protein 1(NS1) In Dengue Disease Pathogenesis, Jayathilaka,D.C., Gomes,L.,Ogg G.S., Malavige,G.N., nternational Union of Microbiological societies congress (IUMS)  2017 – Singapore
  2. Wijeratne, D.T1., Fernando,S1., Gomes,L1.,Jeewandara, K.C1., Ginneliya,A1., Samarasekara,S1., Wijewickrama A, Ogg G.S3., Malavige,G.N1,3., Role of Dengue Virus Specific T cell Responses in the Pathogenesis of Acute Dengue Infection. The 6thNIF Winter School on Advanced Immunology
  3. Difference in Anti-Viral Responses in Individuals with Past Asymptomatic and Symptomatic Dengue Individuals Achala Kamaladasa1, Laksiri Gomes1, Graham S. Ogg 1,2 and Gathsaurie Neelika Malavige. The 6thNIF Winter School on Advanced Immunology

Conference presentations-local

  1. Fernando S., Wijewickrama A., Gomes L, Punchihewa C.T, Madusanka S.D.P, Dissanayake H., Jeewandara C., Peiris H, Ogg .G.S., Malavige G.N.; Factors leading to liver injury in acute dengue infection. 8thBiennial Sessions of Allergy and Immunology Society of Sri Lanka
  2. Regulatory T cells in acute dengue: 8thBiennial Sessions of Allergy and Immunology Society of Sri Lanka
  3. Antibody responses to Dengue NS1 peptides in individuals with past dengue infection Gomes P.L.R, Chandima Jeewandara , Graham S. Ogg , Gathsaurie Neelika Malavige,Asia Pacific Conference of Emerging Viral Infections 2017
  4. Effect Of Change In Serotype On Clinical Severity Of Dengue Infections. Ananda Wijewickrama1, Samitha Fernando2,G.S.B.Jayerathne2, M.A.P.A.Perera2, S.A. Abeynaike 2, Laksiri Gomes2, Chandima Jeewandara2, Gathsaurie Neelika Malavige2

Any other publications (Books, Book chapters, reports etc.)

We have contributed to three chapters in the book titled ‘Handbook of ELISPOT: Methods and Protocols, Third Edition’. Springer publication. Price of the second edition of this book: Euros: 101.4

Names of chapters:

  1. Ex vivo ELISpot assay to investigate dengue virus specific T cell responses
  2. Ex vivo ELISpot assay to investigate iNKT cell responses in acute dengue infection
  3. Cultured ELISpot assay to investigate dengue virus specific T cell responses

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