Research Projects

Rapid and specific detection of bacteria, such as mycobacterium tuberculosis, is crucial for human health. India accounts for 27% of total tuberculosis infections worldwide and remains the highest contributor to global TB cases. The Indian government aims to eradicate TB by 2025, five years ahead of the Sustainable Development Goal 2030. However, current techniques on culturing cells are slow for identifying harmful pathogens. New diagnostic techniques, such as metabolically incorporated fluorescent tags, are being developed to improve detection and therapy. Fluorescent reporters with trehalose, essential components of the mycobacterial cell membrane, can be used to study visualization of mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) bacteria, providing therapeutic intervention and distinguishing live vs. dead bacterial cells. This approach will enable understanding of key aspects of Mtb-host interactions and provide a route to clinical point-of-care diagnosis. The current proposal aims to synthesize and evaluate multiple solvatochromic fluorescent analogues for rapid MtB staining and to shed light on host-pathogen interactions. The goal is to develop a library of fluorescent analogues and gain a better understanding of host-pathogen interactions.