Sriram Kumar

Curriculum Vitae

Since 2020       PhD Student at the Institute of Virology, University of Münster

Münster Graduate School of Evolution and EvoPAD RTG (associated)

2017 - 2019       M.Tech in Biotechnology, Anna University, Chennai, India
Molecular and Cellular Virology Lab, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

2012 - 2016       B.Tech in Biotechnology, Anna University, Chennai, India
Translational Virology Lab, CSIR Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology, India

Project

My PhD project aims to characterize the therapeutic potential of human Interferon-alpha subtypes (hIFNα) against seasonal and highly-pathogenic Influenza-A viruses using primary human lung tissue explants as experimental models. Employing state-of-the-art RNA-seq technology, we aim to unravel Interferon Stimulated Genes that serve as virus-specific restriction factors (against IAVs & SARS-CoV2) and also serve as molecular determinants of the differential antiviral activities of the hIFNα subtypes.

Methods

Lung Explants, Immunohistochemistry, Single Cell Isolation, scRNA-Seq, Reporter Assays, BSL3, qPCR, HPAIV, SARS-CoV-2, Cell Culture, ALI Culture, Plaque Assay, Flow Cytometry, Western Blot

Bioinformatics: Transcriptomics, Docking, Modeling, Phylogenetics

Publications and awards

Schuhenn, J., Meister, TL., Todt, D., Bracht, T., Schork, K., Billaud, JN., Elsner, C., Heinen, N., Karakoese, Z., Haid, S., Kumar, S., Brunotte, L., Eisenacher, M., Di, Y., Lew, J., Falzarano, D., Chen, J., Yuan, Z., Pietschmann, T., Wiegmann, B., Beckert, H., Taube, C., Le-Trilling, VTK., Trilling, M., Krawczyk, A., Ludwig, S., Sitek, B., Steinmann, E., Dittmer, U., Lavender, KJ., Sutter, K., Pfaender, S. (2022) Differential Interferon-α Subtype Induced Immune Signatures are Associated with Suppression of SARS-CoV2 Infection; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Kumar, S., Çalışkan, D. M., Janowski, J., Faist, A., Conrad, B. C. G., Lange, J., Ludwig, S., and Brunotte, L. (2021) Beyond Vaccines: Clinical Status of Prospective COVID-19 Therapeutics, Front Immunol12, 752227.