Puttawat Suphaprueksapong

PhD Student

University of Florida, United States of America (USA)

Email: puttawatsuphapru@ufl.edu

VALIDATE Role:

Network Affiliate

Research Keywords:

Melioidosis, mRNA Therapeutics, Immunology, Mouse Model, Immune Exhaustion

Biography:

Melioidosis, caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, is a severe health issue that provides a challenge to treatment options, owing to the bacterium's unusual ability to evade the immune system. Localized outbreaks are most common in Southeast Asia and Northern Australia, with occasional incidences in the United States. Previous research has shown that B. pseudomallei infection produces an increase in the PD-1/PD-L1 exhaustion pathway, which impairs the activity of activated T lymphocytes. Unfortunately, there is currently no full understanding of the immunological exhaustion landscape in melioidosis, and an effective host-directed therapy targeting this pathway remains elusive. These are significant impediments because B. pseudomallei develops intrinsic resistance to conventional antibiotics; as a result, new treatment approaches are urgently required to combat this complex and versatile bacterium in endemic areas. Thus, we hope to develop pioneer mRNA-based therapeutics targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway to boost immune responses and aid function with the present antibiotic regimens.