My research is mainly focused on identification and characterization of virulence factors involved in the intracellular survival of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (the etiological agent of Tuberculosis) and Mycobacterium avium (prevalent pathogen in HIV-patients). I identify M. tuberculosis effector proteins secreted within the human macrophages and dissecting cellular processes, targeted by these effectors, through genetic, bioinformatics and proteomic approaches to gain insights and establish the mechanism of mycobacterium pathogenesis. I also study the bacterial response to anti-tuberculosis compounds (new and in use ones) to understand fundamental aspects of M. tuberculosis response to therapy. The multidisciplinary approaches employing bacterial genetics, high throughput screening libraries, gene knockout systems, cell biology, high-resolution microscopy and mass-spectrometric techniques are used in the laboratory.
