Dr. Gyanu Lamichhane is Assistant Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Tuberculosis Research Labs. This interview was conducted at JHU on November 13, 2009. The following bio is excerpted from this bio sketch (.pdf – 80kb), which includes a list of publications.
My primary interest lies in understanding exactly how M. tuberculosis bacilli grows so that we can develop ways to stop its growth and treat its infection which kills ~9 million people worldwide. I have been pursuing this topic for the last 10 years and identified many genes, proteins and molecules that are required for its survival and growth. Yet more work lies ahead in determining the molecular mechanism for survival and growth of this bacilli. At the present my efforts are focused on understanding the details of peptidoglycan modification of M. tuberculosis so that we can target this vital component of the cell wall. With a formal education/training in Chemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology I intend to use these expertise to understand the molecular mechanism of bacterial survival/growth and translate it to develop new drugs and therapies against this deadly infection.