Neeraj Chauhan, Ph.D.
Research in the Chauhan lab focuses on the biology and disease mechanisms of fungal pathogens of the Candida genus, primarily Candida albicans and Candida auris, two leading human fungal pathogens that can cause both mucosal and invasive infections. Treatment and accurate diagnosis of invasive fungal infections is notoriously difficult. The mortality rates from invasive fungal diseases range from 10 – 90%, depending on the pathogen and patient population. Our research interests are focused on in unraveling the mechanisms that allow fungal pathogens to exploit the host and cause disease. We are also interested in developing a novel PCR based platform to detect mutations in drug resistant Candida species genes conferring resistance to antifungal drugs. The long-term goal of our research is to develop new strategies for the diagnosis and prevention of antifungal drug resistance and new treatment options for these life-threatening infections. We aim to address these challenges through an innovative and interdisciplinary approach that includes functional genomics, animal models of host-pathogen interaction, and screening for inhibitors of antifungal drug targets.
Recent Publications
- Jenull S, Shivarathri R, Tsymala I, Peninnger P, Trinh P, Nogueira F, Chauhan M, Singh A, Petryshyn A, Stoiber A, Chowdhary A, Chauhan N*, Kuchler K. 2022. Transcriptomics and phenotyping define genetic signatures associated with echinocandin resistance in Candida auris. mBio 2022 Aug 30;13(4):e0079922. doi: 10.1128/mbio.00799-22. *Corresponding author
- Shivarathri R, Jenull S, Chauhan M, Singh A, Mazumdar R, Chowdhary A, Kuchler K, Chauhan N*. 2022. Comparative Transcriptomics Reveal Possible Mechanisms of Amphotericin B Resistance in Candida auris. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. Jun 2;e0227621. doi: 10.1128/aac.02276-21.*Corresponding author
- Jenull S, Tscherner M, Kashko N, Shivarathri R, Stoiber A, Chauhan M, Petryshyn A, Chauhan N*, Kuchler K. Transcriptome Signatures Predict Phenotypic Variations of Candida auris. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2021;11:662563. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8079977. *Corresponding author
- Shivarathri R, Jenull S, Stoiber A, Chauhan M, Mazumdar R, Singh A, Nogueira F, Kuchler K, Chowdhary A, Chauhan N*. The Two-Component Response Regulator Ssk1 and the Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Hog1 Control Antifungal Drug Resistance and Cell Wall Architecture of Candida auris. mSphere. 2020 Oct 14;5(5) PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7565899. *Corresponding author