2025
"Research is the distance between an idea and its realization."
- David Sarnoff
Quantitative Mapping of Environmental to Clinical AMR via DNA Barcoding
Under the project "Quantitative mapping of environmental to clinical AMR via genomics and DNA barcoding," goal is to track the presence and relative frequency of specific AMR gene variants of local medical significance and to quantitatively estimate their abundance in environmental samples. The core focus of the project is metagenomics-based quantitative mapping of environmental AMR and its comparison with clinically observed resistance variants.
The current consortium consists of Dr Laasya Samhita, Lead PI, Dr Shraddha Karve as Co-PI, and Dr Mahesh Dharne, an expert in the area of pathogen surveillance using both metagenomics and culture-based methods. Dr Shraddha Karve represents the clinical end and via pre-existing hospital collaborations she will supplement with antibiotic susceptibility profiles and whole genomes for specific priority pathogens.
This study will address the one major knowledge gap, i.e. correlation of environmental with clinical AMR, a connection that could provide valuable information on resistance evolution, antibiotic-class, specific routes of AMR transmission and subsequent control policies and intervention strategies. Additional impact would be enabling more accurate epidemiological and disease modeling using integrated local environmental and clinical data. The project is funded through the Catalytic Grant Fund of the International Pathogen Surveillance Network, World Health Organisation, and is expected to be completed in June 2026.
