Centre for Dengue Research, University of Sri Jayawardenepura

I am excited to introduce our latest workshop on Biological Data Analysis with R Allergy, Immunology and Cell Biology Unit

Registration link: https://forms.gle/5ufdDqNwAefBf33V8

Our latest research on Leukotrienes and histamines in dengue.

Our data suggest that LTE4 could play a role in disease pathogenesis and since there are safe and effective cysteinyl leukotriene receptor blockers, it would be important to assess their efficacy in reducing dengue disease severity.

Urinary leukotrienes and histamine in patients with varying severity of acute dengue Background Vascular leak is a hallmark of severe dengue, and high leukotriene levels have been observed in dengue mouse models, suggesting a role in disease pathogenesis. We sought to explore their role in acute dengue, by assessing levels of urinary LTE4 and urinary histamine in patients with varyi...

https://rdcu.be/cdYbv SARS‑CoV‑2 neutralizing antibodies in patients with varying severity of acute COVID‑19 illness in Sri Lanka

SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies in patients with varying severity of acute COVID-19 illness In order to support vaccine development, and to aid convalescent plasma therapy, it would be important to understand the kinetics, timing and persistence of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies (NAbs), and their association with clinical disease severity. Therefore, we used a surrogate viral neutraliz...

https://rdcu.be/caRSQ
Our research finding on the differences in the cytokine storms in COVID-19 and dengue.
During early disease, patients who proceeded to develop COVID-19 severe pneumonia (SP) and DHF had significantly higher levels of IL-6, IL-10 and MIP3α than those who developed mild illness. The lowest levels of IFNγ in early illness were seen in those who succumbed to their illness due to COVID-19. Although IL-10 levels were significantly higher in COVID-19 patients with SP, patients with DHF had 25-fold higher levels, whereas IL-6 levels were 11-fold higher in those with COVID-19 SP.

Similarities and differences between the ‘cytokine storms’ in acute dengue and COVID-19 Severe pneumonia and multiorgan dysfunction in COVID-19 and dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) are two diseases that can associate with an altered immune response to the infecting virus. To determine the similarities and differences in the cytokine and chemokine responses in these two infections, we co...

Congratulations Ajantha Liyanage, Sameera Dasun Mahapatuna, Ananda Wijewickrama and others.

Risk Factors for Elevated Serum Lipopolysaccharide in Acute Dengue and Association with Clinical Disease Severity Although serum lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was shown to associate with development of severe dengue, the reasons for high LPS and its subsequent involvement in disease pathogenesis are not known. We assessed serum LPS, C-reactive protein (CRP), and procalcitonin in patients with acute dengue fever (DF....

Key findings of the study are:

The current circulating strain is different to the strains that circulated previously.
It has the mutation associated with high transmissibility resulting in high viral loads.
The same virus strain is so far responsible for the infections detected in the Minuwangoda, Colombo Municipality area and the Fish market cluster

Whole genomic sequencing of the SARS-CoV2 strains resulting in the massive outbreak in Sri Lanka in October 2020 by scientists of USJ - USJ - University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka Sri Lanka is currently experiencing a massive outbreak, which originated in Minuwangoda, Gampaha district and is now spreading all over Sri Lanka. The scientists at the Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine and Allergy, Immunology and Cell Biology Unit of University of Sri Jayewardenepura....