Anandhu Baiju

Project: “Epidemiology of Respiratory Infections in Small Ruminants with Reference to Mycoplasmosis”
• Conducting microbiological and molecular investigations for respiratory infections in small ruminants.
• Processing clinical specimens including nasal swabs, blood, serum, and tissue samples from animals.
• Performing DNA and RNA extraction, PCR, and other molecular assays for pathogen detection.
• Maintaining laboratory records, SOPs, sample inventory, and documentation related to epidemiological studies.
• Supporting infectious disease surveillance, prevalence studies, and field-based sample collection.
• Developing practical expertise in veterinary epidemiology, respiratory pathogens, and mycoplasmosis research.

Investigating host–pathogen interactions in Streptococcus pneumoniae, focusing on immune response mechanisms and biofilm-associated adaptations:
1. Studying the role of immune cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) in modulating host immune responses against pneumococcal infections.
• Isolated and characterized EVs from multiple biological systems, including THP-1 monocytes, A549 lung epithelial cell line, Human PBMCs, and from C57BL/6 mouse infection models.
• Performed EV isolation using differential centrifugation and density gradient ultracentrifugation, followed by characterization using Western blotting, TEM, and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA)
• Established an in vitro immune model by differentiating primary monocytes into dendritic cells, followed by EV stimulation and dendritic cell–T cell co-culture; evaluated immune responses through qPCR-based gene expression analysis, flow cytometry, and ELISA.
2. Exploring the host cell adaptations against S. Pneumoniae biofilms in both in vitro and in vivo models.
• Established in vitro S. pneumoniae biofilm models in A549 lung epithelial cells, assessed biofilm-induced cytotoxicity using LDH assays, and performed mRNA-level gene expression analysis to compare biofilm and planktonic populations.
• Assisted in establishing a C57BL/6J mouse pneumococcal carriage model for in vivo investigation of host–pathogen interactions.

• Company Overview: 1st NABH Accredited Multi-specialty hospital in India
• Supported laboratory staff with routine microbiological tasks, reducing workload burden and enabling focus on high-priority diagnostic procedures.
• Gained valuable exposure to hospital-based diagnostic workflows and real-time application of microbiological techniques.
• Assisted in organizing and maintaining lab records, patient sample logs, and data spreadsheets.
• Observed and learned standard operating procedures (SOPs) for sample processing, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and quality control.