Singh Lab
A Host-pathogen Interaction and Translational Science (HITS) Laboratory
Our research focuses on understanding our body's defense mechanisms against pathogens and translating that knowledge into innovative vaccine and immunotherapies
RESEARCH
C. auris has emerged globally and is associated with a high mortality rate (60%). C. auris infections are more frequent in immunocompromised, hospitalized patients harboring indwelling medical devices (e.g. central venous catheters). Many of the C. auris isolates are resistant to all clinical available anti-fungal drugs. The Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) has declared C. auris as one of the “Urgent Threat Level” pathogens in its 2019 Antibiotic Resistance Threats Report. Moreover, hardly anything is known about the virulence mechanisms of C. auris.
Singh HITS Lab is using cutting-edge bioinformatics, immuno-proteomics, and molecular biology approaches to identify novel C. auris surface proteins and study their role in virulence. The selected antigens will be developed as vaccine candidates using advanced mRNA-based vaccine technologies. We aim to provide alternative therapeutic vaccine /immunotherapy to combat MDR C. auris infections.
OUR APPROACH
TEAM
Shakti Singh, MS, PhD
Investigator | Assistant Professor (View Profile)
PhD, Experimental Surgery (Immunology)
2009 - 2015, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
Postdoctoral Fellow
2016 - 2017, National Cancer Institute (NIH), Frederick, MD, USA
Postdoctoral Fellow/Research Scientist
2017 - 2022, The Lundquist Institute, Torrance, CA, USA
Eliciane Cevolani Mattos
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Ph.D. Biological Sciences
University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil
Haley Hautau
Research Assistant
B.S., Microbial Biology
2018-2020
University of California,
Berkeley, CA
PhD Student
Join Singh-HITS Lab at TLI
PAST MEMBERS
Kayleigh Fort
Research Trainee June 1 -Aug 15, 2023
B.S.; Molecular Environmental Biology
2022-2026
University of California, Berkeley, CA
Tatiana Liang
June 20 -Aug 4, 2023
High School Summer Research Intern
The Lundquist Institute Summer Fellow 2023
PUBLICATIONS
Key Research Articles
Santana DJ, Anku JAE, Zhao G, Zarnowski R, Johnson CJ, Hautau H, Visser ND, Ibrahim AS, Andes D, Nett JE, Singh S*, O'Meara TR. A Candida auris-specific adhesin, Scf1, governs surface association, colonization, and virulence. Science. 2023 Sep 29;381(6665):1461-1467. doi: 10.1126/science.adf8972. Epub 2023 Sep 28. PMID: 37769084.
Phan QT, Solis NV, Cravener MV, Swidergall M, Lin J, Huang MY, Liu H, Singh S, Ibrahim AS, Mazzone M, Mitchell AP, Filler SG. Candida albicans stimulates formation of a multi-receptor complex that mediates epithelial cell invasion during oropharyngeal infection. PLoS Pathogens. 2023 Aug 23;19(8):e1011579. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011579. PMID: 37611070; PMCID: PMC10479894.
Singh S, Nabeela S, Barbarino A, Ibrahim AS, Uppuluri P. Antibodies targeting Candida albicans Als3 and Hyr1 antigens protect neonatal mice from candidiasis. Frontiers in Immunology. 2022 Jul 22;13:925821. PMID: 35935947.
Ost K, O’ Meara TR, Stephens WZ, Chiaro T, Zhou H, Penman J, Bell R, Catanzaro JR, Song D, Singh S, Call DH, Hwang-Wong E, Hanson KE, Valentine JF, Christensen KA, O’Connell RM, Cormack B, Ibrahim AI, Palm NW, Noble SM & Round JL. Adaptive immunity promotes a mutually beneficial interaction between commensal eukaryotes. Nature. 2021 July 14, 596, pages114–118. PMID: 34262174.
Soliman SSM*, Baldin C*, Gu Y*, Singh S*, Gebremariam T, Swidergall M, Alqarihi A, Youssef EG, Alkhazraji S, Pikoulas A, Perske C, Venkataramani V, Rich A, Bruno VM, Hotopp JD, Mantis NJ, Edwards JE Jr, Filler SG, Chamilos G, Vitetta ES, Ibrahim AS. Mucoricin is a Ricin-Like Toxin that is Critical for the Pathogenesis of Mucormycosis. Nature Microbiology. 2021 Jan 18. PMID: 33462434. (*Equal contribution)
Iyer KA, Camara K, Daniel-Ivadd M, Trilles R, Pimentel-Elardod SM, Fossen JL, Marchillo K, Liu Z, Singh S, Muñoz JF, Kim SH, Porco JA Jr, Cuomo CA, Williams NS, Ibrahim AS, Edwards JE Jr, Andes DR, Nodwell JR, Brown LE, Whitesell L, Robbins N, Cowen LE. Novel 3,3-diarylated oxindole efflux inhibitor provides a promising approach to combat azole resistance in the emerging fungal pathogen Candida auris. Nature Communications. 2020 Dec 22; 11, 6429. PMID: 33353950.
Singh S, Uppuluri P, Mamouei Z, Alqarihi A, Elhassan H, French S, Lockhart SR, Chiller T, Edwards Jr JE, Ibrahim AS. The NDV-3A vaccine protects mice from multidrug-resistant Candida auris infection. PLoS Pathogens. 2019 Aug 5; 15(8): e1007460. PMID: 31381597.
Alqarihi A*, Singh S*, Edwards Jr JE, Ibrahim AS, Uppuluri P. NDV-3A vaccination protects mice from Candida albicans biofilm infection. Nature Scientific Report. 2019 Apr 17;9(1):6194. PMID: 30996274. (*Equal contribution).
Uppuluri P, Singh S, Alqarihi A, Alqarihi A, Schmidt CS, Hennessey JP, Yeaman MR, Filler SG, Edwards JE, and Ibrahim AS. Human Als3p Antibodies are Surrogate Markers of NDV-3A Vaccine Efficacy Against Recurrent Vulvovaginal Candidiasis. Frontiers in Immunology. 2018 Jun 15; 9:1349. PMID: 29963049.
Singh S, Ramirez E, Doueiri R, Valentin A, Rosati M, Hu X, Keele BF, Shen X, Tomaras GD, Ferrari G, LaBranche C, Montefiori DC, Das J, Alter G, Trinh HV, Hamlin C, Rao M, Dayton F, Bear J, Chowdhury B, Alicea C, Lifson JD, Broderick KE, Sardesai NY, Sivananthan SJ, Fox CB, Reed SG, Venzon DJ, Hirsch VM, Pavlakis GN, Felber BK. DNA and protein co-immunization regimens combined with different Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4) based adjuvants induce immune responses controlling SIVsmE660 infection. Journal of Virology. 2018 Jul 17; 92(15). PMID: 29793957.
Singh S, Vedi S, Samrat SK, Li W, Kumar R, and Agrawal B. Heterologous Immunity Between Adenoviruses and Hepatitis C Virus: A New Paradigm in HCV Immunity and Vaccines. PLoS One. 2016 Jan 11; 11(1): e0146404. PMID: 26751211.
Singh S, Vedi S, Li W, Samrat SK, Kumar R, Agrawal B. Recombinant Adenoviral Vector expressing HCV NS4 Induce Protective Immune Responses in A Mouse Model of Vaccinia-HCV Virus Infection: A Dose and Route Conundrum. Vaccine. 2014 May 13;32(23):2712-21. PMID: 24631092.
Books
Implications and applications in vaccines and immunotherapies
Year: 2022
ISSN 1664-8714
ISBN 978-2-88963-965-6
Book Chapters
Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine
21st Edition, Year : 2022
ISBN: 978-1-264-26846-7
Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine
20th Edition, Year : 2019
eBook ISBN: 978-1-259-64404-7
Chapter 211 Digital Extra: Candida auris: An emerging multi-drug resistant Candida species
Adenoviruses
First Edition, Year : 2018
eBook ISBN: 978-1-83962-052-2
Machine Learning and IoT: A Biological Perspective
First Edition, Year : 2018
ISBN (eBook): 9781351029940
Patents
Singh S, Edwards J, Uppuluri P, Ibrahim AS. Methods of Treatment for Candida auris Infections. PCT/US2018/026889, EP18166876.5; Publication Date: Oct 16, 2019. [Link]
Singh S, Kumar R. & Agrawal B. Methods of Inducing Immune Response to Hepatitis C Virus. US patent application No. 62/103919; PCT Application No. CA2016/000015; Publication No. WO/2016/112459, Publication Date: July 21, 2016. [Link]
FUNDING
WHERE TO FIND US
The Lundquist Institute
at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
1124 West Carson Street
Medical Research Building (MRL)
Torrance, California 90502
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