Natarajaswamy Kalleda, PhD

Natraj Kalledagraduated in Biotechnology from Osmania University, Hyderabad, India. After completing his master’s degree, he worked as a researcher in different institutes in India. During his research at University of Delhi, he developed the interest in studying the fungal infections caused by the invasive mold Aspergillus fumigatus and A. nidulans. He designed and developed a specific gene silencing mechanism induced by diced small interfering RNAs in model filamentous and human pathogenic fungus A. nidulans (Kalleda et al. PLoS One, 2013). Subsequently, he applied this method to study essential gene functions in A. fumigatus. In 2013, Kalleda joined the Beilhack lab to investigate immune defense mechanisms against A. fumigatus lung infections. His main research addresses four different topics i) to investigate the timing and magnitude of host immune cell response following A. fumigatus conidial inhalation, ii) to study continuous host defense responses throughout the different developmental stages of fungi iii) to dissect which immune cells fight against infection under immunosuppression iv) to examine how immunosuppressive treatments affect the anti-A. fumigatus properties of immune cells. To this end he is using an interdisciplinary research approach by applying multicolor flow cytometry, invasive lung infection animal models, adoptive cell transfers, electron microscopy, state-of-the-art light sheet fluorescent microscopy (LSFM) and multi-photon laser scanning microscopy to monitor the dynamic interactions of immune cells with Aspergillus conidia and hyphae. In 2017 Natraj defended his thesis and graduated from the Graduate School of Life Science Würzburg of the German Excellence Initiative with the highest distinction, summa cum laude.  

Contact:

Natarajaswamy Kalleda, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

Tel: +49-931-201 44051

Email: Kalleda_N@ukw.de

Research awards:

Gordon Research Seminar at the Gordon Research Conference for Fungal Immunology from January 14-15, 2017, Galveston, TX.

ASH Abstract Achievement Award, 58th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Conference from December 3-6, 2016 in San Diego, CA.

Full scholarship (Travel grant) for attending the 7th Advances Against Aspergillosis conference, Thursday 3rd Saturday 5th March 2016, Manchester, UK.

Oral presentation at 7th Advances Against Aspergillosis, Thursday 3rd – Saturday 5th March 2016, Manchester, UK.

Oral presentation at 49. Wissenschaftliche Tagung der Deutschsprachigen Mykologischen Gesellschaft e.V. und 1st International Symposium of the CRC/Transregio FungiNet, 16 – 19th September 2015, Jena, Germany.

Poster selected for inner circle of poster awards at 4th European Congress of Immunology (ECI 2015), September 6 – 9th, 2015 in Vienna, Austria.

Publications

Kalleda N, Amich J, Arslan B, Poreddy S, Mattenheimer K, Mokhtari Z, Einsele H, Brock M, Heinze KG and Beilhack A. (2016). Dynamic Immune Cell Recruitment After Murine Pulmonary Aspergillus fumigatus Infection under Different Immunosuppressive Regimens. Front. Microbiol. 7:1107.

Kalleda N, Naorem A and Manchikatla RV. (2013). Targeting fungal genes by diced siRNAs: A rapid tool to decipher gene function in Aspergillus nidulans. PLoS One 8(10):e75443.