Santhamani Ramasamy

Contributions to Public Health

• I developed and characterized a golden hamster model for the study of COVID-19, focusing on both immunocompetent and immunocompromised hamsters. I have studied SARS-CoV-2 replication kinetics, antibody levels, and pathology in this model (PMID: 35740365). This model was used to assess the anti-inflammatory effects of the phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor CC11050, conduct pre-clinical evaluations of SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD)-based vaccines (PMID: 37112744), and study self-assembling SARS-CoV-2 spike-binding therapeutic peptides (PMID: 38326301).
• Applying a One Health approach, my research investigates the spillover of emerging and zoonotic viruses at the human-animal interface using serological tools (PMID: 36560774, PMID: 37515180, PMID: 40915359). I have optimized protocols and processes for pseudovirus production and pseudovirus neutralization assays to monitor SARS-CoV-2, influenza A H5N1 virus, and influenza D virus.
• My current research focuses on the influenza D virus, which causes cattle flu. I aim to uncover the factors influencing its pathogenesis and zoonotic potential and develop a novel replication-defective influenza D vaccine for cattle (S.V. Kuchipudi and S. Ramasamy, S. Patent pending).