Developing a genomic platform to detect the onset and predict the severity of infections

Infectious diseases are a major threat to human and animal health worldwide. While treatment with antimicrobials is necessary in most cases, the clinical management of infections is determined by the severity of the infection.

Despite the use of antimicrobial therapy, some patients still suffer from complications or die due to the failure of the therapy. This highlights the importance of early detection and accurate prognosis prediction for effective disease management.

However, current diagnostic technologies which have been in use for decades, are limited in their ability to forecast disease onset or severity.

To tackle this problem of forecasting disease onset and severity, I will create a platform that incorporates machine learning techniques and advanced genome sequencing technology to closely analyse the immune response to infections at the molecular level.

The goal of this project is to develop a system that will accurately detect and forecast the severity of complex diseases associated with co-infection and guide appropriate intervention strategies.

Project lead: Dr Zohorul Islam