Welcome to Amit Singh lab

Our research focusses on understanding the basis of persistence in human pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and HIV. We developed and deployed several genetically encoded biosensors  and identified the role of redox signalling in coordinating persistence and drug tolerance in Mtb. Our team excelled at dissecting the basic mechanisms underlying drug tolerance in Mtb. The result was the discovery of a drug (chloroquine) that could be repurposed to ultimately accelerate tuberculosis (TB) treatment (under phase II clinical trial). Future work will be aimed to discover and target bacterial and host mechanisms underlying redox heterogeneity to shorten TB therapy time. We plan to powerfully combine genetic (Transposon/CRISPR), structural (Cryo-EM), biochemical (seahorse XF analyzer), omics (RNA-seq, metabolomics) and animal models to identify pathways/processes required by Mtb for maintaining reductive cytoplasmic environment and tolerate drugs. We are also interested in exploring redox basis of HIV latency and reactivation. Over the years, we precisely quantified redox changes promoting entry into and exit from latency. Our group used high throughput assays, artificial nanozymes, and clinical samples from people living with HIV to understand how redox, mitochondrial bioenergetics, and gasotransmitters coordinate HIV latency.