Dr. Pornsawan Leaungwutiwong Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology

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pornsawan.lea@mahidol.ac.th
+66 (0) 2354 9100, Ext 1597

Background

Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology Dr. Pornsawan Leaungwutiwong is involved in both teaching and research. She teaches students from the Diploma, MSc and PhD courses at the Bangkok School of Tropical Medicine.

She is the primary investigator for a large number of projects including : investigation of the Antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) phenomenon and associated chemokines in clinical specimens of Thai dengue patients, predicting dengue severity by immunodiagnostic assay, a study into the mechanisms of vascular leakage in dengue hemorrhagic fever, detection of Non-Polio enteroviruses associated with acute flaccid paralysis, production of a rapid diagnostic test kit for chikungunya virus infection and an investigation into the prevalence of Zika and chikungunya virus in in Thai children suffering from dengue-like syndrome at Phra Mongkut Klao hospital.

Dr. Pornsawan Leaungwutiwong collaborates on the study of dengue, chikungunya, and Zika with a large number of foreign institutions including the University of Munster and Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, Germany; John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA and the Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Japan.

Affiliations

Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Tropical Medicine Diagnostic Reference Laboratory (TMDR)

Research

Dr. Pornsawan has a broad background in the molecular diagnosis of viral infections as well as cell culture. Her work includes examination of the pathogenesis, surveillance and characterization of common STDs in Thailand, such as HIV and HPV, as well as other infectious diseases in Thailand including enteric viruses, influenza, MERS-CoV, Ebola, Zika and zoonotic threats. She currently serve as the Director of the Tropical Medicine Diagnostic Reference Laboratory, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University where she works closely with other research organizations to develop improved diagnostic protocols.

Dr. Pornsawan Leaungwutiwong is currently funded by the National Science and Technology Development Agency, Ministry of Science and Technology on a project whose goal is to produce highly specific recombinant proteins from Zika virus in which cross reactions with other flaviviruses can be almost entirely excluded. These recombinant proteins will then be used to develop an immunoassay for the detection of ZIKV antibody in clinical samples.

Qualifications

2005 PhD, Tropical Medicine Mahidol University, Thailand
1999 MSc, Tropical Medicine Mahidol University, Thailand
1995 BSc, Medical Radiology Mahidol University, Thailand

Research Areas

  • Medical virology
  • Cell culture technique

Publications

The complete list of Dr. Pornsawan Leaungwutiwong publications can be found at NCBI.

Selected Publications

Relationship between MMP expression and virulence of dengue virus type-2 infected mosquito and mammalian cells
Leaungwutiwong P, Kelley JF, Sachair A, Jittmittraphap A, Luplertlop N.
Jpn J Infect Dis 2016; 1: 45-50

Molecular genotyping of HPV L1 gene in low-risk and high-risk populations in Bangkok
Leaungwutiwong P, Bamrungsak B, Jittmittraphap A, Maneekan P, Kosoltanapiwat N, Kalambaheti T, Kelley JF.
Sex Transm Dis 2015; 42: 208-17

Dengue virus neutralization and antibody-dependent enhancement activities of human monoclonal antibodies derived from dengue patients at acute phase of secondary infection
Sasaki T, Setthapramote C, Kurosu T, Nishimura M, Asai A, Omokoko MD, Pipattanaboon C, Pitaksajjakul P, Limkittikul K, Subchareon A, Chaichana P, Okabayashi T, Hirai I, Leaungwutiwong P, Misaki R, Fujiyama K, Ono K-i, Okuno Y, Ramasoota P, Ikuta K.
Antiviral Res. 2013; 98(4): 423-31

Variables influencing ANTI-HUNAN Immmunodeficiency virus TYPE-1 Neutralizing human monoclonal antibody (NHMAB) Production from Thai human Immmunodeficiency virus TYPE 1-Infected individuals
Akapirat S, Avihingsanon A, Ananworanich J, Schuetz A, Ramasoota P, Luplertlop N, Ono K, lkuta K, Piraporn U, Kameoka M, Leaungwutiwong P.
Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health. 2013; 44: 825-41.

Human monoclonal antibodies to neutralize all dengue-virus serotypes using lymphocytes from patients at acute phase of the secondary infection
Setthapramote C, Sasaki T, Puiprom O, Limkittikul K, Pitaksajjakul P, Pipattanaboon P, Sasayama M, Leaungwutiwong P, Phumratanaprapin W, Chamnachanan S, Kusolsuk T, Jittmittraphap A, Asai A, Arias JF, Hirai I, Kuhara M, Okuno Y, Kurosu T, Ramasoota P, Ikuta K.
Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2012; 423(4): 867-72.

Co-existence of major and minor viral populations from two different origins in patients secondarily infected with dengue virus serotype 2 in Bangkok
Puiprom O, Yamashita A, Sasayama M, Limkittikul K, Boonha K, Jittmitraphap A, Leaungwutiwong P, Kurosu T, Ramasoota P, Ikuta K.
Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2011; 413(1): 136-42.