Biologics; Therapeutic antibodies and vaccine against Dengue virus

Dengue hemorrhagic fever cause by Dengue virus (DENV) is the World public health problem. Each year, there are hundred million hospitalized dengue cases that needed specific drug that is unavailable. Drs. Pongrama Ramasoota and Pannamthip Pitaksajjakul from our department have developed the World first biological drug of Neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies (NhuMAb) that could neutralize all 4 serotypes of DENV with 95 -100 % neutralizing activity. This NhuMAb has passed preclinical tested in mice and monkey and got 2 patented in 11 countries (1.USA 2. Japan 3. Australia 4. India 5. Indonesia 6. Malaysia 7. Philippines 8. Singapore 9. Vietnam 10. Thailand 11. Laos). This NhuMAb is now under industrial scale production using Food and drug (FDA) accepted procedure for human used at Good manufacturing practice (GMP) plant at BSV Bioscience Company (India). In November, 2019, the president of BSV Bioscience company signed the licensing contract with Mahidol University President, in that the company will invested for GMP production of NhuMAb and clinical trial phase I-III in healthy volunteer and dengue patients, until being approved by Food and drug Administration (FDA) and plan to sell this world first anti-dengue biologic drug in the year 2025.
Moreover, DNA vaccine expressing NhuMAb are ongoing development at our laboratory. By only one injection could express NhuMAb that has 94-99 % neutralizing activity against DENV. These expressed NhuMAb could last in the blood circulation of injected mammal for more than 3 months.
Not only dengue, but NhuMAb against SAR-COV 2 (COVID-19) and Rabies viruses are ongoing developed at our department.
 

Environmental monitoring, management & treatment

Air pollution monitoring & prediction

The following research projects have been performing by Dr. Kraichat Tarntrakarnapa at our department
Free Haze Thailand (Prediction model for the dispersion of particulates matter and its health impacts) supported by National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) for three years
Thailand Air Pollution and Health Impact Assessment (TAPHIA project) funded by Thai Research Fund (TRF) and NEWTON fund from United Kingdom.
Air pollution and Health Impact in Southeast Asia countries, Health Risk Assessment from Air Exposure, Endocrine Disruptor Chemicals in the young generation in some ASEAN countries

Water quality & treatment technologies

Dr. Athit Phetrak research interests focus on water quality, water and health aspects and water treatment technologies. His role in the previous projects was to work with the aim of minimizing the human health risk associated with the control of environmental chemicals and disinfection by-products in drinking water, and chronic exposure to chemical compounds. His ongoing works include surveying chemical contaminants in household drinking water and natural water, developing the water treatment technologies for small systems and analyzing of human health risk assessment of environmental chemicals in water.

Parasitic diseases & malacology

The South East Asian Center for Medical Malacology (SEACMM) leaded by Dr. Yanin Limpanont and her team at our department is one of the few laboratory that could maintain full life cycle of parasites; Schistosome blood fluke (S. mansoni, S. japonicum and S. mekongi) and liver fluke Opistrochis viverini. Many of the advance molecular biology and proteomic studies of these parasites have been performed by Dr. Limpanont group.