Novel Diagnostic Markers of Japanese Encephalitis Virus

Brain infections affect over 3 million people per year, with a relatively high proportion leading to death, disability and socioeconomic costs. Nonetheless, research in this field is notoriously under-funded worldwide, with associated deficits in management and associated poor outcomes. Specifically, an important factor in these cases relates to the complexity of requirements of diagnostic testing for these patients, and the lack of laboratory capacity in many areas.
A central theme of the Laos-Oxford-Mahosot Wellcome Trust Research unit (LOMWRU) has been exploring the causes of brain infections in this setting, and developing low-cost diagnostic tests. Research at LOMWRU has confirmed that Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is the leading identified cause of brain infections in Laos, consistent with other studies in Asia. JEV mainly affects children in poor rural areas, and it is estimated that one third of JEV cases die, and one third have long-term disability.
In an inter-disciplinary collaboration with a group of researchers in Laos, Oxford and Marseille, Dr Bharucha's project aims to identify a diagnostic marker of JEV. This will involve the unbiased technique mass spectrometry to analyse the proteins in brain fluid in JEV patients, as compared to patients with other brain infections.
Dr Bharucha will be working in LOMWRU during the peak JEV season from June to September co-ordinating sample collection, processing and storage. She will spend the bulk of her DPhil under the supervision of Professor Zitzmann at the Department of Biochemistry in Oxford, developing specialist skills in proteomics-based mass-spectrometry. This will enable her to identify proteins or peptides that are specific for JEV, in comparison to patients with other brain infections.
The identification of a protein signature for JEV would enable further work to develop a simple, rapid and cheap test for diagnosing JEV in field settings. There is no existing test that is reliable for use in the field, and this would be invaluable for clinicians in remote areas, policy makers and researchers evaluating novel treatments.