Staff Profile

Dr Ramalingam Bethunaickan

Designation: Scientist F

Division/Unit: Immunology

Email: ramalingam[dot]b[at]icmr[dot]gov[dot]in

Educational Qualification

M.Sc., Ph.D.,

Personal Statement

Dr. Ramalingam B. has over 26 years of experience in molecular and cellular immunology, focusing on innate immune responses in infectious and inflammatory diseases, especially tuberculosis. He holds a Master’s in Zoology from the University of Madras and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from ICMR–NIRT, Chennai. His international experience includes work at Institut Pasteur de Lille, Columbia University, and the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research. His research examines host immune responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, including monocyte subsets and micronutrient effects, using transcriptomics, host genetics, and molecular immunology to inform improved TB control and immune-based interventions.

Research Focus

• Molecular Immunology of Monocyte Subsets
• Inflammation among Latent Tuberculosis
• Nutritional Immunology
• Host Immunogenetics
• Transcriptomics

Ongoing projects as Principal investigator

• Targeting monocyte mRNA and miRNAs for its biomarker utility among Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infected human beings

• Molecular Profiling of Inflammatory markers among individuals with Latent TB Infection

• Platelet multi-omics analysis for the discovery of novel tuberculosis specific protein biomarkers for TB diagnostics and anti TB/LTB drug target

• High Performance Computing Next Generation Sequencing Hub

Significant Publications

1. Medbury H, Pang J and Bethunaickan R. Editorial: Monocyte heterogeneity and plasticity. (2025) Front. Immunol. 16:1601503. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1601503

2. Gunasekaran H, Sampath P, Thiruvengadam K , Malaisamy M , Ramasamy R , Ranganathan UD and Bethunaickan R . A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of circulating serum and plasma microRNAs in TB Diagnosis. BMC Infectious Diseases. 2024:24(1):402. doi: 10.1186/s12879-024-09232-0. PMID:38622570

3. Sampath P, Moorthy M, Menon A, Madhav L, Janaki A, Dhanapal M, Natarajan AP, Hissar S, Ranganathan UD, Ramaswamy G, Bethunaickan R. Downregulation of monocyte miRNAs: implications for immune dysfunction and disease severity in drug-resistant tuberculosis. Front Immunol. 2023 Jun 29;14:1197805. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1197805. PMID: 37457712; PMCID: PMC10345223.

4. Sampath P, Rajamanickam A, Thiruvengadam K, Natarajan AP, Hissar S, Dhanapal M, Thangavelu B,

Jayabal L, Ramesh PM, Ranganathan UD, Babu S, Bethunaickan R. Cytokine upsurge among drug-

resistant tuberculosis endorse the signatures of hyper inflammation and disease severity. Sci. Rep. 2023 Jan 16; 13(1):785. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-27895-8. PMID: 36646786

5. Sampath P, Natarajan AP, Kathamuthu GR, Mohideen K, Hissar S, Dhanapal M, Jayabal L, Ramesh PM,Tripathy SP, Ranganathan UD, Babu S and Bethunaickan R . Differential frequencies of intermediate monocyte subsets among individuals infected with drug-sensitive or drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Frontiers in Immunology. Front Immunol. 2022 .Jul 15; 13: 892701. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2022.892701. eCollection 2022. PMID: 35911760

6. Sampath P, Mohideen K, Ranganathan UD and Bethunaickan R. Monocyte subsets: Phenotypes and function in tuberculous infection. Frontiers in Immunology. Jul 30; 9:1726.DOI: 10.3389/ fimmu.2018.01726. eCollection 2018. PMID: 30105020

7. Bethunaickar R, Berthier CC, Zhang W, Eksi R, Li H, Guan Y, Kretzler M, and Davidson A. Identification of stage specific genes associated with lupus nephritis and response to remission induction in NZB/W and NZM2410 mice. Arthritis and Rheum. 2014. PMID: 24757019.

8. Bethunaickan R, Sahu R, Liu Z, Tang YT, Huang W, Edegbe O, Tao H, Ramanujam M, Madaio MP and Davidson A. Anti-TNF treatment of IFN induced lupus nephritis reduces the renal macrophage response but does not alter glomerular immune complex formation. Arthritis Rheum. 2012: 64 (10):3399–3408. PMID: 22674120.

9. Berthier C *, Bethunaickan R *, Gonzalez-Rivera T *, Nair V, Ramanujam M, Zhang W, Bottinger EP, Segerer S, Cohen CD, Davidson A, and Kretzler M. Cross-species transcriptional network analysis defines shared inflammatory responses in murine and human lupus nephritis. The Journal of Immunology. 2012: 189: 988-1001.PMID:22723521

10. Bethunaickan R, Berthier C, Ramanujam M, Sahu R, Zhang W, Sun Y, Bottinger E, Ivashkiv L, Kretzler M, and Davidson A. A unique hybrid renal mononuclear phagocyte activation phenotype in murine SLE Nephritis. The Journal of Immunology. 2011; 186; 4994-5003.PMID:21411733.