Staff Profile

Dr. Vimal Kumar

Designation: Scientist C

Division/Unit: NIRT Jalma North India Campus

Email: vimal[dot]kr[at]icmr[dot]gov[dot]in

Educational Qualification

B.V.Sc. & A.H., M.V.Sc., Ph.D

Personal Statement

My research focusses deeply into animal experimentation in the field of Leprosy and Tuberculosis. I have a keen interest in development of animal models for Leprosy and Tuberculosis research and also in the area of immunopathogenesis of leprosy and tuberculosis animal studies. I design refined challenge protocols-aerosol for pulmonary TB, intravenous for disseminated infection, and footpad for localized leprosy. I evaluate novel vaccines and host-directed therapies by quantifying organ bacterial loads alongside comprehensive immunophenotyping. Using flow cytometry and transcriptomic profiling I assess antigen-specific T-cell functionality, myeloid cell inflammatory states, and tissue-resident memory responses critical for sustained protective immunity.

Research Focus

i. Preclinical studies in the field of TB and Leprosy
ii. Development of Animal Models
iii. Vaccine & Host-Directed Therapy Evaluation
iv. Immunopathological studies
v. Translational Biomarker Discovery

Ongoing projects as Principal investigator

1. Bolstering BCG efficacy by expressing memory enhancing cytokines IL-7 and IL-15 to elicit long-lasting memory T cells and protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Significant Publications

i. Qayoom I, Gupta P, Dash A, Kumar V, Khan AM, Kumar A (2026). Development of a nanocement platform for site-specific antibiotic delivery in skeletal tuberculosis. Acta Biomaterialia. 25:S1742-7061(26)00192-3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2026.03.041.

ii. Saha S, Roy S, Hazra A, Das D, Kumar V, Singh AK, Singh AV, Mondal R, Bose Dasgupta S (2025). S-nitrosylation-triggered secretion of mycobacterial PknG leads to phosphorylation of SODD to prevent apoptosis of infected macrophages. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 122(10):e2404106122. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2404106122.

iii. Kumar, V, Panickan, S, Kumar, A, Ramakrishnan, S, Saxena, S, Shrivastava, S, & Dandapat, S. (2025). Chitosan-coated PLGA nanoparticles as a delivery system for infectious bursal disease viral antigen in chickens. Avian Pathology, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/03079457.2025.2547584

iv. Jadhav K, Jhilta A, Singh R, Ray E, Kumar V, Yadav AB, Singh AK, Verma RK (2024). Effective cerebral tuberculosis treatment via nose-to-brain transport of anti-TB drugs using mucoadhesive nano-aggregates. Nanoscale. 16(35):16485-16499.

v. Ananda Kumar BS, Panickan S, Bindu S, Kumar V, Ramakrishnan S, Saxena S, Shrivastava S, Dandapat S (2023). Immunogenicity and protective efficacy of an inactivated Newcastle disease virus vaccine encapsulated in poly-(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles. Poultry Science. 102(6):102679. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2023.102679

vi. Singh AK, Ghosh M, Kumar V, Aggarwal S, Patil SA (2021). Interplay between miRNAs and Mycobacterium tuberculosis: diagnostic and therapeutic implications. Drug Discovery Today. 26(5):1245-1255. 10.1016/j.drudis.2021.01.021.

vii. Sharma A, Gaur A, Kumar V, Sharma N, Patil SA, Verma RK, Singh AK (2021). Antimicrobial activity of synthetic antimicrobial peptides loaded in poly-Ɛ-caprolactone nanoparticles against mycobacteria and their functional synergy with rifampicin. International Journal of Pharmaceutics. 608(121097):1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2021.121097.

viii. Yadav PD, Patil S, Jadhav SKM, Nyayanit DA, Kumar V, Jain S, Sampath J, Mourya DT, Cherian SS (2020). Phylogeography of Kyasanur Forest Disease virus in India (1957–2017) reveals evolution and spread in the Western Ghats region. Scientific Reports. 10(1966):1-12. 10.1038/s41598-020-58242-w.

ix. Annamalai A, Sachan, S, Kumar, A, Sharma B, Kumar V, Munuswamy P, Verghese B. P, Kumar A, Saravanan B.C, Krishnaswamy, N. (2016). Prophylactic potential of resiquimod against very virulent infectious bursal disease virus (vvIBDV) challenge in chicken. Veterinary microbiology, 187:21–30.

x. Awate P, Yadav P, Patil D, Shete A, Kumar V, Kore P, Gurav Y, Sakpal G. and Mourya DT (2016). Outbreak of Kyasanur Forest Disease (Monkey fever) in Sindhudurg, Maharashtra state, India, 2016. The Journal of infection 72(6). DOI: 10.1016/j.jinf.2016.03.00.