Ravi Gupta

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Professor
Ravi Gupta
FRCP FRCPath FRSB FMedSci
Born
Ravindra Kumar Gupta

(1975-09-20) 20 September 1975 (age 49)
Sunderland, England
Education Oxford University (BMBCh)
Harvard School of Public Health (MPH)
Cambridge University (MA)
University College London (PhD)
Scientific career
Institutions University of Cambridge
University College London

Ravindra Kumar Gupta (born 20 September 1975) is a professor of clinical microbiology at the Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease at the University of Cambridge. He is also a member of the faculty of the Africa Health Research Institute in Durban, South Africa.

Contents

Gupta was named in Time's 100 Most Influential People in 2020. [1]

Education

Gupta attended Brentwood School from 1987 to 1994. Gupta gained his undergraduate medical degree from Cambridge University in 1997 and then clinical degree from Oxford University in 2001, whilst completing a Master in Public Health at Harvard School of Public Health (1998-1999). He subsequently trained in infectious diseases in Oxford and The Hospital for Tropical Diseases (UCLH) and completed a PhD in Virology with Deenan Pillay and Greg Towers at UCL. He was elected to Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2021 and to Fellowship of the Royal Society of Biologists in 2022.

Career

Gupta researches HIV, from basic science of how the virus interacts with human cells and the immune system to the emerging problem of drug resistant HIV. More recently he has worked on COVID-19 rapid diagnostics, SARS-CoV-2 intra host evolution, replication, cell tropism and entry, as well as evasion from B cell immunity.

Gupta was formerly Full Professor at University College London (2016-2019). [2] [3] He is head of the Gupta Lab and was supported by Wellcome Trust Fellowships from 2007 to 2023. [4]

Gupta's HIV-1 work spans the UK and sub Saharan Africa. The lab focuses on four main areas:

Gupta has worked in HIV drug resistance both at molecular and population levels, and his work showing exponential rises in transmitted HIV resistance in Africa through multi-country collaborations alongside WHO (Gupta et al, Lancet 2012, Gupta et al, Lancet Infectious Diseases 2018) led to change in WHO treatment guidelines for HIV, with recommendation for use of integrate inhibitors as first line core drugs. Gupta also reported the problem of tenofovir resistance in low-middle income settings and defined its emergence and characteristics through establishing the TenoRes collaboration with Bob Shafer at Stanford (Gregson et al, Lancet Infectious diseases 2016; Gregson et al, Lancet Infectious diseases 2017).

During his time working on HIV reservoirs, he discovered why macrophages are infected in vivo by revealing cell cycle transitions in macrophages that radically changed virus susceptibility via SAMHD1 and availability of dNTP for reverse transcription (Mlcochova et al, EMBO J 2016). In March 2019 it was reported that Gupta led a team demonstrating HIV remission in a HIV positive man with advanced Hodgkin's lymphoma following an 'unrelated' stem cell transplant, the so-called London Patient . [6] [7] [8] After a bone marrow transplant from an HIV-resistant donor, the London Patient remained "cured" [9] of his HIV. This is the second case of a patient cured of HIV (Gupta et al, Nature 2019, Gupta et al, Lancet HIV 2020). The first patient is referred to as the Berlin Patient .

Gupta's group reported the first evidence for immune escape and infectivity enhancement of SARS-CoV-2 within host, thus also defining the process by which new variants likely arise in immune compromised individuals (Kemp et al, Nature 2021). Follow up work defined the replication advantages of Alpha (Meng et al, Cell Reports 2021) and Delta variants with efficient ability to fuse cells (Mlcochova et al, Nature 2021), and the tropism shift and immune escape of Omicron (Meng et al, Nature 2022). These observations have translated to the clinic, reflecting disease severity of Delta versus Omicron and critically aiding public health policy regarding newly emerging variants at global scale. His work on COVID-19 vaccine induced immunity in older and immune suppressed persons has also been internationally recognised.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HIV</span> Human retrovirus, cause of AIDS

The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of Lentivirus that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive. Without treatment, the average survival time after infection with HIV is estimated to be 9 to 11 years, depending on the HIV subtype.

The management of HIV/AIDS normally includes the use of multiple antiretroviral drugs as a strategy to control HIV infection. There are several classes of antiretroviral agents that act on different stages of the HIV life-cycle. The use of multiple drugs that act on different viral targets is known as highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). HAART decreases the patient's total burden of HIV, maintains function of the immune system, and prevents opportunistic infections that often lead to death. HAART also prevents the transmission of HIV between serodiscordant same-sex and opposite-sex partners so long as the HIV-positive partner maintains an undetectable viral load.

The spread of HIV/AIDS has affected millions of people worldwide; AIDS is considered a pandemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that in 2016 there were 36.7 million people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS, with 1.8 million new HIV infections per year and 1 million deaths due to AIDS. Misconceptions about HIV and AIDS arise from several different sources, from simple ignorance and misunderstandings about scientific knowledge regarding HIV infections and the cause of AIDS to misinformation propagated by individuals and groups with ideological stances that deny a causative relationship between HIV infection and the development of AIDS. Below is a list and explanations of some common misconceptions and their rebuttals.

<i>Adenoviridae</i> Family of viruses

Adenoviruses are medium-sized, nonenveloped viruses with an icosahedral nucleocapsid containing a double-stranded DNA genome. Their name derives from their initial isolation from human adenoids in 1953.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seroconversion</span> Development of specific antibodies in the blood serum as a result of infection or immunization

In immunology, seroconversion is the development of specific antibodies in the blood serum as a result of infection or immunization, including vaccination. During infection or immunization, antigens enter the blood, and the immune system begins to produce antibodies in response. Before seroconversion, the antigen itself may or may not be detectable, but the antibody is absent. During seroconversion, the antibody is present but not yet detectable. After seroconversion, the antibody is detectable by standard techniques and remains detectable unless the individual seroreverts, in a phenomenon called seroreversion, or loss of antibody detectability, which can occur due to weakening of the immune system or decreasing antibody concentrations over time. Seroconversion refers the production of specific antibodies against specific antigens, meaning that a single infection could cause multiple waves of seroconversion against different antigens. Similarly, a single antigen could cause multiple waves of seroconversion with different classes of antibodies. For example, most antigens prompt seroconversion for the IgM class of antibodies first, and subsequently the IgG class.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asymptomatic carrier</span> Organism which has become infected with a pathogen but displays no symptoms

An asymptomatic carrier is a person or other organism that has become infected with a pathogen, but shows no signs or symptoms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chloroquine</span> Medication used to treat malaria

Chloroquine is an antiparasitic medication that treats malaria. It works by increasing the levels of haeme in the blood, a substance toxic to the malarial parasite. This kills the parasite and stops the infection from spreading. Certain types of malaria, resistant strains, and complicated cases typically require different or additional medication. Chloroquine is also occasionally used for amebiasis that is occurring outside the intestines, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus erythematosus. While it has not been formally studied in pregnancy, it appears safe. It was studied to treat COVID-19 early in the pandemic, but these studies were largely halted in the summer of 2020, and the NIH does not recommend its use for this purpose. It is taken by mouth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CCR5</span> Immune system protein

C-C chemokine receptor type 5, also known as CCR5 or CD195, is a protein on the surface of white blood cells that is involved in the immune system as it acts as a receptor for chemokines.

A cytokine storm, also called hypercytokinemia, is a pathological reaction in humans and other animals in which the innate immune system causes an uncontrolled and excessive release of pro-inflammatory signaling molecules called cytokines. Cytokines are a normal part of the body's immune response to infection, but their sudden release in large quantities may cause multisystem organ failure and death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Umifenovir</span> Chemical compound

Umifenovir, sold under the brand name Arbidol, is sold and used as an antiviral medication for influenza in Russia and China. The drug is manufactured by Pharmstandard. It is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment or prevention of influenza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toll-like receptor 7</span> Protein found in humans

Toll-like receptor 7, also known as TLR7, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the TLR7 gene. Orthologs are found in mammals and birds. It is a member of the toll-like receptor (TLR) family and detects single stranded RNA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alimuddin Zumla</span> British-Zambian physician

Sir Alimuddin Zumla is a British-Zambian professor of infectious diseases and international health at University College London Medical School. He specialises in infectious and tropical diseases, clinical immunology, and internal medicine, with a special interest in HIV/AIDS, respiratory infections, and diseases of poverty. He is known for his leadership of infectious/tropical diseases research and capacity development activities. He was awarded a Knighthood in the 2017 Queens Birthday Honours list for services to public health and protection from infectious disease. In 2012, he was awarded Zambia's highest civilian honour, the Order of the Grand Commander of Distinguished services - First Division. In 2023, for the sixth consecutive year, Zumla was recognised by Clarivate Analytics, Web of Science as one of the world's top 1% most cited researchers. In 2021 Sir Zumla was elected as Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences.

The Berlin patient is an anonymous person from Berlin, Germany, who was described in 1998 as exhibiting prolonged "post-treatment control" of HIV viral load after HIV treatments were interrupted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HIV/AIDS research</span> Field of immunology research

HIV/AIDS research includes all medical research that attempts to prevent, treat, or cure HIV/AIDS, as well as fundamental research about the nature of HIV as an infectious agent and AIDS as the disease caused by HIV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superspreading event</span> Event in which 3 or more people attend and an infectious disease is spread much more than usual

A superspreading event (SSEV) is an event in which an infectious disease is spread much more than usual, while an unusually contagious organism infected with a disease is known as a superspreader. In the context of a human-borne illness, a superspreader is an individual who is more likely to infect others, compared with a typical infected person. Such superspreaders are of particular concern in epidemiology.

Pontiano Kaleebu is a Ugandan physician, clinical immunologist, HIV/AIDS researcher, academic and medical administrator, who is the executive director of the Uganda Virus Research Institute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19</span> Contagious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. The disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ya-Chi Ho is a Taiwanese infectious disease researcher and Associate Professor of Microbial Pathogenesis and Medicine at Yale University. Her research centers on the interaction between HIV and the host's immune system with the ultimate goal of curing HIV/AIDS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Castillejo</span> Second person known to have been cured of HIV infection

Adam Castillejo, also known as "The London Patient", is the second person known to have been cured of HIV infection. Castillejo, who is British-Venezuelan and has mixed European ancestry, lives in London. He has previously worked as a chef and is now a motivational speaker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viral vector vaccine</span> Type of vaccine

A viral vector vaccine is a vaccine that uses a viral vector to deliver genetic material (DNA) that can be transcribed by the recipient's host cells as mRNA coding for a desired protein, or antigen, to elicit an immune response. As of April 2021, six viral vector vaccines, four COVID-19 vaccines and two Ebola vaccines, have been authorized for use in humans.

References

  1. ↑ "Ravindra Gupta: The 100 Most Influential People of 2020". Time. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  2. ↑ "Professor Ravindra Gupta". Ucl.ac.uk. 28 June 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  3. ↑ "Ravi Gupta". Ahri.org. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  4. ↑ "UCL - London's Global University". Ucl.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 27 January 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  5. 1 2 "Ravindra Gupta - CITIID". Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology & Infectious Disease. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  6. ↑ "UK man 'free' of HIV with new stem cells". Bbc.co.uk. 5 March 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  7. ↑ "London patient becomes second adult to be cleared of HIV". Theguardian.com. 5 March 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  8. ↑ Apoorva Mandavilli (4 March 2019). "H.I.V. Is Reported Cured in a Second Patient, a Milestone in the Global AIDS Epidemic". The New York Times . Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  9. ↑ Kelland, Kate (3 July 2020). "'Don't give up hope' in fighting viruses, says 'cured' London AIDS patient". Reuters. Retrieved 23 September 2020.


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