Research in Progress

1. Functional analyses of SdNP; A protein of unknown function in Setaria digitata – structure, activity, substrate specificity, and drug design
2. Development of High-tech transgenic approaches to control dengue by genetic engineering mosquito vector Aedes aegypti
3. Design and development of a “Riboswitch biosensor” for the detection of Fluoride levels in drinking water. The materials including bacterial strains and plasmid constructs were provided by Ronald Breaker, Ph. D., Professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University, CT, USA
4. Effect of CRISPR knockout of PFK1 and PFK2 on Oxygen consumption rate in mammalian cells. The plasmid constructs were provided by Vajira Weerasekara, Ph. D., Research Fellow in Medicine at MGH Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School and Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, MA, USA
5. Molecular diagnosis of IRFG gene mutations in a selected group of patients clinically diagnosed with Van Der Woude syndrome. Collaborative research project with Faculty of Medicine, Ragama, Sri Lanka
6. Determining the genetic basis for thyroid hormone resistance in suspected cases in Sri Lanka. Collaborative research project with Faculty of Medicine, Ragama, Sri Lanka
7. Normal distribution of Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase polymorphisms in Sri Lanka. Collaborative research project with Faculty of Medicine, Ragama, Sri Lanka
8. Investigating the potential antimicrobial properties of bamboo shoot.