Mookkan Prabakaran

Impact

The research focuses on developing broadly protective novel vaccines and diagnostics for emerging infectious viruses, and addressing challenges such as preventing the emergence of antiviral drug resistance in highly mutating viruses like influenza and coronaviruses. By targeting host factors critical to viral replication rather than the viruses themselves, the lab explores new therapeutic strategies to combat these pathogens.

Collaborations, Achievements & Honours

  • Licensed a novel pseudorabies vectored multivalent vaccine for major swine viral diseases to Beijing United Health
  • Filed multiple patents in the United States for animal viral disease innovations.
  • Received research grants from the Singapore Food Agency
  • Published author in selected journals such as Journal of Virology, Frontiers in Immunology, Viruses, Vaccine, Antiviral Research and Reviews in Medical Virology

Research Areas

Virus-host interactions, Emerging viruses, Vaccines and Antiviral therapies, Aquatic animal health

Affiliations

  • Principal Investigator, TLL

Question

How can understanding the molecular mechanisms of viral pathogenesis help us develop novel recombinant vaccines for emerging human and veterinary diseases, as well as design better therapeutics?

Approach

Prabakaran’s lab specializes in studying the molecular pathogenesis of emerging and zoonotic infectious viruses, designing new antiviral therapeutics, and developing recombinant multivalent vaccines for infectious viral diseases.

Past projects include studying the molecular pathogenesis of novel Cardioviruses using reverse engineering in a mouse infection model. The findings from this research is applicable to the study of highly prevalent but lesser-known viruses, contributing to the prevention and control of emerging novel viral diseases.

The lab has identified key neutralizing epitopes responsible for protective immunity, thereby broadening the cross-protective efficacy of vaccines against highly divergent Avian influenza A viruses. The findings suggest that  epitope-modified, non-pathogenic H5 viruses antigenically related to HPAI-H5N1 can facilitate  the development of broadly protective vaccines while reducing the need for Biosafety Level 3 (BSL3) containment facilities. The lab continues to investigate the interaction of respiratory viruses and to develop vaccines for economically important animal and human infectious diseases.

Concurrently, Prabakaran’s lab involves in developing oral and immersion vaccines for economically important viral diseases in aquaculture and also exploring strategies to enhance disease resilience in Barramundi and Shrimp. The team is working on discovering effective mucosal vaccines and point-of-care viral diagnostics to improve fish farm productivity. Notably, the lab was the first to identify and characterize immunoglobulin tau (IgT) in Asian Seabass, providing critical insights into  IgT’s crucial role in defending mucosal tissues against viral pathogens.

Bio

Prabakaran received his Master of Philosophy degree in Biochemistry from the University of Madras. He subsequently worked in the Department of Animal Biotechnology at Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University. He pursued his PhD in Immunology at Madurai Kamaraj University, under a bilateral programme with Hannover Veterinary School. After completing postdoctoral training, Prabakaran joined TLL as a postdoctoral fellow in 2007 and was promoted to Strategic Research Program Manager in 2011. Since April 2015, he has been serving as a Principal Investigator at TLL.

Principal Investigator

Mookkan Prabakaran

The lab focuses on investigating infectious virus-host interactions to advance the development of novel antiviral therapies and effective vaccines.

Contact

prabakar@tll.org.sg
+65 6872 7473

Current Vacancies

Group Publications