Bio Sketch

Suraj Parihar is an immunologist with research focuses on understanding macrophage-pathogen interactions. He aims to identify host factors/products, exploited by intracellular pathogens such as M. tuberculosis and L. monocytogenes to survive and/or evade macrophages killing functions.

Research Interests

His research focuses on host-directed therapies with the potential of translation in humans. To this end, he uses deep-CAGE transcriptomics, repurposed drugs or chemical inhibitors, gene knockdown as well as gene-deficient murine models.

Publications 

• Intervening along the spectrum of tuberculosis: meeting report from the World TB Day nanosymposium in the Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine at the University of Cape Town. Hadebe S, Chengalroyen M, Guler R, Nakedi K, Koch A, Makatsa M, Shey M, Parihar SP, Bryson B, Marakalala MJ and Ndlovu H. Gates Open Res, Nov 2019, 3:1491, doi:10.12688/gatesopenres.13035.3

• Batf2 differentially regulates tissue immunopathology in type1 and type 2 diseases. Guler R*, Mpotje T*, Ozturk M*, Nono Komguep J*, Parihar SP*, Chia Julius, Aziz N, Hlaka L, Kumar S, Roy S, Penn Nicholson A, Hanekom W, Zak D, Scriba T, Suzuki H, Brombacher F. *co-first authors, Mucosal Immunology 2019 Mar;12(2):390-402. doi: 10.1038/s41385-018-0108-2.

• Statins: a viable candidate for host-directed therapies against infectious diseases. Parihar SP*, Reto Guler and Frank Brombacher*, *Joint correspondence, Nature Reviews Immunology. 2019 Feb;19(2):104-117. doi: 10.1038/s41577-018-0094-3. 

• Viral apoptosis evasion via the MAPK pathway by use of a host long noncoding RNA. Barichievy S, Naidoo J, Boulle M, Scholefield J, Parihar SP, Coussens AK, Brombacher F, Sigal A and Mhlanga MM* Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol. 2018 July. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2018.00263.

• Transcriptional landscape of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in macrophages. Roy S, Schmeier S, Kaczkowski B, Arner E, Alam T, Ozturk M, Tamgue O, Parihar SP, Kawaji H, Itoh M, Lassmann T, Carninci P, Hayashizaki Y, Forrest ARR, Guler R, Bajic VB, Brombacher F, Suzuki H. Sci Rep. 2018 Apr 30;8(1):6758. doi: 10.1038. 

• Protein Kinase C-delta (PKC-δ), a marker of inflammation and tuberculosis disease progression in humans, is important for optimal macrophage killing effector functions and survival in mice during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Parihar SP, Ozturk M, Marakalala MJ, Loots DT, Hurdayal R, Maasdorp DB, Reenen MV, Zak DE, Darboe F, Penn-Nicholson A, Hanekom WA, Leitges M, Scriba TJ, Guler R and Brombacher F* Mucosal Immunol. 2018 Mar 23. doi: 10.1038/mi.2017.68. 

• Evaluation of Minor Groove Binders (MGBs) as novel anti-mycobacterial agents, and the effect of using non-ionic surfactant vesicles as a delivery system to improve their efficacy. Hlaka L#, Rosslee MJ#, Ozturk M, Kumar S, Parihar SP, Brombacher F, Carter KC, Scott F, Suckling C, Guler R* J Antimicrob Chemother. 2017 Dec 1;72(12): 3334-3341.doi: 10.1093/jac/dkx326.

• Early IL-4-producing B cells regulate T helper cell dichotomy in Type 1 and Type 2-controlled diseases. Hurdayal R#, Ndlovu HH#, Revaz-Breton M, Parihar SP, Komguep JN, Govender M and Brombacher F* PNAS. 2017 Oct 3;114(40): E8430-E8439. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1708125114. 

• Topical Simvastatin as Host-Directed Therapy against Severity of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Mice. Parihar SP, Hartley MA, Hurdayal R, Guler R and Brombacher F* Sci Rep. 2016 Sep 16; 6:33458. 

• Redefining the transcriptional regulatory dynamics of classically and alternatively activated macrophages by deep-CAGE transcriptomics. Roy S, Schmeier S, Arner E, Alam T, Parihar SP, Ozturk M, Tamgue O, Kawaji H, de Hoon MJL, Itoh M, Lassmann T, Carninci P, Hayashizaki Y, Forrest ARR, Bajic VB, Guler R, FANTOM Consortium, Brombacher F*, Suzuki H* Nucleic Acids Res. 2015 Aug 18;43(14):6969-82. 

• Batf2/Irf1 Induces Inflammatory Responses in Classically Activated Macrophages, Lipopolysaccharides, and Mycobacterial Infection. Roy S, Guler R, Parihar SP, Schmeier S, Kaczkowski B, Nishimura H, Shin JW, Negishi Y, Ozturk M, Hurdayal R, Kubosaki A, Kimura Y, de Hoon MJ, Hayashizaki Y, Brombacher F*, Suzuki H*. J Immunol. 2015 Jun 15;194(12):6035-44.

• IL-4Rα-dependent alternative activation of macrophages is not decisive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis pathology and bacterial burden in mice. Guler R*, Parihar SP*, Savvi S, Logan E, Schwegmann A, Roy S, Nieuwenhuizen NE, Ozturk M, Schmeier S, Suzuki H, Brombacher F. *co-first author, PLoS One. 2015 Mar 19;10(3): e0121070. 

• Statin therapy reduces the mycobacterium tuberculosis burden in human macrophages and in mice by enhancing autophagy and phagosome maturation. Parihar SP*, Guler R*, Khutlang R, Lang DM, Hurdayal R, Mhlanga MM, Suzuki H, Marais AD, Brombacher F. J Infect Dis. 2014 Mar 1;209 (5):754-63. 

• Deletion of IL-4 receptor alpha on dendritic cells renders BALB/c mice hypersusceptible to Leishmania major infection. Hurdayal R, Nieuwenhuizen NE, Revaz-Breton M, Smith L, Hoving JC, Parihar SP, Reizis B, Brombacher F. PLoS Pathog. 2013 Oct;9(10): e1003699. 

• Simvastatin enhances protection against Listeria monocytogenes infection in mice by counteracting Listeria-induced phagosomal escape. Parihar SP*, Guler R*, Lang DM, Suzuki H, Marais AD, Brombacher F. PLoS One. 2013 Sep 24;8(9): e75490. 

• A cross-reactive monoclonal antibody to nematode haemoglobin enhances protective immune responses to Nippostrongylus brasiliensis. Nieuwenhuizen NE, Meter JM, Horsnell WG, Hoving JC, Fick L, Sharp MF, Darby MG, Parihar SP, Brombacher F, Lopata AL. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2013 Aug 29;7(8): e2395. 

• PKCδ regulates IL-12p40/p70 production by macrophages and dendritic cells, driving a type 1 healer phenotype in cutaneous leishmaniasis. Guler R, Afshar M, Arendse B, Parihar SP, Revaz Breton M, Leitges M, Schwegmann A, Brombacher F. Eur J Immunol. 2011 Mar;41(3):706-15. 

• Blocking IL-1α but not IL-1β increases susceptibility to chronic Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in mice. Guler R, Parihar SP, Spohn G, Johansen P, Brombacher F, Bachmann MF. Vaccine. 2011 Feb 1;29(6):1339-46. 

• Human papillomavirus E6 and E7 oncoproteins as risk factors for tumorigenesis. Ganguly N, Parihar SP. J Biosci. 2009 Mar;34(1):113-23.