Speaker

Satwik Majumder

Biography :

My research addresses the implications and application of sustainable nanotechnology in the field of food and agricultural safety and security. The extensive use of antibiotics relevant to human health in animals has contributed significantly to the emergence and transmission of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through direct contact from infected animals or the food supply chain. Continuous surveillance for AMR among bacterial isolates from farms is vital for the effective management of zoonotic infections. Therefore, I am monitoring antimicrobial resistance and virulence characteristics in bacterial isolates from infected livestock of Canadian farms through phenotypic and genotypic studies. Combination therapy with more than one antimicrobial agent comprised of complementary mechanisms of action has shown possibilities to prevent or slow down AMR. However, such therapies have still shown vulnerability towards AMR or faced challenges of poor bioavailability, cytotoxicity, stability, release, and overdosing. The application of nanomaterials could resolve these issues and play a significant role in advanced formulations of cost-effective and sustainable therapeutic strategies as a multiple drug carrier. Hence, the ultimate goal of my research is to create nano-enabled therapeutics to restrict bacterial pathogenicity and thus, zoonotic infections.