Anurag Adhikari, PhD
Group Leader
Department of Infection and Immunology
Email: adhikari.a@kribs.org.np
Twitter, ORCID , Google Scholar
Education
Ph.D. in Immunology (Pathology), University of New South Wales, Australia
Bachelor of Technology in Biotechnology, Purbanchal University, Nepal
Bio
Anurag Adhikari is an immunologist, currently working on the functional aspect of human adaptive immunity. He studies the polyclonal antibody effector functions to characterize the humoral immunity in viral infection. He is currently adapting the antibody effector functional assays like the antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP), antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), and antibody-dependent neutralization (ADN), to understand the role of anti-HIV antibodies in HIV pathogenesis and disease. In addition to HIV, he is currently working to understand the humoral and innate immune response against the bacteria Orientia tsutsugamushi, which causes Scrub typhus disease in humans. Understanding the anti-bacterial antibody induction, associated inflammatory cytokine response, and bacterial evolution among acute febrile patients in the endemic community is the primary outcome of this study.
Apart from humoral immunology during infection, he has a special interest in pathogen-specific B cell induction, maintenance, and proliferation after infection and immunization. In this aspect, he is currently leading the KRIBS anti-Viral Antibody discovery (KaVA)-program to understand the induction and persistence of HIV-specific B cells, to support the research and development of next-generation of anti-HIV therapeutic antibodies and effective vaccines against HIV.
More details are in KaVA-Program [see https://kribs.org.np/kava-program/]
Publications
Google Scholar Publication List
Daisy Awale
Research Associate/Lab Manager
Email: awale.d@kribs.org.np
Education:
M.Sc. in Nutrition and Dietetics, Purbanchal University, Nepal
B.Tech in Biotechnology, Purbanchal University, Nepal
Research Study:
a) Dengue Virus Seroprevalence and genetic diversity: Investigation of Recent dengue outbreaks in Nepal [November 2024-Present]
b) Development and Validation of In-house Indirect IgG ELISA Against Hepatitis C Virus Among HIV Infected Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy
c) Assessment of Dietary Patterns and Protein Intake in Lactating Mothers in Relation to Dengue Virus Protein-Specific IgG in Maternal Serum and Breast Milk
Supervisor: Anurag Adhikari
Monika Chaudhary
Research Assistant
Email: chaudhary.m@kribs.org.np
Education:
B.Tech in Biotechnology, Kathmandu University, Nepal
Research Study:
a) Dengue Virus Seroprevalence and genetic diversity: Investigation of Recent dengue outbreaks in Nepal [November 2024-Present]
b) Development and Validation of In-house Indirect IgG ELISA Against Hepatitis C Virus Among HIV Infected Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy
c) Genomic epidemiology of circulating dengue virus strains in Nepal [February 2025-Present]
Supervisor: Anurag Adhikari
Supervisory team
Binod Rayamajhee, PhD
Research Fellow
Email: binod@kribs.org.np
Education
Ph.D., Optometry, University of New South Wales, Australia
Bio
Binod Rayamajhee is investigating the severity of a devastating eye infection, Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK), using cutting-edge molecular techniques, that can lead to blindness and even eye removal. Binod is examining the incidence and type of microbial endosymbionts in clinical and environmental isolates of Acanthamoeba using deep-sequencing techniques and determining whether these different endosymbionts affect the course of ocular infection and the ability to treat Acanthamoeba infection in an animal model. In addition, Binod also worked with infectious diseases such as Scrub Typhus, nosocomial infections, the impact of climate change on vector-borne diseases with further interests in investigating the burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) from One Health Perspective.
Publications
Google Scholar Publication List
Rajesh Chaudhary, PhD
Research Fellow
Email: rajeshchaudhary.np@gmail.com
Education
PhD in Medicine, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) and Adelaide
Health and Medical School, The University of Adelaide, Australia
M.Sc. Medical Biochemistry, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Thailand
B.Tech in Biotechnology, School of Science, Kathmandu University, Nepal
Bio
My research interest focuses on understanding the complex network of obesity-related pathological conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular, liver, and muscle diseases in relation to autophagy and mitochondrial health and their response under various nutritional intervention states. During my last eight years of research work in Nepal, Thailand, and Australia, I have tried to understand the range of pathological conditions that feed into the process and amplify obesity-associated pathological conditions from physiological to molecular levels. In my upcoming projects, I will be engaged in understanding the behavior of our immune system after myocardial infarction and their role in allograft vasculopathy, including understanding the dynamics of inflammatory milieu after allograft and their contribution in allograft rejection.
Publications
Google Scholar Publication List
Department of Infection and Immunology Current Research Students/Interns
NO AVAILABLE POSITION AT THE MOMENT
Shubechchha Maharjan
Research Intern [February 2026 – Present]
Education
BSc. Biotechnology, SANN International College, Nepal
Research study:
a) Development and Validation of In-house Indirect IgG ELISA Against Hepatitis C Virus Among HIV Infected Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy
b) Kinetics of Dengue Virus Antigen Release in Mosquito Cell line and Quantification by ELISA
Supervisor: Anurag Adhikari
Pranjali Shrestha
Research Intern [March 2026-Present]
Education:
B.Tech in Biotechnology, Kathmandu University, Nepal
Research study:
a) Kinetics of Dengue Virus Antigen Release in Mosquito Cell line and Quantification by ELISA
Supervisor: Anurag Adhikari
Rashal Shakya
Research Intern [December 2024-Present]
Education:
B.Tech in Biotechnology, Kathmandu University, Nepal
Research Study:
a) Dengue Virus Seroprevalence and genetic diversity: Investigation of Recent dengue outbreaks in Nepal [December 2024-July 2025]
b) Genomic epidemiology of circulating dengue virus strains in Nepal [February 2025-Present]
Supervisor: Anurag Adhikari
Saragat Shakya
Undergraduate Thesis student [Nobember 2025 – Present]
Education
BSc. Microbiology, Sainik Awashiya Mahabidhyalaya, Bhaktapur
Research Study:
a) a) Kinetics of Dengue Virus Antigen Release in Mosquito Cell line and Quantification by ELISA
Supervisor:
Dr. Anurag Adhikari
Rojina Byanju
Undergraduate Thesis student [Nobember 2025 – Present]
Education
BSc. Microbiology, Sainik Awashiya Mahabidhyalaya, Bhaktapur
Research Study:
a) a) Kinetics of Dengue Virus Antigen Release in Mosquito Cell line and Quantification by ELISA
Supervisor:
Dr. Anurag Adhikari
Department of Infection and Immunology Alumni
Shubechchha Maharjan
Undergraduate Thesis student [March 2025 – Present]
Education
BSc. Biotechnology, SANN International College, Nepal
Research study:
a) Development and Validation of In-house Indirect IgG ELISA Against Hepatitis C Virus Among HIV Infected Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy
Supervisor: Anurag Adhikari
Devaki Shrestha
Undergraduate Thesis student [March 2025 – Present]
Education
BSc. Biotechnology, SANN International College, Nepal
Research study:
a) Development and Validation of In-house Indirect IgG ELISA Against Hepatitis C Virus Among HIV Infected Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy
Supervisor: Anurag Adhikari
Chandan Prasad Purbe
Undergraduate Thesis student [March 2025 – July 2025]
Education
BSc. Biotechnology, SANN International College, Nepal
Research study:
a) Development and Validation of In-house Indirect IgG ELISA Against Hepatitis C Virus Among HIV Infected Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy
Supervisor: Anurag Adhikari
Sumiran Shrestha
Research Intern [December 2024- June 2025]
Education:
B.Tech in Biotechnology, Kathmandu University, Nepal
Research Study:
a) Dengue Virus Seroprevalence and genetic diversity: Investigation of Recent dengue outbreaks in Nepal
Supervisor: Anurag Adhikari
Gopiram (Shulav) Syangtan, MSc.
Research Associate/Lab Manager [2022-2024]
Research Study:
a) Dengue Virus Seroprevalence and genetic diversity: Investigation of Recent dengue outbreaks in Nepal [May 2024-Present]
b) Screening and isolation of broadly neutralizing monoclonal anti-HIV IgGs from Nepalese people living with HIV [Dec. 2022-Present]
c) Characterizing the challenges experienced in health care data exchange between Nepalese and international research teams to develop a local data transfer framework [Dec.2022-Dec.2023]
Supervisor: Anurag Adhikari
Minu Singh
Programs Manager/Research Associate [2021-2024]
Research study:
(a) Characterization of adaptive immunity in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection.
(b) Optimization and validation of interferon-gamma based ELISpot utilizing peripheral blood mononuclear cells.
Supervisor: Anurag Adhikari
Sauhardra Manandhar
Research Assistant [January 2023- December 2023]
Research study:
(a) Characterization of adaptive immunity in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection.
(b) Optimization and validation of interferon-gamma based ELISpot utilizing peripheral blood mononuclear cells.
Supervisor: Anurag Adhikari
Nissim Ghimire
Research Intern [December 2022- January 2023]
Research study:
(a) Characterization of adaptive immunity in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection.
Supervisor: Anurag Adhikari
Nisha Thapa
Research Intern [May – December, 2022]
Research Study:
(a) Characterization of adaptive immunity in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection.
(b) Development of lymphatic filariasis database: a national Spatio-temporal resource.
Supervisor: Anurag Adhikari
Shristi Shrestha
Undergraduate Thesis student [April-December, 2022]
Research study:
(a) Optimization and validation of interferon-gamma based ELISpot utilizing peripheral blood mononuclear cells.
Supervisor: Anurag Adhikari
Srijana Niraula
Undergraduate Thesis Student [April -December, 2022]
Research study: Optimization and validation of interferon-gamma based ELISpot utilizing peripheral blood mononuclear cells.
Supervisor: Anurag Adhikari
Sushmita Theeng
Undergraduate Thesis student [April – December, 2022]
Research study: Optimization and validation of interferon-gamma based ELISpot utilizing peripheral blood mononuclear cells.
Supervisor: Anurag Adhikari
Prawesh Mohan Bhattarai
Undergraduate Thesis student [January-December, 2022]
Research study: Impaired mycobacterium protein derivate specific IFN-γ response among Nepalese HIV patients
Supervisor: Anurag Adhikari
Adesh Baral
Research Assistant [January 2021-October 2022]
Research Study: Optimization and validation of interferon-gamma based ELISpot utilizing peripheral blood mononuclear cells.
Supervisor: Anurag Adhikari
Divyashree Thapa
Science communication intern (July 2022-August 2022)
Supervisor: Anurag Adhikari
Namuna Ghimire [Intern, August 2021-February 2022]
Research study: Development of lymphatic filariasis database: a national Spatio-temporal resource
Supervisor: Anurag Adhikari
Krisha Subedi [Science communication intern, August 2021-December 2021]
Supervisor: Anurag Adhikari
Prakriti Karki [Intern, March 2021-December 2021]
Research study: Characterization of anti-HIV antibodies for their role in immune effector (neutralizing and Fc mediated) functions
Supervisor: Anurag Adhikari
- Department of Infection and Immunology Advisory Board
