Dr. Mittal specializes in the intricate dynamics of host-pathogen interactions, with a particular emphasis on the innate immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). His research aims to uncover the cellular and molecular mechanisms that govern Mtb pathogenesis and contribute to the persistence of tuberculosis (TB). In recent study, he elucidated the role of Phthiocerol Dimycocerosates (PDIM), in protecting the pathogen from autophagy-mediated clearance in vivo and made significant strides in understanding how Mtb evades immune responses.
Additionally, Dr. Mittal’s research uncovered a novel and unexpected role for autophagy in chronic TB infection. He demonstrated that autophagy in myeloid cells is crucial for the formation of B cell follicles, which are essential for the adaptive immune response during prolonged TB infection. This discovery opens new avenues for exploring how autophagy influences both innate and adaptive immune responses in the context of chronic TB.
Dr. Mittal’s work continues to advance our understanding of TB pathogenesis and immune evasion mechanisms, providing valuable insights that could inform future therapeutic and vaccine development strategies.
- B.Sc, Botany, Zoology and Chemistry, Agra College, Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Agra, India(2006)
- M.Sc in Biotechnology, Jamia Millia Islamia New Delhi, India (2009)
- PhD in Biotechnology (Microbial Pathogenesis), National Centre for Cell Science, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India (2015)
- Awarded Junior (2009-2011) and Senior (2011-2014) Research Fellowship by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
- Invited and selected for presentations
2018: 5th Global Forum on TB Vaccines conference (New Delhi, India)
2024: Keystone-Tuberculosis: The Host-Pathogen Interface (Keystone, CO, USA). - 2022-2024 Academic Editor on the Editorial Board of Disease Markers
- Served or serves as reviewer for many prestigious journals including Nature Communications, Molecular Cellular Biochemistry, Life Sciences, Journal of Infection and Public Health, Cell Biology, Lipids in Health and Disease, BMC Molecular Cell Biology, BMC Cancer, and many more.
- Ekansh Mittal*, G. V. R. Krishna Prasad, Sandeep Upadhyay, Jully Sadadiwala, Andrew Olive, Guozhe Yang, Christopher M. Sassetti, and Jennifer A. Philips*. Mycobacterium tuberculosis virulence lipid PDIM inhibits autophagy in mice. Nature Microbiology 2024. (*Co-correspondence) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-024-01797-5
- Ekansh Mittal†, Andrew T Roth†, Anushree Seth, Srikanth Singamaneni, Wandy Beatty, and Jennifer A Philips. Single cell preparations of Mycobacterium tuberculosis damage the mycobacterial envelope and disrupt macrophage interactions. eLife 2023; 12:e85416; DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.85416 (†Co-first author)
- Ekansh Mittal, Michael L. Skowyra, Grace Uwase, Emir Tinaztepe, Alka Mehra, Stefan Köster, Phyllis I. Hanson and Jennifer A. Philips. Mycobacterium tuberculosis Type VII Secretion System Effectors Differentially Impact the ESCRT Endomembrane Damage Response. mBio 2018; Volume 9 Issue 6 e01765-18; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.01765-18